You’ve decluttered, purged and organized your home but it STILL feels cluttered. Here are some tips to finally beat the clutter in your home!
You need to declutter again
I am a firm believer that for most people, decluttering isn’t a once & done thing. Sometimes we can mentally or physically can only get rid of so much at once. While I’m sure there are people out there who purged 90% of their belongings in one month, I think the majority of us need to purge over and over again in order to get our homes where we want them. Decluttering is a skill, just like anything else, and it takes practice!
The first time you declutter it might be hard to let go of certain items. But if you declutter again 3 months later, you might be ready to let go of it! So if your home still feels cluttered, maybe it’s time for round 2 (or 3 or 4!)
Click here if you need tips on how to declutter your entire house without getting overwhelmed!
You have too much furniture
When we think of decluttering, we tend to think of items in drawers, closets, and cabinets. But it’s important to declutter your furniture as well. If there’s a chair in your living room that never gets used, declutter it! If you’re holding onto an extra dresser just because there’s nothing wrong with it, let it go!
Furniture takes up so much space, and it often attracts clutter. So don’t forget to think about your furniture when you’re decluttering.
You have too much on your walls
This is another really common area we tend to forget about. Even if you love your artwork, too much of it can cause a lot of visual clutter. If you can’t figure out why your space still feels cluttered, try taking down a few things that are hanging on your walls.
You don’t even have to get rid of these things. Maybe you just have 2 different paintings that you love for above your bed that you can rotate through. There are no rules to decluttering! Figure out what works for you.
I love creating an actual accent wall instead of needing decor to make a wall more interesting.
You need to organize
So maybe you decluttered all of your closets and cabinets, but they are still messy and disorganized. I don’t believe that organizing by itself will fix a clutter problem. But if you’ve already purged and it still feels cluttered, maybe it’s time to organize the space!
You can use items you already have, like shoe boxes or extra baskets to organize any closet. Or if you don’t have anything, take a trip to the dollar store and pick up some affordable baskets!
Things don’t have a home
One of the biggest problems that cause clutter and mess in our homes is when items don’t have a home. Are you constantly throwing pens in every drawer just to get them out of the way? Have one designated space to keep all your pens. (And then make sure your family knows)
If you have multiple junk drawers or cabinets, take everything out of them. Instead of just reorganizing and putting all those items back in the drawer, figure out if you can find a permanent home for it instead!
Your systems aren’t working
This goes along with things not having a home. Is there a specific item that you are constantly tripping over, or is always a mess? Is your front hall always a mess no matter how often you clean? Maybe the furniture you have in that space, or the organization methods you’ve attempted just aren’t the right solution.
If the same space is always messy, rethink the entire space and how you can make it work better for your family! This doesn’t have to be complicated or cost a lot of money. Maybe you just need to add (or remove) a piece of furniture, a few baskets, etc.
Don’t be discouraged, trying out different methods is part of the process! Sometimes you get it right the first time, and sometimes you don’t.
You didn’t actually get rid of the items you decluttered
So you spent an entire month decuttering your home, but then you got tired and instead of bringing all your decluttered items to a thrift store you just put them in the garage. Or maybe you’re not 100% sure about the items you’ve decluttered and want to wait to get rid of them.
If the items are still inside your house/garage/basement, it’s going to feel cluttered! Get them out of your space ASAP.
If there’s an item you’re really unsure about, decide how long you’re going to hold onto it. Neatly put it away somewhere that it’s out of the way, but you won’t forget about it. If you haven’t missed it after the set amount of time, it’s time to get rid of it!
You have too many things on surfaces
Having too many items on your bedside table, kitchen counters, etc can make a space still feel cluttered. Even if it’s tidy and organized, too many items creates visual clutter.
Try clearing off some surfaces if your space still feels cluttered!
Too many small items
Maybe your space still feels cluttered because you have too many small items. Instead of hanging 4 small photos on the wall, replace it with 1 large photo. Or instead of filling a shelf with a dozen small knickknacks, decorate with 1-2 large items.
You kept things you don’t love
When we hold onto things we don’t really love, they can make our homes still feel cluttered. Obviously it isn’t always an option to completely refurnish or redecorate your home, so sometimes you might have to live with a couch, artwork, etc that you don’t really love.
But try not to hold onto things our of guilt. Some reasons people feel guilty decluttering an item is because the item was gifted to you, or because you spent a lot of money on it.
But if the item isn’t adding any value to your life anymore, you’ll feel better by decluttering it! Maybe even sell it and use the money to buy something you do love!
I hope you feel inspired to finally get rid of the things in your home that are making it still feel cluttered!
