Is your home starting to feel too cramped? Before you think about moving to a more extensive place, try decluttering your house and discarding unnecessary objects and furnishings! The typical American home has around 300,000 items, yet 10% of Americans still lease offsite storage spaces. Moreover, most houses fitted with two-car garages do not have space to park their vehicles. With these statistics in mind, you will not be wrong to think that buying a bigger home could only lead to more furnishings and personal effects that will end up leaving your place feeling crowded. Yes, it is a vicious cycle. So, what can you do?
Freeing up space in your home by organizing your place and disposing of unnecessary objects will help tremendously brighten the mood and improve the vibe inside your home. Below, we list the nine most essential steps in decluttering your house.
1. Follow The Four-Box Method
The four-box method is arguably the most effective and practical decluttering technique out there. Essentially, you allot one bin for each of the four categories: maybe, donate, sell, and trash. The “maybe” box is for everything you consider throwing away at a later date. The “donate,” “sell,” and “trash” boxes are exactly what their names imply. Keeping such a system throughout your home decluttering process lets you organize items you want to toss out or dispose of without making a mess of your surroundings. It will also be easier to retrieve objects, and you will not risk forgetting what your plan was for a set of belongings.
2. Find A Dumpster Rental
When you have too many items in your “trash” box, it might be challenging to find a large enough space or bin to fit them without making your home look more cluttered than it currently is. A residential dumpster rental will allow you to easily toss discarded items and keep them out of your way. Since dumpster rentals can be used in your home for an extended period of time, depending on the time of year and your agreement with the service provider, you can accumulate your trash and have the dumpster rental company pick up and remove the waste at the end of your decluttering spree.
3. Start With Storage Areas
Storage spaces in your home are usually the ones with the most clutter. Areas like the garage and basement are rarely utilized, but you typically dump things your household does not use often or cannot even remember owning there. Starting your declutter spree with these parts will open up space for more unrestricted movement, and – once cleared out – you can dedicate them to temporary “sorting rooms.” For instance, items for donation or selling go in the basement, while those you will throw away go into the garage for easy access to your dumpster rental later on.
4. Digitize Photos And Documents
If clearing out objects in your home feels like too taxing a chore, start with papers! Physical documents and printed photos may seem minute compared with hoarded appliances and furniture, but you would be surprised by the space they consume. Most people keep papers for sentimental value, and these can pile up over the years and find themselves disorganized in random cabinets and boxes in your home. Digitizing prints will free up a significant area in your storage, reducing fire hazards and unnecessary litter. You can encode, scan, or take a digital photo of your documents, and you will soon realize they serve the same purpose as the hard copy version – only more organized, readily available, and less distracting! You can even go the extra mile and request utility providers and banks to send you electronic bills instead of physical copies.
5. Check For Broken Items
The next step to starting “small but significant” is to check for broken or damaged belongings. Taking the time to try out your pens and markers will feel like an effortless task, but it could also be very fulfilling once you see your stash of random writing tools get cut by half. The same goes for artists who keep paints and brushes in their rooms. You might find that some of those brushes have become too stiff to use, and paints could have dried up already. Getting rid of small items like these will open up desk or drawer space, and you will know what items you need to replenish. You can either throw them into your “trash” box or, if you already have a dumpster rental, toss them directly into the waste container.
6. Remove Catch-All Bins
Catch-all bins refer to coffee table baskets and desk drawers, among many others, that typically end up filled with mismatched items meant for other places. These can include stray charging cables, keys, pens, and other knick-knacks. Catch-all bins tend to overflow – the next thing you know, objects are spilling out onto tables and drawer tops, and you are left with an assortment of small items that you have to dig through to fetch what you need. Removing bins like these prevent people in your home from dropping items anywhere, and it can also help you identify things you are not using but are lying around and littering your space.
7. Clean Out Flat Surfaces
Once you have identified and removed catch-all bins, the next step is to prevent flat surfaces from being makeshift catch-alls. The goal is to keep floors, desks, and counters free from anything that should not be there. For this to work, you have to pinpoint which of your things you use the most often and determine a designated “home” for these belongings. The next time you stop using your phone, you will remember to place it back inside a drawer or wall pocket instead of mindlessly placing it atop your desk or on your nightstand. The risk you run with turning flat surfaces into storage spaces is that the items can accumulate over time. And, when you are used to having trinkets in every nook and cranny of your home, you could quickly dismiss clutter as typical.
8. Discard Damaged Fittings
Do not hesitate to give up worn-out appliances and furniture because you think you could still use them. If they are beyond repair, throwing them out will leave your home experience more comfortable and convenient. Glitching microwaves and couches with springs sticking out are also hazards that can lead to injuries and accidents, and you are better off without them. The more efficient your furniture and appliances are, the fewer tools you need for constant repair or troubleshooting – thus, less clutter! If you do not know where to send heavy and bulky items, review step number two (hint: dumpster rental!). A dumpster container in the correct size can accommodate large appliances and furniture, and you will not have to worry about transporting or having them removed.
9. Practice The 30-Day Rule
Have you finished steps one through eight? After tossing out all the clear litter in your home, you might still find yourself with a box or two (or five) of things you cannot seem to let go of yet. The last bit is to follow the 30-day rule! If a month passes and you do not find yourself needing or using items in your “maybe” boxes, it is time to discard them as well. For maximum effectiveness, keep the bins in a place where you will not often see them so that there are fewer chances of you digging through them out of sentimental value. If you still have a substantial amount of waste to throw out after 30 days, a 10-yard or 15-yard dumpster rental is perfect for hauling all the remaining trash.
Wrapping Up
Decluttering can feel like a daunting task before you get into it. But, once you have started, you will quickly learn how rewarding it is to see your space neater and more organized than ever. If you do not know where to take your discarded items, donation centers, online marketplaces, and dumpster rental services are your best options.
Check out Cobblestone Container Service to assist you with your waste disposal needs! They offer 10-yard, 20-yard, 30-yard, and even 40-yard containers to suit any type and amount of trash. They hold close core family values, so they understand how significant it is to keep the home feeling like your own personal oasis. Are you planning to declutter soon? Reach out to them to discuss your dumpster rental needs!