Live With Less: Tips To Declutter Inside And Outside Your Home

I LOVE to declutter! But I am on both sides of this coin when it comes to a hoarder and a purger. On one hand I can’t stand clutter or “stuff” I even realized this year when I had another dozen garbage bags to haul to the dump that every single thing in my life has a literal expiration date for me. I thought I had cleaned out my garage last fall! Turns out another few months meant another load expired! I’m pretty ruthless – if I don’t use but have moved it more or once – its GONE. On the other hand though when it comes to OLD things, like my Grandparents’ screen doors or all the old furniture I have. Well, let’s just say I won’t be parting with any of it ever!!

(This is a contributed post, for more information about my compensation please read my disclosure policy)

Clutter in the home can become a stressful situation affecting your mental health. It also reduces the curb appeal of your home and causes poor air quality. Fortunately, there are several ways to improve order and neatness in your home, inside and outside, by learning how to declutter. By removing mess and organizing your home, you not only enhance the beauty of your house, but also improve your overall health and well-being, as well as that of the other inhabitants.

Tidy Up Your Interior

Start by cleaning your home to identify which rooms and areas need organizing. An expert recommendation is to let someone else touch the things that you intend to get rid of, because once you hold them, your attachment is likely to prevent you from letting them go. 

To ensure that you don’t accumulate or hoard stuff, whether it’s the pantry that is bursting with out of date tuna cans or your closet brimming with unused clothes, think hard before purchasing something.

Walk away if you see something that you like but don’t really need. Do the same with grocery shopping. Buy only what you need, avoid impulse purchases, and don’t stockpile beyond the minimum emergency stockpiling requirements.

Purge Your Backyard

Cleaning up your backyard is as important as tidying up and organizing your interior. Not only does a neat and well-maintained backyard looks attractive, it also enhances the curb appeal of your property when it’s time to sell. Consumer Reports indicate that improving curb appeal increases the value of a property by 3-5%.

Mow the lawn, prune shrubs, and fix the pathways. Plan before planting new stuff. A well-spaced plot and carefully-designed garden is more pleasing to the eye than a patch of green that is crammed with plants, flowers, and shrubs. Spacing also achieves the best results, as plants need space to grow.

Sift through your equipment and keep only the ones that you need – not two hedge trimmers or five spades. Store your garden equipment and materials properly to maintain them and make sure they’re safe. Garden storage sheds offer plenty of room to organize and store your equipment, and can be easily mounted in your property to make your garden look neat and well-organized.

Commit To Maintain Order Inside And Outside Of The Home

Decluttering your home indoors and outdoors requires a commitment to keep everything in order. Adopt one of the many decluttering principles such as the 40 bags in 40 days challenge, where you declutter one area a day in your home for 40 days, much like the 40 days of Lent.

The key is to rationalize what you really need and not yield to your desires and temptations. Devote adequate attention to indoor and outdoor space to ensure that you are decluttering your entire home and grounds.

Keeping your house and garden neat and clean not only contributes to a beautiful property; it also saves you time and money maintaining and locating the things you need. Above all, living in a decluttered home is healthy, and improves your well-being by reducing stress and anxiety.

(This is a contributed post, for more information about my compensation please read my disclosure policy)