How to Purge and Declutter Anything

The process of purging your home and decluttering is really no different whether you are cleaning a small junk drawer or tackling the entire house. I know this because I’ve done both (and every size space in between!).

Please be warned: the process of purging and decluttering CAN look much worse before it gets better depending on how you are currently living. My husband is a master at packing his clutter into unseen spaces and therefore purging his areas involves taking a space that previously looked (from the outside) very clean to having it look like a tornado hit it (literally) and then back to that very clean (and now organized) look. I’m not exaggerating here, either: during the purge and declutter of the first floor of our house our burglar alarm tripped and had the police arrive at our home believe it had, in fact, been robbed because the house looked like it had been torn apart by burglars. *blush*

Onward…

1. Remove every item from the space you are looking to purge and declutter. If that’s a drawer, empty the drawer. If it’s a dresser or desk, empty it. If it’s a room, empty it (although you may be able to do this without removing the furniture, all of the furniture needs to be emptied and everything else must be removed from the room).


2. Go through the contents that you just removed and decide what should be in that space and what should not. Among the items that should not, decide what belongs somewhere else in the house, what can be donated, and what is truly trash and put them in a corresponding box, bag, or laundry basket.


3. Take the items that belong elsewhere and put them there. Do this first because it will visually reduce the burden before you. Likewise, take the trash out; and put the donations box or bag somewhere near your door (or in your vehicle) to take wherever you will donate it. If you’re going to use Freecycle.com to donate, put the items near the door.


4. Sort the remaining items. These are the items that rightfully belong in the space you are trying to purge and declutter. Make sure that all “like” or similar items are grouped together. You need to know how many of each item you have before you move forward—so group things together based on what they are and/or how you use them.


5. With the items sorted, do another review to see if you have too many or not enough of them. Remove the items that no longer work for you. In the case of clothing, decide what you really wear (or want to be wearing) and whether you truly NEED 15 T-shirts or if this is excess. Do you have to have 32 pens in this drawer, or do you have too many (and are any dried up at this point)? Is this the best place or room to keep excess items or can they be moved to another storage area because you don’t need access to them as frequently?
   
   It is really wise to set maximums on what you keep. This is especially true in terms of clothing and office items—which quickly multiply out of control. Keep at your fingertips the things you truly use. If you haven’t touched an item in 6-12 months, heavily consider getting rid of it or at least moving it to another storage area (since you are not accessing it regularly and therefore, it’s not truly an inconvenience for it to be stored elsewhere).
   
   Also, look at the space available for storing these items. If the spaces you hope to use for these items cannot contain the amount you want to keep, you may need to rethink your plans… and this may help you prioritize what’s most important to you.


6. Clean the empty spaces. Don’t do this beforehand as the sorting process really can create a lot of dust and debris. It’s rather surprising even if you are dealing just with clothing. But only clean when you are done removing all of the items that will no longer be housed in this room.
   
   If you are doing an entire room, clean it top to bottom… baseboards and all. This space may never be this empty again—take advantage of it.
   
   Also, clean the items that are going to be returned into the space. I tend to keep some window cleaner, paper towels, a clean rag and a bucket of hot water with me during this process.


7. With the final set of items that have been deemed useful, appropriate and truly belonging in the space you are working with, decide what size area you need to contain each item and where you need these items to be for easiest access and maintenance. This is a delicate balance when you are working within the confines of existing containers, furniture and space. But with careful thought, you will find answers. And in the end, the confines of that space may dictate what you keep and what you do not.

Don’t forget to take advantage of the countless available items that will help you organize WITHIN a space as well. Drawer dividers, decorative containers, etc. can make easier work of keeping the things you need clean, organized and readily available.

This is absolutely not a quick, easy nor clean process—even for the junk drawer. But in the end, you will have a space that is such a relief and pleasure to work with and be in that the result quality of life is well worth it.