The holidays are almost over, and maybe you find yourself overwhelmed with the new gifts and items that have accumulated. Or perhaps you are sick of tripping over the endless boxes, piles, and other junk lying around. Maybe you want to start the new year fresh with clean floors, cleared surfaces, and organized storage spaces. Here are a few actions to take to reduce the clutter clogging up your life for the new year.
Target a Small Area
Figure out where you want to begin. Look for a small area to start with, a shelf, a drawer, or counter, and begin sorting through the clutter. Sort it into items that belong somewhere else, items to be thrown out, and things that are no longer useful.
Get Ready to Organize
Next, you need to prepare for clutter control. Do this by moving a large cardboard box (for items to be recycled, sold, or donated), a trash can, and an empty laundry basket (for moving objects that don’t belong in this area into other areas of the house).
Dedicate 15 Minutes a Day to Clutter Management Now
In the hectic pace of 21st Century life, we always think that we will have time to deal with clutter later. We promise ourselves that we will soon have some free time some weekend and will deal with it then. That perfect time never arrives. The best thing to do is dedicate 15 minutes a day to cleaning, organizing, and sorting your clutter, and doing it every day. Everyone can find 15 minutes in between other activities. Sort the items in this area into the box, basket, and trash can.
Clear the Decks
The first areas you need to target are flat surfaces. This includes your counters, floors, tables, desks, and any other flat surface that has stuff on it. Start in one room, clear all of the flat surfaces, and then move on to the next room.
Create a Paper Gathering Place
Paper is one of the biggest contributors to clutter, so it is a good idea to find a single location where you will collect all paper you find in other areas. Paper can be important information, bills, magazines, coupons, calendars, mail, and much more. This should be a limited space, such as a cardboard box or set of desk trays, when you encounter paper in other areas that might be important and bring it to the paper gathering place.
Label Areas
One of the biggest problems with conquering clutter is not knowing where to put the things you get, so take time to label the shelves, boxes, storage containers, etc. You can get a good label maker for around $25, and it is well worth the investment. The labels used in these label makers are designed to stick but are easy to remove. If you don’t like the idea of using labels, use post-it notes as temporary labels until you (and everyone else in the home) know what belongs in that area.
Need Help Conquering Your Clutter?
If your new year’s clean up generates a lot of waste, give us a call at (215) 661-0001 or fill out our online form. And let us find the right dumpster size for you. Call us now to get the process started today.
