National Packrat Day: 4 Useful Decluttering Tips

We’ve all heard of spring cleaning… Well, National Pack Rat Day is officially here to remind you it’s time to declutter. Cleaning is great and useful, but have you ever completely cleared off a table and gotten rid of a bunch of trash you’ve been hanging onto for years? What a rush! So, take some time today to declutter your room, your garage, your shed, or any other room that you’re concerned might land you on an episode of Hoarders!

4 Tips for Decluttering

1.Start with a checklist.

Now, I know not everyone out there is a checklist fiend like I am, but I’m telling you, if you are overwhelmed by the amount of stuff you’ve accumulated in your house over the years and want to start somewhere, a list is a perfect idea.

You can start by having one room listed on each page, and then underneath that, listing everything in the room you want to declutter—table, desk, dog crates, etc. Plus, crossing things off a checklist is *so* satisfying!

2.Go slowly.

This is also helpful if you’re feeling overwhelmed. Sometimes I look at an entire room, and even if I’ve got a list, if I have let the house get bad enough, it’s still rather daunting. One thing I have found that helps though is taking my time, and making sure I do one thing at a time to completion before I even think of starting anything else. Which can also be difficult if you’re easily distracted, but I believe in you!

3.Take before and after pictures.

My living room table is a huge problem spot for me, as I work, create, and eat there. So as you can imagine, stuff piles up very easily. So my thinking is, if I take a picture of how bad it looks now, then clean it and take another picture, it will inspire me to make the rest of the house look that good. A picture perfect home is generally my goal (but not always achieved!)

4.Separate items into 3 boxes/bags.

Things that need to be put away, things that can be thrown away, and things that can be given away. Start organizing things into these boxes, and then you are even more organized and ready to really get things moving. If you have a local Buy Nothing group, take photos of the items in your “give away” box and start posting them, or simply take them to a thrift store that is currently accepting donations.

If you’re ready to really get decluttering and organizing, we hope this is a good place to start and wish you the best of luck!