The Benefits of Decluttering

Today I’m reminding myself of the benefits of decluttering and some useful tips to remember. I hope you find them handy too!

“Do not have anything in your home you do not love or know to be useful” – William Morris

I always feel that the change in seasons is a great time to shift some energy and have a clear-out. Sometimes it’s hard to get started but – once I do – I seem to catch the decluttering bug and keep going! And I always feel so much better after a sort-out. Having a tidy room and/or house is on my happy list and decluttering helps so much with that.

The Benefits of Decluttering

I wrote this list back in 2015 and it all still rings true today. It’s great to revisit when I’m feeling overwhelmed with clutter and unsure where to start.

• A sense of achievement
• More space
• Feeling freer
• Easier to clean
• Easier to find stuff
• When giving things away – feel hopeful they will be useful to someone else
• Letting go of negative feelings associated with an item
• Being able to find homes for the things we do use and love
• Allows us to review use of space and potentially move things around
• Free up space for guests
• Finding items that were lost
• Feels like a weight off the shoulders
• Develop a greater feeling of abundance and being grateful for what we have
• Gaining energy and space for other projects
• White space

My Tips for Decluttering

1 Start small

I always find it good to start with just one drawer or shelf to get a small sense of achievement which usually prompts me to carry on.

2 Set a timer

I picked this tip up from Flylady years ago – set a timer for 15 minutes and get stuck in. If I’m still not feeling it at the end of 15 minutes I can tidy up and try again another day. But usually that 15 minutes gets me started and I’m keen to go on.

3 Pull everything out

I like to spread everything out so it’s easy to see what’s there. It’s tricky to sort drawers, cupboards and shelves when keeping everything in that space. I usually empty everything out to the floor, table or a bed and then give the space a clean and dust before anything goes back in.

4 It always gets worse before it gets better

This isn’t so much a tip as a reminder. When decluttering I usually get to a place of panic and thinking “What have I done?” as I look around at the mess. At this point it’s good to take a deep breath and remember it will be okay!

5 Pull out the things that you don’t love or use

Some items are harder to make decisions about but usually I find some items that I know I don’t need or love. It’s usually a good way to start sorting if I pull those out first.

6 Try and group similar items

Consider using baskets or tubs to keep similar items together. I am a fan of these woven style plastic baskets for grouping smaller items together…

I purchased these ones in Poundland. The smaller ones come in packs of 2 for £1. The larger ones are £1 each (and Home Bargains often have something similar for around 89p). 

7 Try not to leave anything to deal with ‘later’

I tend to get to the stage where I have random bits leftover at the end once I’ve done the bulk of the sorting out. When I make a pile to deal with later it can stay there for far too long! If I have items to be donated I find it easier to box them all up at the time of decluttering and have them ready to go out the door.

8 Admire your hard work

Once it’s all cleared out and the things you are keeping have been put away take time to appreciate how it looks and feels to have decluttered the space. This often fuels me into starting on a different area of my home.

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Do you enjoy the benefits of decluttering? I always enjoy having done it even if I don’t enjoy it at the time! If you have any tips for decluttering and spring cleaning please do let me know.