We’re all ready to welcome Spring with open arms. It’s been a long time coming.

Spring is when we turn our thoughts to preparing our garden for the season to come and clearing out the inside of our home from the clutter that has amassed during the Winter.

For some of us de-cluttering our home could be as simple as packing away the boots and gloves and breaking out the sandals. For others, the thought of tackling a de-cluttering project in our home will leave us paralyzed, not knowing where to begin. Many of us have a difficult time detaching ourself emotionally from what we’ve collected.

We all live such busy lives, juggling the demands of family and career, that we tend not to notice the ‘stuff’ that accumulates. Depending on who and how many we share our home with, that ‘stuff’ might accumulate quite quickly. You need a plan to be successful. 

Here’s my tried and true rules on de-cluttering

#1. Less is more. Packing and storing unnecessary, unused and irrelevant items opens a room and makes it look bigger.

#2. Make a plan, be focused and stick to it. Keep your overall goal in mind. If it helps keep you focused, post a note to your bathroom mirror highlighting the end result. ‘De-cluttering = more space & money!’ That way you’ll always be motivated.

#3. Don’t try to do the whole house in one day. Do a room or an area at a time. Set a realistic timeframe to accomplish the task. That way you’ll feel a sense of success each time you complete each room and be inspired to continue.

#4. Set up an area (perhaps in your garage) where you designate piles marked ‘donate’, ‘trash’, ‘return to owner’ and ‘sell’. Don’t over analyze your decision. Your first thought is usually correct.

#5. Deal with those piles immediately. Take the ‘donate’ items to donation centres that day and put the trash into garbage bags. Make arrangements to return items to their original owner if appropriate.

#6. If you’re uncertain about clothes in your closet, turn all hangers around so they face away from you. Once you’ve worn the item and are hanging it back up then let that item face forward. That way it will be easy to see what you wear and what’s just taking up valuable space. Donate those pieces hanging the wrong way and open space in your closet.

#7. For Family Rooms, Offices and Kid’s Rooms make use of those attractive storage baskets and bins to hold like-items. That way they’re easy to find and stay neatly stored. Purge the baskets and bins regularly so they’re not overflowing.

#8. Don’t forget to include the basement and garage. And, take a walk around the outside of your home. There is no point hiding items you don’t use in the basement or that hidden corner of your yard. 

#9. Practice de-cluttering on a daily basis. Put things away in their right spot. Open your mail over the recycling bin. That way you can quickly deal with paper you don’t need to keep.

#10. We all buy with our eyes, what our eyes see or perceive they see. Always remember rule #1 – Less is More!