Declutter your home—6 Amazing tips!

Sheetal Bhandari Sheetal Bhandari
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Our lifestyles evolve with time. Stuff that we need today might get redundant after a while creating clutter issues. Increasing commerce though good for the businesses often end up being responsible for hoarding in the consumers' homes. How many times have you made a purchase and regretted it later? Or bought something purely out of love for its marketing blitz though there was no real need for it? It is even possible that there are several things lying around the house which are being held purely for emotional reasons. You are not alone. Millions of homeowners are sitting on clutter in their homes. Why not throw the unnecessary things and start with a decluttered lifestyle. Fengshui priniciples advocate decluttering as it helps get rid of negative energies from our lives. How does one start though without feeling bad as its an emotional experience for many? Here are a few pointers.

Clear your wardrobe from things you will never use

The first step to any problem is acceptance. Realisation that you will never use these things ever again is important. We create clutter due to sentimental or emotional value. So a pair of pants that you bought from your first salary (that no longer fits… and never will) or a lampshade lying in the garage unused that was gifted by a dear aunt; a spur of the moment purchase off the internet or a gadget that no longer works; these are the kind of things that we hold on to and create clutter in our homes. So accept the fact firstly that you will never use these things again so that it hurt you less.

Throw away the old; bring in the new

You might need an extra set of sofas for the living room but the huge center table that's rarely used is taking up most of the space. You want to renovate the place new but do not want to get rid of old stuff. It's gong to be a difficult situation. If you don't throw away anything you might have not space for something new and useful. So think rationally and discard things that are redundant.

If you throw away these things it will be easy to clean this space!

Well planned uncluttered places are easier to clean and maintain. A thorough cleaning session in the house will do no good when there's too much stuff lying around. Its important to realise that cleaning will be easier when you throw away unwanted things. Listen to your mind and not the heart at this moment. When you can see the floor and the walls, that's when you can clean them right? 

Call someone who can do this for you… and don't be mad after

Seek help when it becomes difficult for you to get rid of things. A close friend, a family member or a professional can help you declutter. Many people suffer from a hoarding disorder and continue to live claustrophobic lives. They fill up their homes with their collection of books, shoes, clothes, gadgets etc. They may even hire places to store their collectibles. Such cases definitely need professional intervention. Whatever is the severity of the problem, always allow a leeway to the person helping out. Do not be mad later for stuff that's gone away. Having complete trust truly helps.

Put something in a little bag for 1 week everyday

Start with baby steps. Why not select just one item everyday and start collecting them in a little bag. Be honest and do not cheat. Think over what you don't really need and put it aside. Once in the bag, do not be tempted to get it back out. At the end of the week you will have 7 items ready to be bid farewell to. Just pack the bag up without looking whats inside it. 

List them on Ebay or sell them at a fleamarket

Now you have an excellent option of selling these items in the bag on ebay or simply sell them off at a fleamarket. You will surely find takers for your things. It will be hard to let go of your things for sure, but atleast you will get some money out of it. Why not go ahead and celebrate by treating yourself at a nice restaurant? Its going to make you feel lighter.

Cluttering is a widespread problem. We do not realise it as we get buried into it deeper and deeper with time. Rational thinking, timely realisation and some help in few cases is all that is needed to get rid of all unwanted things before they take over our lives. Decluttering is healthy for body, mind and spirit. So let's throw unnecessary things away without feeling bad!

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