Making your home clutter free
MetroCreative
Your home should be a place that comfortably holds all your things but, sometimes, all your things can become overwhelming. That鈥檚 when day-to-day items that you need along with sentimental treasures you want to hold on to can turn into clutter.
MetroCreative
Clutter happens when people don鈥檛 pay attention and don鈥檛 designate places for certain items. They pile up.
Is paperwork piling up on your kitchen counter or dining room table? Do you save all the artwork your child created? Are clothes you wore 10 years ago taking up space in your closet? Do you have an abundance of kitchen gadgets you never use?
Your home should be a place that comfortably holds all your things but, sometimes, all your things can become overwhelming. That鈥檚 when day-to-day items that you need along with sentimental treasures you want to hold on to can turn into clutter.
How did this happen?
鈥淲e are busy and you get caught up in what we have going on. A lot of times you鈥檙e on automatic pilot. Clutter can come from that,鈥� said Jody Adams, a certified professional organizer and owner of In Its Place, a home and office organizing service based in Greensburg that serves communities throughout southwestern Pennsylvania.
Adams said that clutter happens when people don鈥檛 pay attention and don鈥檛 designate places for certain items. They pile up.
鈥淧eople say, 鈥業鈥檒l do it when I have the time.鈥� Life doesn鈥檛 work like that,鈥� said Adams. 鈥淵ou make the time.鈥�
So how do you start?
鈥淭ake a deep breath,鈥� Adams advises. 鈥淔igure out what鈥檚 not working, what鈥檚 frustrating you and what feels overwhelming. Identify what鈥檚 going on. What鈥檚 the problem and how do you want it to be? Sometimes people are not sure how they want it to be but they know it鈥檚 not working.鈥�
Adams said identifying a problem doesn鈥檛 mean hours of analysis. The problem can be that we鈥檙e busy with work, school, volunteering or running with your family.
鈥淚t鈥檚 not to blame anybody 鈥� it鈥檚 life,鈥� said Adams.
She added, 鈥淐lutter can mean different things for different people. What鈥檚 messy to one person is no big deal to another. Some people are organized at work but not at home. Some can have issues with clothing, laundry, paperwork, kitchen cabinets. It鈥檚 what that person is overwhelmed with that defines clutter. For some people, the rest of their house is okay but they have issues with clothes and laundry. For some people, the issues are all through the house.鈥�
Adams says having a system can help.
鈥淪tart to make decisions about what makes sense to keep and what you no longer use or need,鈥� Adams said. 鈥淲hen you鈥檙e busy, we don鈥檛 always make decisions. One of the things I hear most often is 鈥業 don鈥檛 know what to do with it so I throw it in here.鈥濃��
Adams said you should figure out how you want a problem area to be different and have a goal in mind.
Some examples:
n People who are retired have closets of clothes from when they were working but no room for the clothes they own now. Adams suggests donating clothing you no longer use to charity.
n Paperwork piles up and you can鈥檛 find items you need. Adams recommends having a landing spot for the mail 鈥� such as a tray on a desk 鈥� that you go through at least once a week. Pitch junk mail and respond to items that need your attention, such as bills and invitations.
n Children鈥檚 schoolwork can spill out of book bags and over tables. Adams suggests deciding what you want to save and why 鈥� is this for yourself or to give to your child when he or she is 18? Create a spot for these items 鈥� maybe in a hall closet 鈥� and go through them at Christmas or the end of the school year with your child to decide if you want to keep any of it.
n Adams also cautions against keeping sentimental items in an unfinished basement or attic where there are extreme temperature changes and humidity levels that can damage them.
n If you are all over the kitchen searching for items, rearrange things so the most-used objects are at easy reach. Store similar items together.
Adams said, 鈥淚t鈥檚 okay to move things around and change how you do things. If it鈥檚 not working for you, you don鈥檛 want to keep doing it that way. Pay attention to your environment and how you use things.鈥�
And if you鈥檙e not using items, consider donating those in good shape to charity or recycling them.
鈥淚 try to keep things out of landfills,鈥� said Adams.
So when do you call in a professional?
鈥淚f something鈥檚 not working for you and you can鈥檛 figure out how to do something different, you can call a professional who has expertise and a more objective eye,鈥� said Adams, adding. 鈥淎 lot of times family and friends can be helpful, but if it鈥檚 not working and you feel stuck 鈥� if you鈥檝e tried organizing but three weeks later, it鈥檚 the same, it might be helpful to call in a professional.鈥�
Adams noted asking for professional help is nothing to be embarrassed about and likened it to hiring a tutor.
鈥淪ometimes I want to do it myself but I don鈥檛 have the skills so I hire someone to help me learn 鈥� a tutor,鈥� Adams said. 鈥淥nce you learn what鈥檚 not working, you are better able to put in place systems that will help you.鈥�
It takes a little commitment but making the time to become organized can mean a difference in your home. Getting rid of clutter will make your home cleaner and allow you to breathe easier.