DOWNSIZING TIPS: HOW TO GET RID OF CLUTTER?

Everyone knows that clutter needs to go but it’s always easier to leave the task of decluttering for another day. If you are moving to a new home, then now is the perfect time to get this done.

Some people think that downsizing is only for retirees. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Even those with children in college or if their adult children have settled into their new lives may consider downsizing.

Deal With Easier Stuff First

Getting rid of clutter can be an overwhelming task and that’s one of the many reasons why many homeowners put off this task. So, to help you get started, you should deal with the things that you can easily part with.

1. Clothes – get rid of all those that no longer fit you, have not worn in years, or have stains on them.
2. Paper – get rid of paper clutter like manuals, extra copies, envelopes, or similar items that you no longer use.
3. Duplicates – Get rid of all the duplicates. Do you have 10 mugs in a house of 2? Do you have 5 black shirts when you only use 2 regularly?
4. Books – donate, sell, or give some of the books that you own.
5. Movies and Music – they’re most likely part of the service that you are already subscribed to so there’s no need to keep old music or movie tapes, CDs, or DVDs.

Dealing With Emotions When Decluttering

There are things that you don’t want to keep but find it hard to get rid of. How do you deal with them?

If there are things that remind you of someone you lost, you might want to keep only one item that represents a particular collection. This applies to china collections, old jewelry, book collection, figurine collection, etc.

Are you thinking that your kids might want the things that you are thinking of getting rid of? Professional organizers say that if parents don’t want it, it’s highly possible that the kids won’t like it either.

Now, what if you might need the items someday? You need to be honest and realistic as you ask yourself if you’ll use the item sometime soon. If you have it for more than a year and you never had the chance to use it yet then you most likely won’t be using it.

It can also be difficult to decide whether to keep a gift or not. You can tell yourself that it has served its purpose. You wouldn’t want to live in a new house that’s cluttered with items that you don’t want to get rid of because of guilt.

You should also get rid of the things that don’t add value to your life now. If it’s expensive, you always have the option to sell it or to give it to someone you care about whom you think will benefit from it.

You Can Keep Certain Items

One of the most common misconceptions about decluttering is that you need to get rid of everything. That is not true, at all. Home organizing means determining and prioritizing which items are important to you. Living an organized life involves creating habits in your house that will help maintain specific places for everything.

Your Belongings Don’t Have To Go To The Landfill

You can always have a yard sale for the things that you’ll get rid of. You can also sell it online. Use the proceeds to cover some of your moving costs, treat yourself to a night out, or buy a fresh coat of paint for your new room. If you don’t want to sell them, you can always donate your things, instead. Find an organization that would gladly have the things that you no longer use.

Call Brunswick Organizing Solutions if you need the help of a professional organizer in decluttering, downsizing, or moving to a new home.

Brunswick Organizing Solutions
Leland, NC 28451
910-477-3768
https://www.getorganizednc.com/

Cities Served
Leland, Wilmington, Shallotte, North Myrtle Beach, Myrtle Beach, Southport, Bolivia, St. James, Oak Island, Ocean Isle Beach, Sunset Beach, Carolina Shores, Calabash, Castle Hayne, Burgaw – Brunswick and Horry County

TIPS TO DECLUTTER AND DOWNSIZE YOUR HOME

One important thing when it comes to downsizing is to get rid of the things you don’t need in your life. It may seem quite simple but it’s a cumbersome process. You need thoughtful consideration and time. So, if you don’t have that much time or if you are not considering the consequences, you will wind up committing mistakes. You need to be smart when decluttering and downsizing.

Are Your Moving? Downsize The Big Stuff.

If you are moving to a smaller home, there’s no reason for you to bring too much stuff. Hauling big furniture will cost you a lot of money and if you have no place to put it in your new house, you’ll end up paying for a storage unit, which means extra cost. Check the floor plan of your new home. You can also do a walk through using a tape measure so you’ll get a feel of where you can place your sofas, chairs, and tables. You should make these decisions before moving. It will save you money and time.

Bring The Small Stuff With You

If you no longer want the clutter in your house or if you are moving to a new place, you may be tempted to sell or give away many of your small items like décor, clothing, or dishes. Don’t take this step too fast. Go through your stuff slowly and get rid of the general junk that accumulate over time. However, don’t be quick to get rid of things that you use all the time or you love using.

Keep items that you are using currently or seasonally. Don’t get rid of things that serve a practical purpose or has sentimental value. Others that no longer serve a practical purpose can be given away or sold.

Go Through All of The Boxes

You’ll be amazed at how many boxes will follow you as you move to a new place without you even looking inside them. Many of these boxes are filled with keepsakes from your loved ones. So, before you move, make sure to go through all of your boxes. You may be able to get rid of a few boxes that contain stuff that you won’t miss. Every box matters especially when you need all the space you can get. Spend some time to go through every part of your house from your closets to your attack and to your garage and then to your cabinets. If you have not used the item in more than a year or if you don’t think you’ll be using it over the next six months then consider selling, giving it away, or tossing it out. You should also think about selling your things to a thrift store or organizing a garage sale.

Plan Your Storage

After separating the things that are of no use to you anymore, you will still have more items you think you have space to store. At this point, it will be tempting to give away items to free up more space. But, before you do that, you should check what you can use, what you need or want and then asses and plan your storage.

Follow the One Year Rule

It can be very tempting to hang on to things that you once liked but no longer use or those that you think you can use someday. But if you have not used the item for at least one year, then it’s possible that you won’t be using it next year. Maybe it is time to sell or give them away. Of course, if the item is expensive or serves a specific purpose, then you should think twice before giving them away.

Do you need to declutter and downsize for your upcoming move? Call Brunswick Organizing Solutions now if you need the help of a professional organizer.

Brunswick Organizing Solutions
Leland, NC 28451
910-477-3768
https://www.getorganizednc.com/

Cities Served
Leland, Wilmington, Shallotte, North Myrtle Beach, Myrtle Beach, Southport, Bolivia, St. James, Oak Island, Ocean Isle Beach, Sunset Beach, Carolina Shores, Calabash, Castle Hayne, Burgaw – Brunswick and Horry County

DECLUTTER: HOME CLEANING TIPS IN UNDER 15 MINUTES

What happens when sudden unexpected guests show up on your doorstep or call just to tell you they will be coming in 15 minutes? You start to hysterically conceal every mess or clutter that you see.

Stop it immediately! Professional organizers have something in store for you to help in this dilemma.

Time-Saving Decluttering Guide

1. Outdoor mess

You could not be considering the outside of your house, however, it is the very first thing that visitors will notice when they get there. If your outdoor furniture is disarranged, see to it it is straight and cushions are clean. Bring boots and umbrellas inside, return vacant planters and those backyard tools to the garage, and simply coiling your hose pipe will create a big difference.

1. Living Room Clutter

A lot of cushions and couch covers could look unpleasant, so make sure to fix it before guests arrive. Store extra bed linen in the storage room or utility room as well as clean exactly what’s left. Next off, eliminate the coffee table as well as side tables. Arrange magazines and newspapers and put them in a basket, pile publications on close-by racks or under the coffee table and put remotes, DVDs as well as other electronic devices in the TV console. Provide uneven photo frames a fast repair before doing other tasks.

1. Guest Bedroom deal

If you took on the coat wardrobe, shut the door and start doing other home organizing tasks. Otherwise, you’ll require another place to keep visitors’ coats and bags. Do away with tidy garments and shoes first, yet leave the dirty clothes. Next off, clear fashion jewelry, documents and other clutter away from the vanity, cabinets or night tables. Bring glass with you to the kitchen area.

1.  Kitchen disorder

Another decluttering tip is to move your drying out shelf and other unnecessary home appliance on the counters to closets or cellar racks so you have space to prepare food for your guests. Secure the waste as well as recycling (this maximizes flooring area, also), then concentrate on the refrigerator: remove old bills and notes, straighten out pictures and ref magnets. It only takes a few minutes to arrange mail and bring crucial documents to your work desk. Return anything else left on the table to its appropriate place.

1. Dining room dilemma

Have your partner or children help you clean by sweeping or vacuuming the area as you performed in the kitchen area so you could move your cleaning tasks to the following rooms.

For hassle-free decluttering and home organizing service, call Brunswick Organizing Solutions.

Brunswick Organizing Solutions
Leland, NC 28451
910-477-3768
https://www.getorganizednc.com/

Cities Served
Leland, Wilmington, Shallotte, North Myrtle Beach, Myrtle Beach, Southport, Bolivia, St. James, Oak Island, Ocean Isle Beach, Sunset Beach, Carolina Shores, Calabash, Castle Hayne, Burgaw – Brunswick and Horry County

TIPS TO HELP YOU DECLUTTER IF YOU CAN’T LET GO OF THINGS

Decluttering isn’t easy for everybody. Living in a home that doesn’t have any clutter sounds great but it can be hard to get rid of things especially if you are the kind of person who gets attached to things and cannot let go easily. Sentimental things can be very hard to let go. How will you know which items to save and which items to get rid of? Here are some declutter tips to help make the process easier for you.

Decluttering Tips

Don’t forget to practice.

It’s always hard at the beginning. But the longer you declutter your home and make clean and organized spaces, you’ll eventually find it easier to let go of things. You’ll discover that you won’t miss the things that you got rid of and that it’s not that hard to say goodbye to them at all. If you find yourself in that place at the start of the process and you feel overwhelmed with all of the clutter, trust in the process and know that it will get easier.

Ask yourself what you want to keep instead of what you want to get rid of

If you start the decluttering process thinking that you are getting rid of everything and you just want to determine which items you wish to keep, it will be a lot easier for you to part with those things. For example, if you have lots of books, pile them all up in your living room and have a mindset that you’ll be donating all of them. Then go through all of your books and take out all the titles that you really like. Once that happens, you’ll eventually end up with a few books that you really love the most.

Think about the people who could benefit from the things that you no longer use

There are many practical people in this world and you may be one of those who have a hard time letting go of things that are still in good working condition. What may be clutter for you could be useful for someone else. Check with the food pantries or shelters in your area and find out if they need any of the things that you are planning to get rid of but still in good shape. Local schools or churches may know of some families who need these things. They will greatly benefit from the items that you are ready to give. The items that you are planning to get rid will be a blessing to those who will receive it and this will make letting go a lot easier for you.

Imagine the “after”

Think about all the reasons why you started to declutter in the first place. Imagine yourself feeling great in a home that is clutter free, welcoming, and serene. You can even create a board of inspiration in Pinterest. This will help remind you of the kind of space that you want to have after decluttering- an organized home.

Do A Test Run

Do a test run if you are anxious about letting go of certain things as you do your home organizing. Place the items you want to let go in a bag or box and store them in a basement or in any area that is out of your way. Add a reminder on your phone for a month. If you didn’t miss the items that you placed in the box then it’s time for you to let it go.

Be Thankful and Move On

Remind yourself that the things you need to let go have already served their purpose. Just be thankful that you got the chance to hold on to them for a while. Recognize that these items have done their job and the time has come for you to let them go and move on.

Call Brunswick Organizing Solutions now and let our professional organizer help you declutter.

Brunswick Organizing Solutions
Leland, NC 28451
910-477-3768
https://www.getorganizednc.com/

Cities Served
Leland, Wilmington, Shallotte, North Myrtle Beach, Myrtle Beach, Southport, Bolivia, St. James, Oak Island, Ocean Isle Beach, Sunset Beach, Carolina Shores, Calabash, Castle Hayne, Burgaw – Brunswick and Horry County

CONQUER YOUR MESS WITH THESE SIMPLE DECLUTTERING TIPS

If your house is filled with clutter, it can be quite overwhelming to deal with a lot of stuff. Instead of taking it on at once, why don’t you begin with just five minutes? It is important to take baby steps. Even though it may seem that five minutes will not barely make a dent in your mountain of mess, but it’s going to be a good start. Take five minutes to declutter now, and another one tomorrow, and the following days.

Before you know it, you will have a cleared garage or closet and then you’ll eventually see that half of your house has been cleaned. Here are some basic and easy organizing tips you need to know.

Simple Tips To Declutter

Have a spot for papers – papers account for most of your clutter. It’s because you often put them in different spots like on your desk, table, counter, drawer, and even in your car. Find an in-box tray or specific place in your house where you should put all of your papers.

Begin clearing a starting zone – what you can do when home organizing is to clear one area. This will be your no-clutter zone. It could be a kitchen table or counter. Regardless of where you wish to start, you should create a rule. You cannot place anything on that spot that is not being used. Expand your no-clutter zone slowly until you’ve covered your whole house. Any unused exercise equipment should be hauled away and all the other things that you don’t use.

Clear the counter – all the flat spaces should be clear of clutter. Begin with one clutter and make sure to clear out everything you can. Make sure that that you take out all of the papers and all other junks that you’ve been putting on the counter as well.

Have a decluttering weekend – perhaps you do not want to do a huge decluttering session at the moment. But when you set up a schedule it for later in the month, you could clear your schedule ahead of time and if you have a family then you can ask them to help you, too. The more help you get, the better. Get trash bags and boxes and create a plan for a trip to a charity where you can drop off the items that you want to donate. You may not be able to declutter the whole house during one weekend, but you will surely make a lot of progress.

Get five things and find places for each of them – these should be items that you use but you seem to just put anywhere because they don’t have places where they should be stored. Designate a good spot for them. So, make sure that you put these five items to their proper places once you are done using them.

Visualize the room – check the room and think about how you want it to look. What are the most important furniture in the room? What items don’t belong there? What is on the floor or the flat surfaces? Imagine the room when there’s no clutter. Keep what is important and get rid of the rest.

Call a professional organizer if you need expert assistance in decluttering your home.

Brunswick Organizing Solutions
Leland, NC 28451
910-477-3768
https://www.getorganizednc.com/

 

Cities Served
Leland, Wilmington, Shallotte, North Myrtle Beach, Myrtle Beach, Southport, Bolivia, St. James, Oak Island, Ocean Isle Beach, Sunset Beach, Carolina Shores, Calabash, Castle Hayne, Burgaw – Brunswick and Horry County