How to get rid of clutter in the house: secrets of organized people. Diagnosis of “clutter”, or how to get rid of clutter in the house

What is clutter and how can you learn to cope with the “mess” in your apartment? Quite often we view a messy home as a character flaw. But do our personality traits affect the order in the room? In fact, the source of any disorder is the force of habit. It is habits that make us make the same mistakes, for example, scattering things, not hanging blouses on hangers, etc.

In most cases, it is not our character that is to blame, since we are simply accustomed to making a mess on the table, buying things in discount sections, and not putting papers in folders. So, what to do if the diagnosis of “mess” is confirmed? How to get rid of the habit of being sloppy?

In order to answer these questions, you need to understand what the power of habit is. A habit is certain actions that we perform regularly, completely unaware of the process itself. Remember: eradicating a habit is very difficult, almost impossible. The only solution: replace it with a new one. For this, you will need 21 days. This time is quite enough for the new habit to fully enter our lives.

So, how to deal with a diagnosis of “mess” quickly and effectively?

1. Always finish what you start to the end. This is a very important rule. Unfinished tasks have a negative impact on our daily routine, as well as our emotional state. For example, you decided to read an interesting article in the newspaper, but suddenly got distracted by a phone call. As a result, the article was not finished, but a feeling of incompleteness remained in my soul and consciousness. Always try to finish what you have already started.

2. Before buying important and expensive things, do a “test run”. Have you decided to buy a new phone of the latest model, but are not sure about the advisability of your purchase? Borrow a phone of this model from a friend and “test” it. Just one day is enough to understand whether a future purchase is suitable for you or not. This habit will allow you not only to save a significant amount of money, but also to understand what things you really need.

3. If you have unnecessary things, give them to friends or acquaintances. In every home there are always things that are absolutely useless, but it’s a shame to throw them away. Throw a “stuff swap” party and give a cute trinket to your friend or acquaintance.

4. Forget about general cleaning. Clean every day, not on a large scale, but in the smallest quantities. Make a list of chores that you need to do. For example, on Monday you wash the curtains, on Tuesday you sort out your wardrobe, on Wednesday you get rid of unnecessary things, etc. This cleaning method will significantly reduce the loss of time and effort.

5. Say no to spontaneous purchases! Learn to make only informed purchases. You shouldn’t buy the fifth pair of boots, the tenth tube of cream, etc. To avoid making rash purchases, carry a limited amount of money with you.

For most people, the concept of “order” is associated with an organized lifestyle in daily activities and home environment. In addition, a person who surrounds himself not with chaos, but with comfort, feels harmonious. He will not experience confusion, anxiety, or inconvenience. Do you want to lead an orderly life and properly organize your household? Then you need to know how to get rid of clutter at home.

Develop good habits

Just imagine how nice it is to return to a cozy home where every little thing has its place. Then you won’t have to frantically look for the necessary item or waste effort on clearing the kitchen to prepare dinner. Let's try to develop useful habits.

Once you familiarize yourself with the contents of your mailbox, get used to sorting out your mail right away. Look through the advertising letters and if you find something interesting, set it aside. Place bills, receipts, and other important papers separately. Those advertising brochures that do not interest you, immediately throw them away.

The habit of immediately cleaning the dining table and washing the dishes will help you avoid the massive accumulation of cutlery. Think of this step as the last step of the meal. You'll save a lot of time when you wash the dishes you just used after eating or put them in the dishwasher. This way, the kitchen will always be clean and tidy.

Life has proven that like attracts like, and the same applies to disorder. Is your kitchen or dining table cluttered with extraneous items? Chaos is inevitable. Clean, clean kitchen furniture that is used for its intended purpose creates comfort and peace.

To get rid of clutter in your home, make it a strict rule to make your bed—the center of your bedroom. If it is not covered, the surrounding space becomes cluttered. Observe the change in the atmosphere of this room if you carefully make your bed every morning. To take the first step, take the action daily. After a while everything will work out automatically.

Do everything at once

Every item must have its place. In the evening, carefully fold and put things away in designated areas. Then in the morning you won’t be nervously looking for the necessary shoes, umbrella, bag.

The result of procrastination is chaos. To get rid of clutter at home, train yourself not to put off tasks that will take a couple of minutes to complete. A timely washing of the pan, timely removal of the trash, the timely removal of the remote control, putting the remote control back into place, and immediately throwing dirty laundry into the trash can help avoid sources of chaos.

Another tip for getting rid of clutter is to clean out areas where a large number of items accumulate: shelves, bedside tables, cabinets. These small spaces are often cluttered with unnecessary things. As soon as you find piles of toiletries, clothes or accessories that you have not used for a long time, do an audit and throw away the excess without regret. This work should not be postponed until later. It will take 15-20 minutes to complete, but the spread of the chatter and the possibility of its growth will be stopped.

If you are trying your best to figure out how to get rid of clutter at home but for various reasons it is not working out, seek the help of professionals. Getting started with cleanliness in your home is quite simple - you can order cleaning services in Minsk. Specialists offer after-sales service to ensure perfect cleanliness, which then only needs to be maintained in a timely manner. You can find contacts where you can contact cleaning companies on TAM.BY. The desire that you have been striving for is quite achievable!

Although some of us live comfortably in our own little clutter, a well-organized home offers us a number of benefits, including psychological ones. Order promotes inner harmony and even allows us to think better.

Tricks to beat clutter in your home

Mess - something more than just things thrown in the corner. This is a kind of life philosophy that can fill our lives with chaos and tension.

In our article today we will share with you small tricks that will help you win mess in the house. These tips will also be useful to you in other areas of your life, for example at work.

Clutter is an acquired habit

Some people like to live in chaos, because it allows them not to waste time on various household chores. And at the same time, they are able to perfectly navigate their chaos and quickly find the necessary things.

On the other hand, a tidy home makes family relationships more harmonious and one can hardly argue with the fact that It is much more practical to always store things in specially designated places.

As for the inner world of a person, our mind also functions better when there is no clutter in our lives. When our desk is overflowing with papers, folders and books, It becomes more difficult for us to concentrate and maintain attention on a certain topic.

Having order at home and at work provides a number of benefits. Therefore, it is worth forming this habit. Of course, clutter won't go away from your life overnight. For this you will need a lot of time and effort. But soon you will begin to notice the first changes for the better.

How nice it is when we return home and find all our things in their places, and the visit of guests does not force us to hide a mountain of objects and small things in the closet. Imagine that you are sitting on the sofa to relax and your gaze is not drawn to the things scattered throughout the room.

Of course, putting things in order takes time from us. You can't argue with that.

But as soon as order becomes our habit, it becomes easier for us to maintain it and we become more organized in all areas of life. Gradually our life becomes free from stress and tension.

Tips to help you conquer clutter

Is the weekend approaching? This is a good reason to clean up your apartment. You'll see, your house will be like new. Of course, in the future you will need to maintain this order.

But once you see how clean and tidy your home can be, you'll want to make the effort.

1. Start with one room

If you decide to get rid of household chaos once and for all, you shouldn’t try to start putting order in all the rooms at once.

Start with one specific room , for example, from the living room or kitchen. As a rule, these are the ones we see as soon as we get into the house.

Take all the objects lying around and put them in specially designated places.

If any of these items need to be stored in other rooms, take them there. Once you start cleaning those rooms, you'll know where it's best to put those things away.

2. Determine a place to store each item

Only those items that we use in the kitchen should be stored in the kitchen. Books and magazines belong in the library. Clothes and shoes should be put in the closet. When we get used to storing things in certain places, it becomes easy for us to find them at the right time.

Did you need a coat? Look for it on a hanger, not on the sofa. The habit of storing things in certain places will help you out in moments of haste. and you will always know that the necessary items will be found quickly at any time.

3. Develop a cleaning algorithm

As for cleaning each room, it would be better to develop a specific algorithm. For example, collect dirty clothes and put them in the washing machine, then take out the trash, make the bed, put clean clothes in the closet, disassemble shelves and racks, etc.

This plan will make it easier for you to clean up each room. To overcome clutter, you need a strategy. IN In this case, you won’t have to spend the whole weekend cleaning.

4. Throw away unnecessary things

There are probably a lot of things in your home that you no longer use.

The time has come to get rid of them. Some things can simply be thrown into the trash, while others can be given to a charity.

One of the reasons for clutter in the house is the accumulation of unnecessary things. We don't know where to store them, these items end up on chairs, on the floor or in a corner.

5. Clean up dirt immediately

When cleaning your home, you need to remember this golden rule: “Put items away immediately after use, remove fresh debris and dirt, and tidy up without putting off this task until later.” This recommendation should apply to all family members.

As soon as our home is filled with order and cleanliness, and all objects are in their places, we need to make efforts to ensure that chaos does not take over our home again. It's quite difficult. On the other hand, all this is a matter of habit. The most important thing is to understand and realize the benefits of order.

6. Use boxes and containers for storage

Sometimes we don't want to throw away or give away unused items. , because they are memories of events or people that are important to us. Maybe we don’t need some things now, but they may come in handy in the future.

In this case, the best solution would be to buy a special box or a beautiful box for storing them. You may have some unused cardboard boxes of household appliances left around the house.

In this case, it is advisable to mark these boxes and write what exactly is stored inside them. After that, you can put them under the bed, in a closet, closet or garage.

7. Buy new furniture

It's possible that the reason you're in clutter is because you don't have the right furniture., which would allow you to conveniently store all your household utensils.

This does not mean that you need to fill your home with different furniture. Also, buying new furniture should not be a reason to continue buying unnecessary things.

Nevertheless, Comfortable and functional furniture will allow you to remove out of sight all those items that create a feeling of clutter.

The best way to keep your home clean and tidy is to get rid of things you no longer need. Clutter can cause many problems in your home life, such as making it difficult to find things when you need them. Most of us try to hold on to things we no longer use, whether due to sentimentality, rarity of the item, or simple inactivity. Remove old items to make room for new ones.

Steps

Part 1

Cleaning things

In this section, you will find and remove things. Don't waste your time wondering what to do with these things. If the choice is obvious, don't hesitate, otherwise put the item in the sorting pile.

Revisit items you've either outgrown or no longer use. Be ruthless. If it's cluttering a room and doesn't have a regular place to go, put it in the sorting pile. In the end, do you really need these magazines that you have been collecting since 1998, but which you practically never read?

Empty the closet and all cabinets. Take out all the clothes that you no longer fit into or that look terrible and put them in the sorting pile.

Take out all the pieces of paper that are scattered throughout the room. Collect those you no longer need and throw them in the trash. Keep the rest in organized folders.

Any place that creates clutter, like your bed, clean it first. Then take out all the items in that area. Throw away the ones you no longer need, clean the dirty ones, and put the rest back in their place. Anything else you're not sure about should go into the sorting pile.

Part 2

Place the sorting pile in a spacious, clean area so you can see all your items and organize them.

Ask yourself three questions about the items that end up in the sorting pile:
- Do you like this item?
- Do you use it often or will you use it soon (within the next 3 months)?
- Will you miss it when you throw it away? Does it have any memorable value?
Divide the sorting pile into three piles.
- First pile: In pile number one there should be things that you use every day and that you “love.”
  - For example, your phone, tools, shoes and so on. For example, put your keys in a bowl near the door, store your tools in a toolbox, and buy a shoe cabinet. Everything you use will find a suitable place for itself.
  - Things you love, like photographs, furniture, etc. must find a place for themselves where they would be displayed, kept secret, kept safe, etc.
- Second pile: Pile number two should contain things that you use at least once a week or once a month. These are items that are stored in closets, the garage, or other out-of-the-way locations. Put these items in storage containers (preferably clear drawers so you can see what's in them) and label them. Hang other items, such as clothes, on a hanger and put them away.
- Third pile: The third pile should contain things that you have not used in the last 6-12 months. If you haven't used them for a year, chances are you won't use them again. Therefore, you should get rid of them. Donate unused and unwanted items to charity so they can go to those less fortunate.
Don't expect to finish everything in one day. Depending on the extent of the mess, this may take you anywhere from two days to a week. And coupled with an emotional test, it will last for a whole month, so we recommend inviting an impartial friend to help you and support you morally.

Plan your work! Cleaning for 15 minutes a day to get your room in order is better than cleaning around the clock after a year of doing nothing. Remember that any progress is better than no progress at all.
If you're tired, take a five-minute smoke break and then get back to work. You can listen to music while working.
Try to clean one room at a time. Start in one corner of the room and work your way across the room before moving to the other.
Set aside a specific time for cleaning. If possible, never try to pick up cleaning after a long day of work.
Promise yourself a reward, like a movie, new clothes, or a walk, after you finish cleaning. The reward will help you work with more zeal. It will act as a stimulus in achieving the final result.
Do not start cleaning when you are tired, for example after a day of work. But if you have to do it after work, do it a little at a time. Give yourself 15 minutes each evening to tackle one small area - one cabinet or shelf.
Donating items to charity results in a tax deduction. This applies to old clothes, shoes, toys, kitchen appliances and more. When you drop off your items, ask the employee to provide you with a receipt. This can be deducted from your taxes based on the reasonable value of the used item. Tax software packages will guide you through the tax deduction claim process and even help you assign a reasonable value to the items donated.

Warnings

Before you start cleaning, make sure you have the energy and time to complete it. As a rule of thumb, don't take on more than you can do in an hour's work. Set a timer for one hour, and when it passes, if you still have energy, you can work for another hour. Between work hours, be sure to take a smoke break for 15-20 minutes - read your email, drink a cup of tea or lie down on the sofa.
Don't try to clean your entire house in one day.
Know that there is a difference between clutter and things that create the mood and environment where you clean. This difference varies from person to person.
- Consider getting a friend or family member to help you. Do not invite the person who is packing your things to your place, otherwise you will find yourself in an even more unpleasant situation. And beware of inviting someone who is too neat. If they try to throw your “valuable” things around, you may panic and decide not to throw anything away at all!
Don't force yourself. Let cleaning bring you pleasure, otherwise you will quickly lose all interest. Reward yourself for completing some of the work. A mess that didn't happen overnight won't be cleaned up overnight.