Return

How to Declutter and Clean Your Home

July 6, 2022 *

Did you know having a clean home can improve your physical and mental health? An organized home leads to less stress, more productivity, and provides fewer places for germs and bacteria to hide. The first step to achieving a clean home is decluttering, going through each room, removing things you don’t use, and putting everything else away. But decluttering can seem overwhelming, whether you have an apartment or an entire house. So here are a few tips to help you declutter your home.

1. Take it Room by Room

Decluttering is overwhelming, and you’re not going to clean your whole place in one day. So don’t set unachievable goals you aren’t going to meet. Instead, depending on the size of your home or apartment, schedule to do a few rooms in shorter chunks of time each day until your home is finished. This will make decluttering less daunting and give you a sense of accomplishment.

2. Set Goals With Each Decluttering Session

Set goals every time you clean to ensure you are truly decluttering and not just moving things around. You can choose these for yourself, but may include things like “Fill one trash bag” or “Donate five items.” By giving yourself a goal, you know what you’re working towards and will feel proud when you’ve met it. Goals are a great motivator and method to hold yourself accountable.

3. Go Through Storage Spaces First

If you go through your bookshelves, dressers, cabinets, and drawer first, you’ll have more room to store the items you have just lying around. Organize and declutter those storage spaces so that when you find a thing that needs to get put away, you aren’t searching for somewhere to put it.

4. Sort Items into Designated Piles

Label your piles, bins, and bags by what’s happening to the items. For example, you could have piles designed for trash, recycling, donating, and putting away. After every item is separated into piles, separate the things you aren’t keeping and begin to put away the items you are. Remember to recycle or donate items you no longer need as much as possible!

5. Get Rid of Items You Haven’t Used Within the Last Year

If you have a box of things that have been sitting in your closet for the last few years, you probably don’t need them. And if you feel conflicted about keeping or getting rid of an item, ask yourself when the last time you used or wore it was. If it’s been longer than a year, it may be time to recycle or donate it.

6. Clean With a Friend, Family Member, or Partner

Nostalgia may make it hard to part with certain items that you don’t need anymore. A friend, sibling, or significant other can offer an outside perspective and objective input. This opinion can help balance out your attachments and make it easier to part with things. Of course, if there is a family heirloom or something with a lot of sentimental value, you should keep it! Just make sure you have a proper place to store it.

7. Purchase New Storage Systems

If you don’t have a good storage system in your home, it will always feel cluttered, no matter how many or few items you have. Use bins and racks to keep your closets organized. Bookshelves, floating shelves, drawers, and cabinets will keep your rooms organized. Purchasing furniture with storage space will help make your home clutter-free if you don't have adequate storage.

8. Go Through Old Electronics and Appliances

Do you need your old laptop from five years ago or that toaster you recently replaced? Make sure you go through your electronics and appliances while you declutter your home. If you’re unsure how to get rid of older electronics, check out this article from Upsie.

Electronics and Home Warranty

When you declutter your home, it can lead to getting rid of appliances and electronics that no longer work and purchasing new tech to streamline your home life. If you buy a new device, you should consider protecting it with an Upsie electronics or home warranty plan.

Upsie’s warranties cost up to 70% less than warranties sold elsewhere and make it easy to get your devices repaired by helping you every step. You can submit claims 24/7/365, and Upsie will help you schedule a repair with a local certified repair technician. For larger appliances, you can schedule an in-home repair. Upsie has electronics warranty plans for all major tech and appliances, so no matter what new device you purchase while decluttering, Upsie is here to help.

Upsie also has Smartphone Subscription Warranties that cost just $9.99. With this warranty, Upsie protects your smartphone from accidental damage and defects. To learn more, visit Upsie's Smartphone Subscription page.