New Year Clutter Clearing Tips

It is a new year and you probably have some resolutions.  Start hitting the gym, lay off of the sweets, maybe your New Year’s resolution is just to make it to work on time every day.  Either way, a clean organized home free of clutter can really help get things off to a great start.  If you are like most people you have accumulated some clutter and debris over the holidays.  Cleaning, clearing and organizing your space will make you feel better and fresher of a new start.  Here are some clutter clearing tips to help you start with a bang!

1.  Donate Old Toys:  If you kids have too many toys why not donate the old ones?  A good barometer for too many toys is if you can’t see the floor in their rooms or in the living room.  If there are so many toys scattered around the house that walking down the hall becomes an obstacle course, it may be time to send some to needier homes.  Have your children help you decide which toys they want to keep and which can go.  Charitable organizations like Goodwill or Salvation Army will be happy to place them in needy homes.

2. Organize Paperwork:  This is a tough one for a lot of us.  Many of us just throw all our mail and bills into a pile and rifle through it at the end of the month, often throwing important documents and information into the garbage.  Not only is this an  inefficient and unorganized way to handle your paperwork, but can result in forgotten/unpaid bills and sensitive information that gets tossed in the trash can lead to identity theft.  Create an inbox/outbox at your desk, counter, or home office.  Make a decision to be disciplined about filing bills and other paperwork.  All that paper can lead to a ton of clutter if unorganized.

3.  Stacking: If you have clutter all over the place, its time to buy some bins.  Plastic bins are relatively  cheap to come by at any department store.  Organize your bins by category and then stack them 4 or 5 high.  This will get the junk off of the floor, and by stacking high you will be saving valuable square footage in your home.

4.  Haul Away Junk:  If you have items that have no real value, are taking up space, recycle, donate and trash them.  For the items that cannot be donated or recycled, your garbage service will only take limited items, so you can either take them to the dump yourself or hire a professional junk removal service who will to the work for you.  If you do this yourself be sure to check local landfill hours, rates, and regulations.  DO NOT TAKE HAZARDOUS MATERIALS TO THE LANDFILL! (E-Waste, Paint, Chemicals, etc)

5.  Stay focused!  If your home is majorly cluttered, don’t get discouraged.  Pound some coffee, crank up some good music and put your nose to the grindstone.  If you stay on task even the most cluttered home can be looking brand new in a few hours time.