Top-Notch Decluttering Strategies Gleaned by Our Editors Throughout the Year

Top-notch Decluttering Strategies Our Experts Discovered in Recent Time

December often brings about an excess of things, but clutter is a year-round issue for many of us. Our drawers are multiplying, our closets are bursting, and we find ourselves with five whisks (where on earth did we accumulate so many of the same utensil?). Our team of editors spend all year researching and writing about the best ways to keep clutter to a minimum, and this year we've discovered some incredibly useful tips and tricks. We've discussed methods to simplify your cleaning supplies, suggested tips for keeping your surfaces clutter-free, and even chatted with some small home dwellers about how to manage clutter. Among all of this, we did find some favorites. Here are the 10 pieces of advice that totally changed our perspective on decluttering this year.

Start Small

Decluttering is often thought of as a long-term project, but sometimes it's a quick task! Instead of tackling the entire house, take on one specific area like your underwear drawer, refrigerator drawer, or your medicine cabinet. Finish that tiny area and consider it a win for the day. It's a step in the right direction!

Set a Limit

You may realize that you have too many shoes or too many earrings, but how many do you really have? Count them. If you have over 100 pairs of earrings, that means you could wear each one only three days a year. Our bet is that there are some you never wear, and some you love wearing for weeks on end. If you're not going to do the three-day rotation, it's time to donate some of your least worn (or hardly worn) pairs.

Try the Nostalgia Approach

Decision fatigue is real, and it happens faster than you think. So if you think you don't need an item but can't quite part with it, try the nostalgia approach and store it in a box. Put a date on it (a month, six months), and if you haven't used the item by that date, it's time to let it go.

Reward Yourself

Most people don't look forward to decluttering, so you have to find ways to make it more enjoyable. Save an episode of your favorite TV show to watch only when you're going through that stuffed closet, or make a playlist of your favorite songs to listen to while you work.

Use a Timer

Anything is achievable in small parts, decluttering included. Instead of tackling everything at once, set a timer each day for 15 minutes. Use that short window to go through your items and toss or donate some things you don't need. As the days go on, you'll strengthen your decision-making skills and it'll get easier.

Implement the One-In, One-Out Rule

We all have a certain amount of space, so while it's fun to keep buying things, eventually you'll run out of room. Even worse, everything will look messy, and the things you really need will be hard to find. To keep clutter at bay, get rid of one thing for every five things you bring into your home. For example, if you have five coffee table books, donate one of the ones you haven't read in years.

Check Expiration Dates

This applies to things like refrigerated food (looking at you, yogurt) but rarely to anything else. However, many items in your home do expire, both edible and non-edible. Go through the list below every six months and toss items that are past their prime.

Spices
Medication
Makeup
Batteries
Sunscreen

Only Allow Yourself One Chaotic Drawer

We all have that one drawer that's filled to the brim with a jumble of things, and that's okay! But it's best to go through that drawer every six months and pare it down. Just make sure to keep it at only one chaotic drawer. If you have one messy drawer in the bedroom, one in the kitchen, and one in the office, these places become jumbled catch-alls for each room, which nobody needs. If you notice that there are a couple of drawers like this in your home, categorize the items in each, and see if they can be put away in a more specific place.

Perform an End-of-Season Audit

It's tempting to throw all your holiday decorations in a bin at the end of the season and forget about them until next year, but this is actually the perfect time to take a break and get rid of some stuff before packing it away. Which ornaments did you skip setting up this year? Were any light strands broken? Toss them now before you forget. The same applies to summer items—which swimsuits did you skip wearing, and which pool floats have leaks in them?

Give Yourself Permission to Break Up a Set

It's fun to collect things, but keeping hold of multiple collections can become a chore. Instead of keeping the whole lot, keep one item to remind you of that time in your life and that passion. Donate the rest.

The RealSimple editor's team also shares advice on organizing your 'chaotic drawers' using the 'one chaotic drawer' approach. They suggest going through these drawers every six months and reducing their contents, keeping only one drawer in messy disorder for each room. Additionally, they suggest implementing the 'nostalgia approach' when deciding whether to keep items that are hard to part with, storing them in a box for a set period and then evaluating their use.