How to Reduce Clutter in Your Home

Clutter is a problem for most households. We accumulate things and collect stuff. Often there isn’t sufficient space in our homes for all the stuff we collect and things we buy. This is a big cause of clutter in our homes. Clutter causes a clean room to look messy and adds on to the cleaning process. Psychology studies have even shown that clutter inhibits clear thinking and memory functions because there is so much going on in an environment, it is hard to concentrate. It is one of the reasons that productivity and efficiency experts agree with psychologists that work spaces should be free of clutter. This applies to not only your home office, but every room in your home. This article will focus on tips to reduce clutter in your home.

1. Reduce or eliminate printing. If you have a home office or regularly print things for school, work, or home use. Try not to. Adopt a “no printing” policy and see how much that reduces clutter around your home. If you do have to print anything, try not to keep it around. Print papers for school or work and them take them there. Instead of printing, opt for cloud storage, thumb drives, email, or digital faxing.
2. Find a home for everything. Make a habit of not keeping anything out on tables, desks, counters, etc. Use drawer space and if you have things that you need to keep and need to have accessible, then find nice, neat looking containers to put them in.
3. Organize regularly. Keeping a regular cleaning schedule and being vigilant about organizing everything will make it easier to keep clutter away.
4. Wrap up cords. Cords for electronics can be an eye sore and a cause of clutter. Especially in areas where there are multiple electronics such as a computer desk or home electronics center, a mess of cords is never nice to see. Wrap them up using office clips, bread clips, twist or zip ties. Color coded ties or clips will lead to even more organization.
5. What can be put in storage? Everyone has seasonal items, clothing, or things that they don’t use very often. Clothing and linens not in regular use should be shrunk for storage in vacuum bags and put away. Other items not regularly used should all be put away in attics, basements, garages, or storage units so that they don’t take up valuable space in your drawers and closets that can be used to put things that lead to clutter.
6. Make new purchases with your clutter free home in mind. When making new purchases, ask yourself if it will lead to more clutter or help you reduce clutter. New kitchen purchases should be bowls or containers that fit inside one another. New furniture should have storage options.
7. Develop a regular cleaning schedule. The more often you clean, the easier and quicker it becomes. This is especially the case once you have reduced the clutter in your home. If you empty rubbish bins nightly and take a few minutes each day or night to pick up and clean up, your home will always be clean and clutter free. When clutter and mess builds up, it can seem like a monumental task to clean.

Conclusion
You will notice that you really have to be serious about removing clutter in order for your home to be clutter free. However, once you make the commitment, your life will be much easier and your home will be much more welcoming and inviting. Reducing clutter also helps you appreciate the things you have, showcasing only what you want to see and not everything else.