How To Win At Your Clutter Once and For All

If you’re reading this post, chances are you’re struggling with your clutter at some level. You love the idea of finding out how to win at your clutter, but the clutter keeps creeping back in.

If that’s the case you are 100% not alone! It doesn’t matter how organized your home is or how many cleaning systems you have in place, at some point clutter WILL take up residency.

Clutter is an on-going struggle for EVERY home.

Clutter is known to multiply at a rate faster than a Gremlin.

Clutter is never-ending.

Clutter is downright overwhelming.

How to Take Control Over Your Clutter

With these facts about clutter, you’re most likely wondering how in the world anyone can get control over their clutter. But I promise you can win at your clutter. I know this because if I did it, you can do it!

Winning at your clutter isn’t so much about how you declutter, when you declutter, or even what you declutter, as much as it is about coming up with some preventative measures! These six simple preventative measures will help you win at your clutter.

1. Limit The Incoming

Here is a simple truth if you want to win at your clutter you have to take more out than you’re bringing in. Clutter accumulates in our home because we don’t remove as much stuff as we bring in, it’s as simple as that. Keep this up month after month and year after year and you’re now overwhelmed with your clutter.

While this is a simple basic truth I know it’s not always easy to implement. Especially if you like to shop the way that I do.

I really do enjoy shopping. Yes, I’ve learned to curb my shopping habits and stop buying things I don’t need. But the fact remains I do enjoy shopping, especially when it comes to things for my home.

However, I did put a freeze on my shopping until I initially got the clutter under control. I made a commitment not to buy anything new until I made some noticeable progress in decluttering.

Setting specific goals that I had to meet before I could shop again was the first step in reducing the incoming.

When you are shopping make sure to avoid impulse purchases and ask yourself these questions. I guarantee they’ll help you shop like a minimalist!

2. Win at Your Clutter With The One in One Out Rule

Another great way to prevent the clutter from creeping back into your home is to follow the one in one out rule.

If you’re not familiar with this rule, basically for each thing you bring into your home, you have to take something out. This means the clutter can’t build up!

So let’s say that you’re wandering around Target. While there you see a super cute new throw pillow for the living room. BEFORE you purchase the new pillow you must decide on what throw pillow, or other décor items, you’ll remove from your living room.

Not only will this stop clutter from coming in, but it also has the benefit of helping you decide if that new décor item is something you really want. You might just find that you’re satisfied with what you already have!

3. Designate A Place For Your Clutter to Go

Something I hear often for why someone can’t get rid of their clutter is that decluttering takes too much time. They feel like when they try to declutter it makes a bigger mess. There’s this further feeling that they have to take everything out all at once.  Things are then left out in piles until they have the time to get to it.

While yes sometimes things do get worse before they get better. However, it’s much easier to declutter when you know what you’re doing with all that stuff before you get started.

By having a plan ahead of time, you’ll be able to declutter your home a little at a time because you have a place for your clutter to go. There’s no need to leave things in piles on the floor or your favorite chair. You know exactly where that stuff goes!

While It’s In Your Home

The number one tool that finally helped me to win at my clutter was investing in a cute basket. Seriously, I have one very similar to the image above. It sits in my living room as part of my décor.

As I go about my day I will see something that I’m ready to declutter. I toss it into that basket until it’s ready to be taken out of my home.

I also have baskets like these in my bedroom and in my kids’ room. As I come across clothing or other items that are ready to be decluttered they go straight in the basket. You could just as easily use a large packing box that you keep in the closet.

By having a place for your clutter to go right away you’ll eliminate the messes and make it easy to declutter your home a little at a time.

Removing The Clutter From Your Home

Once your decluttering baskets are full you’ve got to get that clutter out of your home!

To ensure you’re removing the clutter from your home it’s a good idea to have a list of places or people you will give it to.

Research the donation centers in your area that support a cause near and dear to your heart. You can look for donation centers that focus on helping Veterans, women, children, the disabled, the homeless, or many other worthy groups.

Write down all the donation information, including addresses and times, for one or two of these centers. When you drop off your donations you’ll feel good about decluttering because you know you’re helping someone else out.

Remember it doesn’t always have to be a donation center. You may have people in your life that will benefit from the items you’re decluttering.

There’s a young family I always give my kids outgrown clothing to. I’ve had friends with older college kids or kids moving into their first homes and they were able to use many of the items I was getting rid of.

It’s not important where you’re donating your decluttered items as long as you have a plan in place.

4. To Prevent Clutter – Don’t Keep Items You’re Not Using

This is one of the largest contributors to the clutter that we have. We all have a tendency to keep items we’re not actually using either “just in case” or because we think we’ll repair them.

However, if you want to win at your clutter stop keeping things in your home that you don’t actually use!

If this is an area you struggle with, I want you to stop right now and think about some of the items you have stored away until they can be fixed. Now, how long have some of those items been sitting there in the same un-repaired condition? It’s been a while, right?

If something’s broken for longer than a week, without being taken in for repair,  get rid of it now! For those items that are ripped or stained or just need some type of mending, if it’s been longer than a week, let them go!

These exact same rules apply to things you’re holding on to that you really don’t use but keep just in case. Things like that waffle maker in the back of the cupboard or that extra-large serving platter you might use once a year.

If you ever really need the item you can always borrow it or make do with something else. It’s time to let go of that clutter!!

5. Put Stuff Away To Prevent Creating Clutter

Clutter often feels like it’s accumulating when it’s mixed with all the stuff we use on a regular basis. There’s a simple reason for this, clutter attracts clutter.

For years our dining room table was our hot spot. Somehow everything that no one knew what to do with was ending up on the dining room table. Then whenever anyone came home, backpacks, water bottles, and coffee cups ended up there as well.

However, you’ll win at your clutter when you develop the habit of putting things away, right away.

When you come home, hang up your coat, place any water bottles or coffee mugs in the sink, and have a designated space for your purse and the kids’ backpacks. When things have a designated place to live it’s so much easier to put things away.

By putting things away, right away, you’ll be able to visually see clutter and what doesn’t belong there. This will stop new clutter from forming as you’re less likely to add things to a clean space.

Another good habit to develop to help you win at your clutter is doing a quick 5 to 15 minute tidy up in the evening. It takes very little time but does a lot to keep the clutter at bay!

6. Have An Incentive For Clearing the Clutter

Decluttering is hard work, at least in the beginning. Once you’ve cleared the clutter from your home, you experience the many benefits of living clutter-free and it’s a great motivator to stay on top of your clutter.

However, when first starting you’re in the midst of constant decluttering and you’re not yet experiencing those benefits. This is where an incentive can be a great motivator to help you win at your clutter.

I talked a little above about one of my incentives, which was to put a self-imposed shopping ban until I got the initial state of my clutter under control. I set a few goals for specific areas that I needed to declutter before I could buy anything that wasn’t an absolute necessity.

Knowing that I would be able to go out and purchase a fun new item once I meet my goal motivated me to keep going.

If you have a lot of clutter in your bedroom you can reward yourself, once you’ve finished decluttering, with some new bedding or even something as simple as a luxury candle or some fresh flowers for the room.

Having an incentive in place may be just what you need to get the decluttering done!

Winning at your clutter is possible. All it takes is a few preventative measures to limit the incoming, having a plan for what you’ll do with your decluttered items, and creating a couple of simple habits.

For more decluttering tips and ideas be sure to check out the Ultimate Guide to a Clutter-Free Home!