The Ultimate Guide to a Clutter-Free Home

Inside find the ultimate guide to a clutter-free home containing all the information you need to live clutter-free.

In this consumer-driven age decluttering and minimalism is something we hear a lot about.  It’s also something we know we need to keep a handle on.

After all, we live in an amazing time of shopping convenience. We can literally purchase anything we want, at any time we want, without ever having to leave our home. Is it any wonder why so many of us struggle with clutter?

Often, even the idea of having to tackle our clutter can feel completely overwhelming. For a lot of us, the overwhelm causes us to procrastinate simply because we just don’t know how to get started.

For others, we want to declutter and minimize our homes but we feel like it’s impossible because our spouse or family members just don’t share our desire.  Sometimes we even feel like the progress we do manage to make gets sabotage every Christmas or birthday that rolls around.

Let me tell you, I totally get it, the struggle is real, and I’ve been exactly there.

But here’s the thing, over the years as I’ve sought to simplify and declutter various areas of my life, I’ve discovered that while yes, we all have our own struggles in this area we also tend to overcomplicate it. When you’re seeking simplicity make it simple.

That’s what I want to do for you here.  I want to make it simple and easy for you to access the information you need to deal with the various areas and struggles you may be encountering with getting your home clutter-free.  So I created this Ultimate Guide to a Clutter-Free home, let’s begin.

You can find more details on my Journey to Simple Living here.

There may be affiliate links in this post.  If you click through and make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no additional cost to you. See full disclosure policy here. 

First Things First

Why does it matter whether or not our homes are clutter-free? What are the benefits of living with less?

Well, here are 5 very distinct advantages of eliminating clutter.

• Eliminating Excess Clutter Improves your Finances:
• Eliminating Excess Clutter Improves Your Mental Well-Being
• Eliminating Excess Clutter Improves Your Physical Health
• Eliminating Excess Clutter Improves Your Ability to Accomplish Goals
• Eliminating Excess Clutter Creates a Peaceful and Inviting Home.

Make sure to read all about the ways Eliminating Excess Clutter Improves Life.

Getting Started

This super simple 5 step process will help you decide exactly where to start and how to make a plan that works for you no matter what season of life you are in.

The basic steps are:

1.  Schedule It Now
2.  Start Small
3.  Label Four Boxes
   Keep-
   Trash –
   Donate –
   Unsure –
4.  Create Beauty
5.  Take 10 Minutes 3 Times A Day To Tidy Up

To understand how each of these steps works, make sure to read How to Get Started on a Clutter-Free Home.

Those Emotional Items

Even after I had the basic steps down for decluttering my home, there were still certain areas of clutter that were hard to let go of.

I always think of myself as being a little odd because, on the one hand, I’m very analytical, and yet at the same time I totally operate off of emotions. When I first started simplifying those emotions had a tendency to completely railroad me.

But once I let the analytical side take over and looked at what was going on underneath the emotion I learned how to overcome the struggle.

Here are the common emotional triggers that get it the way of our efforts to simplify and live clutter-free.

• The Extra Stuff Fills a Void
• It creates Security
• Guilt
• Sentimental Value
• It’s Overwhelming

Dealing with the emotional aspects of our clutter is tough, to learn how to overcome them read How to Conquer The Emotions Preventing You From Decluttering.

When Your Spouse Is Not On Board

When you want to minimize and simplify but your spouse is not on board it can feel like it’s impossible.  But there are still some positive ways to pursue simplicity even if your spouse is not there yet.

Minimalism and simple living are not about the number of items in your home. It is about creating an atmosphere where what truly matters is fostered. To achieve this goal no matter how your spouse feels about simplifying make sure to read How To Simplify When Your Spouse is Not on Board.

How to Get Your Family To Declutter

Sometimes, it’s not just your spouse but the whole family that thinks you’re a little crazy when you start talking about minimalism and living clutter-free. Many of the same principles that apply to your spouse apply here as well, but there are some additional steps you can take.

• Be the Example
• Give them the Tools They Need to Organize
• Let them Suffer the Consequences of Too Much Stuff
• Give Them Less Stuff
• Schedule Regular Family Declutter Events
• Regularly Donate
• Take Before and After Photos
• Show Grace
• Create Your Own Space

To see how each of these steps work, make sure to read How to Help Your Family Declutter.

What About the Toys

As mamas we want our kiddos to have the best of everything. When I was working full time, the mom guilt would do me in and I would buy my littles way too much. Add that to the fact that I have a pretty large extended family and let me tell you, my house was overrun with toys.

But back to wanting your kids to have the best of everything. Years of experience has taught me that too many toys are NOT a good thing.

Children With Too Many Toys:

• Have a Harder Time Sharing
• Become Over-Stimulated
• Limit Their Creativity
• Don’t Take Care of Their Toys
• Struggle to Entertain Themselves
• Get Less Physical Exercise
• Don’t Learn to Problem Solve
• Argue More
• Are Discontent
• Tend to be Messy

But there is a solution.

Learn how to:

• Begin Decluttering
• Prevent Toys from Creeping Back In
• Have a Limited Amount of Space For Toys
• Have Regular Times of Purging and
• Focus on the Positive

Get the deets on decluttering those toys by checking out What Happens When Kids Have Too Many Toys.

Keeping Clutter-Free

Now that you’ve made some real progress in decluttering your home, you are gonna want to change your focus to maintaining that clutter-free environment you’ve worked so hard at.

Stopping clutter from multiplying in your home requires you to be intentional. To see how to make seven simple rules a regular habit read How to Stay Clutter-Free For Good

Really, implementing good habits is the key to staying clutter-free.  For some serious inspiration, make sure to read the Habits of Organized and Clutter-Free People.

Common Mistakes

Next, make sure you are not sabotaging all the efforts you’ve made with these common organizing mistakes.  Here you will find the most common mistakes made when trying to declutter and organize your home as well as their solutions.

Now What?

The next step to staying clutter-free is learning how to curb those spending habits.

You are going to want to read one of my most popular posts How to Stop Buying Things You Don’t Need.

Of course, living clutter-free doesn’t mean you can never shop. When you do go shopping here
9 Questions You Need To Ask: 

1. Do I Need It?
2. Have I Let It Sit?
3. Is the Item Versatile or Multipurpose?
4. Can You Get Rid of Something in Exchange For The New Item?
5. Is the Item a quality item?
6. Did I Research the Item?
7. Can I Afford This?
8. Is It a Trend?
9. Does This Item Solve a Problem?

For more details on each of these questions make sure to read 9 Questions You Need To Ask To Shop Like A Minimalist.

Staying Motivated

Decluttering and organizing your home is no easy task.  There will be days when you want to give up.  You will also encounter little setbacks as you continue to move forward.  These are the times you want to make sure to keep your motivation up.  To do just that, be sure to read How To Regain Your Motivation.

Just to add a little extra motivation, look at these 5 Ways Simple Living Makes You Rich

For Further Study

BOOKS

The More Of Less: Finding the life you want under everything you own by Joshua Becker.

Clutter-Free with Kids by Joshua Becker.

Unstuffed: Decluttering your home, mind, and soul by Ruth Soukup.

31 Days to a Clutter-Free Life by Ruth Soukup.

The Joy of Less The Joy of Less: a Minimalist Living Guide: How to Declutter, Organize, and Simplify Your Life by Francine Jay

It’s All Too Much: An Easy Plan for Living a Richer Life with Less Stuff by Peter Walsh

Organized Simplicity: The Clutter-Free Approach to Intentional Living by Tsh Oxenreider and Jacqueline Musser

The Complete Book of Home Organization: 200+ Tips and Projects, by Toni Hammersley

Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less by Greg McKeown

Chasing Slow: By Erin Lochner

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