3 Quick Decluttering Projects Before The Summer Fun Starts

It may seem impossible now, but before we know it, spring will be beaconing us outside to enjoy the fresh air and newly blossoming trees and flowers. Then, the kids will be out of school and our hectic summer schedule will begin.  You won’t want to have your head buried in a closet when the lake, beach, or countryside is calling your name.  These are the months that just beg to be put to work.  The months after the holiday season and before spring comes.  So, gather your gumption and let’s get to work!

Paper – The number one most complained about clutter is paper.  Whether it’s bills, magazines, or kid’s projects, the piles of paper can become overwhelming.  Start pile by pile, sit down with several boxes marked “do now”, “taxes”, “file”, “read”, “keepsakes”, and a garbage bag for the rest.  By categorizing your papers you’ll quickly see that the need to keep everything isn’t necessary, and can be a time wasting habit, too.  If you haven’t read it, but plan to, put it in a “read” box. If it’s an insurance policy it needs to be in the “file” box. If it’s a bill to pay or a school form to complete, put it in your “do now” box.

Move quickly along the piles scattered throughout your house and before you know it you’ll have all your papers sorted and a big bag of paper going to the trash.  If you’ve got a heap of paid bills that have no bearing on your taxes and that are indisputably paid, it would be wise to shred them before they go in the trash. Shredders are not necessarily expensive, and they could save you some serious problems in the future.  Some larger office supply, copier, and shipping centers offer shredders for customers to use.

Clothes – The second issue in the decluttering process is normally clothes.  Every family struggles with piles of clothing stacked up in closets and stuffed in drawers.  When is the last time you reached for that green sweater hanging in the closet?  Do you keep shoving past the same white blouse because you don’t like how it wrinkles? These are the signals that you should be paying attention to; the signals that tell you to purge yourself of these items.  You don’t like them, you won’t wear them, so remove them from your home.

Your children’s clothing will no doubt contain items that they have outgrown.  Take the same strategy throughout your whole family’s closet’s and dressers and see how much easier you’ll breathe with only clothing you actually wear stored in your closets. You may even find some things that you’d forgotten you had, which could eliminate duplicate buying, too.  Gain space and save money.  This should be a very rewarding decluttering exercise.

Toys – The third most difficult clutter to tame is toys.  It could be mostly because we grow attached to the sentimental value of our children’s toys, but also because we don’t know where to start.  Using categories of toys may give you a place to begin.  You may want to sort the board games and puzzles first.  Then tackle the videos and electronic games.  If you have a vast assortment of plastic characters, villages, etc., you’ll want to gather them all together and decide if they are still part of your little one’s life.  If not, are they sentimental or will they make another little one smile?

Time to box toys up that have not been played with and either store away or give away.  Take on the books with the same approach and soon you’ll be looking at clean shelves and play rooms.  This is by no means an easy task, but once it’s done, you’ll find your kids are getting real use again out of the toys they have because they’re not distracted by unused items.  The fun thing about clearing out the toy clutter is you find things that your kids have forgotten about, so it’s like unwrapping gifts every day!

If you do these three decluttering projects, you’ll be ready for spring and summer; a time you want to spend enjoying the outdoors with your family, not rummaging through your piles of clutter trying to find something to wear, something you wanted to read, or a game you wanted to play.  Enjoy your new found freedom from clutter and the extra time you have to spend with your family.

Each day brings another opportunity to get, and stay, organized.  We’re here to help.  Come back and visit us again for even more ideas about decluttering your homes, and lives!

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