Everyone always asks me for the secret to an uncluttered home. There are multiple things you can do to prevent clutter from piling up but the most important rule is when one comes in one goes out.
How many spatulas do you really need? Keep a couple and donate the rest. How many makeup and beauty products do you buy without getting rid of those that you never use?
One comes in one goes out is the easiest way to make sure you do not accumulate too much of one thing. Whether it is clothes, towels or toys this rule keeps your home free of clutter.
This week’s before and after is a closet that was extremely tight on space and had to be shared by two teenage girls.
This was challenging but sometimes you just have to work with what you have and that is what we did.
As you can see, in the before photos the difficulty we faced fitting the wardrobe of two teenagers in one closet.
The space was not being used to its potential and it just needed another set of eyes to see it in a different way.
With the girls helping every step of the way the process began by clearing the clutter. These are the steps we followed.
Removed everything out of the closet. Yes…everything!
Purged the clothes they did not wear or love. They were wonderful to work with because they were both ready to keep what was necessary and donate the rest. This is the biggest step in the whole process when you are dealing with small closets.
Cleaned the space. Simple but often overlooked.
Changed all of the hangers. This is one thing I am constantly preaching because it makes such a difference without spending a lot of money.
Talked about how to divide the space.In this closet I thought it was essential that they each had their own space. After they purged their clothes we were able to designate one girl on the bottom hanging and one on the top. The maxi dresses were folded over a hanger so they could fit nicely in the space.
Removed seldom worn shoes and put them under the bed in a container. The shoes that remained were hung in an over the door shoe rack.
Moved all winter coats to a coat closet in the foyer. We live in Florida so keeping heavy coats or sweaters in your closet is not practical.
Labeled containers for the shelves. They both dance so I wanted them to have easy access to their dance clothes.
In less than half a day the clutter was gone and they were organized and ready to start a new school year.
The items used for this project were new hangers and containers. Inexpensive way to get big results!
Remember it’s not the size of the closet it’s the way you organize it.
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Is clutter causing problems in your relationship? Do you blame him for all of his junk in the garage or does he say you have too many shoes? I know shoes may not correlate to a garage but the tension that it creates does.
I hear both sides of the argument when I am working with clients. Clutter causes anger and resentment in relationships.
After I complete a job I can not tell you how many happy husbands and wives I have.
No one wants to live in a house full of clutter. It can cause one person to blame the other for their unsatisfied home life.
Here are a few suggestions to initiate change.
Sit down without anger and discuss how the clutter makes you feel and what you are willing to do to help fix the problem.
Maybe she is overwhelmed with the kids and doesn’t have time to take on anything else.
Take the kids for the day or hire a babysitter so both of you can spend time together going through the things that need attention.
Hire a professional organizer to give a new prospective and help mediate the process of clearing the clutter.
It always helps to have an unbiased professional talk to the person who has a hard time parting with what you would consider clutter. Your spouse may not listen to you but they will generally listen to someone else.
This weekend choose one area of your home that is the biggest problem and make an effort to clear the clutter. Once you see and feel the change it will motivate you both to tackle another area in your home.
It is important to have a place to come home to that provides a sense of peace and calm.
Everyone always asks me for the secret to an uncluttered home. There are multiple things you can do to prevent clutter from piling up but the most important rule is when one comes in one goes out.
