If you’re just getting started decluttering, or even if you’ve been at it for a while, you probably have lots of questions. Today, I’ve teamed up with Suzanne over at Happily Decluttered to answer the top decluttering questions we hear the most.
Suzanne started decluttering in 2015. She has lots of great ideas on her blog! Here are her answers to the top decluttering questions. After you’ve finished reading Suzanne’s answers, head on over to her blog to read my answers.
Suzanne’s answers to top decluttering questions
What was the moment that started you on your decluttering journey?
It was almost 6 years ago now when I was starting to clear out a spare bedroom to turn into a nursery. I started with the closet first and I was overwhelmed with the random assortment of stuff. Pretty much all of it was in great condition but we didn’t use any of it. I realized then that most of the stuff had been put in that closet to get it out of sight. We weren’t using it and we didn’t plan to. After I donated the contents of that closet, I felt a sense of relief. Although I didn’t immediately begin to declutter my entire house at that point, I consider that my wake-up call that got the whole process started for me.
What’s your decluttering philosophy?
To me, decluttering is a way of living. A lot of the decluttering books that I have read, talk about how you only need to declutter your home one time, change your buying habits, and then you’re decluttered. However, I don’t think it is a once and done project, I feel like it is more of a lifestyle. I personally don’t buy a lot of stuff anymore but I still find clutter. This is simply because some things that I didn’t consider to be clutter in the past are clutter now. This happens because our hobbies and styles change. This is especially true when it comes to children. My girls outgrow clothes, toys, and interests frequently just because they are young! Having a decluttering mindset has allowed me to naturally keep up with the clutter while I tidy up my house.
What is the hardest thing for you to declutter?
I am a very practical person and I am not very sentimental, so it is fairly easy for me to decide something no longer deserves a place in my home. The most difficult items were the three little onesies that each of my girls wore home from the hospital after I had them. Part of me wanted to save the onesies but the practical side saw that as a waste of a perfectly good baby outfit for someone who needed it. I compromised and took a picture of the three little outfits next to each other and gave the outfits to a family friend who was expecting a girl.
Do you have tips on how to get family members on board with decluttering?
Be patient! A mistake I made early on was expecting my husband to be as excited about decluttering as I was. After I finished decluttering all of my personal belongings, the girls’ things, and our common living spaces, I wanted to move on to my husband’s closet and his workshop. Obviously, just me telling him he should do it because I’m doing it, didn’t work. Once I backed off and left his things alone, he slowly opened up to the idea of getting rid of some of his things on his own, simply by living in and enjoying our otherwise decluttered home.
As far as decluttering with little kids, I think it is important to get them involved in the process from the very beginning when it involves their stuff. When I went through my kids’ clothes and toys, I had them there with me and they helped decide what they wanted to keep and what they wanted to pass along. It helped that we have some family friends with younger kids that we pass things along to. When my girls decide to get rid of something, they know where it is going and they are excited to share their stuff that they outgrew. Without even prompting them, my oldest two girls have even brought me things to tell me they are ready to pass them on.
If someone is just getting started with decluttering, what is the first thing they should do?
The first thing I would suggest doing is pinpointing a small area that seems to be bothering you the most. You should then determine what you would like the purpose of that space to be and then clear out the area, clean it, and then neatly put back only the things that belong. When you can actually experience having a decluttered area that is more functional, it is extremely motivating.
What are some decluttering benefits you enjoy most?
I enjoy that I spend less time cleaning since I have less stuff to clean! I have always been someone who needs to get all of my chores done so that I can truly sit back and relax. Now that my home has less stuff and everything has an assigned place, it is much faster and easier to tidy up. This has given me so much extra time! I now spend more time on hobbies. Plus, I can finally relax in my own home.
Did you make any decluttering mistakes that you learned something from?
When I first started working my way through my home to declutter, I sometimes found myself in the middle of multiple projects. For instance, when I was decluttering my hall closet, I decided to move my board games out to another area. I brought the board games over immediately to a different place but there was no space for them so I ended up pulling everything apart in my living area. I ended up with two giant messes and I didn’t even end up keeping my games in my living room!
After that experience, I learned that I needed to completely focus on one area at a time. To avoid turning my whole house into a big pile of clutter I added a “relocate” box anytime I decluttered. That way while I was working in an area and I found something that didn’t belong, I simply put it in my “relocate” box and I dealt with it once my current project was complete. Most of the time the things that I put in the “relocate” box would help to guide me to the project I would start next.
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Thanks Suzanne, for sharing your wisdom with us. Please visit Happily Decluttered to see my answers to the questions. While you’re there, check out the rest of the great content.
And, if this post has inspired you to get started, it’s not too late to join me for the 52-week decluttering challenge.
What other questions do you have about decluttering? Feel free to ask us below.
Having an extra bedroom would be nice! I hope you are able to use that motivation to help you declutter. Good luck!
I am a bit of a pack rat. I’m very sentimental and have a difficult time letting things go. I try to do a good declutter at least once a year, but I know I can do better. I think focusing on one area at a time and decided what I want that area to be used for will help. This post has given me some good ideas of how I can improve my decluttering. Thanks for sharing!!
Thanks Tiffany. It is sometimes hard to let go of things. I find tackling one area at a time works for me.
Thinking about the purpose of a space and even visualizing what it will look like when you remove everything else has always helped me. Good luck!
This post gives good advice on how to proceed and what not to do. The first time I had to de-clutter was when I decided to sell my house. I had to make room to put it on the market, and that’s when I realized how much I had accumulated over the years. Once the house was sold, I had to do another round of de-cluttering because I was going to move into a condo. And once I moved into the condo, I realized I still had too much. So I still get rid of what I can from time to time, but I know I need to get more serious about it because I have a bedroom that I use as storage and it should be used as a bedroom instead. Thank you Michelle and Suzanne for these tips.
Corinne
Thank you for commenting Corinne. One of the reasons I really need to declutter is I’ve lived in the same house for 27 years. That’s the good thing about moving. It forces you to declutter!
I’ve made the mistake of making more mess for myself to clean! It used to be so hard for me to only focus on one area. But I learned because I didn’t want to have more messes to clean! Great post!
For me that has been key to success. One area or one item at a time seems to get the job done.
Haha. I’m glad I’m not the only one who made that mistake. 🙂
I love that her daughters are already learning how and when to let things go from their mom’s decluttering journey. I think that’s such a great life skill!
I agree. Hopefully that will stay with them as they grow older.
Having them involved has made the whole process much more enjoyable too!😀
This was a very great and inspirational post. I will definitely be implanting these ideas once I get started. The relocate box is ingenious!
Thanks for reading and commenting. I love the idea of the relocate box. I think the trick is not to just fill it and forget about it.
I’m glad you found my post helpful! The relocate box was a game-changer for me and helped me stay focused on one project at a time. Keep in mind what Michelle added and actually relocate those items once your project is complete.😀