Tips for Cleaning Out

Want to clean out but are overwhelmed by the idea of it? Don't be overwhelmed. Check out 5 simple tips to help you focus your clean out. “Organization isn’t about perfection, it’s about efficiency, reducing stress and clutter, saving time and money and improving your overall quality of life.” – Christina Scalise

5 Tips to Clean Out

Start small

Don't overwhelm yourself with the biggest, messiest part of your home or office. Start with your nightstand, the mail, a shelf; something that you can feel good about finally cleaning up. You will feel accomplished and ready to tackle anything else when you are done!

Throw it away

Throw things that should be thrown away, away. I promise it will feel good! Do you need to keep every envelope from every letter? The correct answer is no. If you are saving it because you need the address, then put it aside - thats a whole new project, and we don't want to get off track. When throwing things out, have 2 piles - one for trash, one for shredding.

Donate it

What doesn't seem fitting to be thrown away (broken, ripped, paper) donate it. You can find a place that will take all of your items or find multiple places. I recommend the former, you don't want to have too many places to donate your items to, they will never actually go away (trust me, I've seen it). A great tip also is to put it in your car right away to be dropped off, or immediately schedule a pickup at your home. Many donation centers will come pick up your items - you just need to schedule a date.

Make it neat

Be mindful of how you are cleaning out. Don't move your clutter from one place to the next. Actually clean it out and make it neat. If you find many of your items belong elsewhere, still clean it out and prepare it to go to the other space. Maybe that becomes the next space you clean out. Just be careful not to get into the habit of moving from one place to the next without finishing what you started.

Only keep what you need

When it comes to cleaning out, it can be hard to make decisions about what to keep or what to get rid of. Ask yourself questions when you doubt if you need it or not. Do I use it? Will I use it? What is this even for? (If the answer to that is I have no idea, then it definitely needs to go!) The first run through of your items is easy; you can easily put them into three categories: keep, discard, don't know. Cleaning out is a step by step process - let it be just that!

Good luck cleaning out!