Declutter Your Home with These Products & Tips

February 20, 2024

With spring around the corner, it's the perfect time of year to declutter your home. If tackling piles of clutter seems overwhelming, we're here to help. The products and tips below can streamline the process and get your home in better working order.

4 Tips for Decluttering & Getting Organized

  1. Start Small: If you're short on time with many piles or areas to cover in your home, begin with one room and only focus on that room. If that still seems like too much, pick a box or a drawer to sort through, creating piles of what to keep, donate, and recycle/throw away. Or, grab a bin and pick a room. Then, simply put things to donate in that bin. When it's full, you've achieved your goal. Next, schedule out the other decluttering tasks on your list so that you can chip away at it little by little over time. This will help you set small yet achievable goals. We often dive in head-first and then get so exhausted by a full day of decluttering, cleaning, and organizing, that we burn out. The rest is left for "some day" and months (or years) go by before we ever get back to it.
  2. Create a New Routine: Our homes often get cluttered when we don't have a system in place to deal with it on a regular basis. Create a new routine to build decluttering into your daily or weekly life. For example, pick a weekday or weeknight and a time that you can stick to where you spend 15 minutes dealing with stacks of mail, your kids' toys, projects, etc. Maybe Wednesday nights at 8:00 PM seem doable. If so, simply setting a timer and work on that one task for 15 minutes every week. If it's something you dread but know you should do, reward yourself after you accomplish that task by watching a show, calling a friend, or doing something you love to do. Pretty soon you'll be so used to doing that every week. It will seem as natural as brushing your teeth before bed. If you have a child or a partner, bonus points for getting them involved in decluttering or cleaning.
  3. Be Honest About Actual Usage: Sometimes the clutter piles up because we don't want to face having to throw away, recycle, or donate anything. It's easier if it's all "somewhere around the house" – that is, of course, until the day you get overwhelmed by all the clutter. When you're finally ready to dig in and get organized, it's important to be honest with yourself. How long has it been since you used that item? Are you really going to use it again in the next six months? Have you used in the last six months or year?Is it really worth keeping if it's going to collect dust? These are especially important questions to ask when it comes to clothes. Some reports suggest we only wear about 20 - 25% of the clothes we own. If that's true for you, consider what you could donate to declutter your closet, providing clothes that someone else could actually use. Many of us have mementos that we treasure and we're not saying you should throw everything out, but we're willing to bet you have some items that are at the point where they're just taking up space.
  4. Treat Storage Space Like Functional Displays: Whether you have tons of shelves, cabinets, and drawers in your home or very few, we suggest treating every storage space like a display – a high functioning display. We're not saying it needs to look pretty, but it should be well organized and nice enough to look at. The big goal may seem like it is to properly organize your pantry, garage shelves, or kitchen cabinets. But the ultimate goal is to keep that storage space organized. If you think of it like a functional display that you want to look good, you'll care more about whether you shove things in at random or take that extra minute to put things in the right place. Labels, dividers, and color coding can also help keep things tidy. If that's over the top for you or not realistic given your grabby family members, simply pick one storage space that you want to keep as organized as possible for the next few weeks. The weeks will hopefully turn into months, thus creating a new habit or routine, as we mentioned above.



Products to Help You Declutter

Here are some ideas for products that will help you declutter your home and get more organized:



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Rainy days in the Pacific Northwest aren't for everyone, but there are many ways to make them more enjoyable. And, as we head into spring, keep in mind that this darker rainy season is temporary. Soon, we'll have more daylight hours, and spring flowers will be blooming. Check out these ideas for making rainy days as fun as possible. Stay active Whether it’s joining a local gym, starting an at-home gym practice, or going for a walk despite the rain, staying active is essential for your mental and physical health during the rainy season. Also, nature is the Pacific Northwest’s playground. Many local trails have thick forests that provide shelter from the rain and shield you from the worst of it. Invest in proper clothing and gear Similarly, if being outside and staying active is your preferred activity method, don’t let the weather stop you. Investing in proper clothing, shoes, and gear can make almost any day an outside day. Many local stores, like Wildernest on Bainbridge Island and Flicka in Poulsbo, have waterproof jackets and shoes . Invest in a pair of warm wool socks to keep your feet dry. On really cold days, put a pair of warmers into your gloves or shoes. Talk to a doctor about options If you're new to the Pacific Northwest, consider talking to your doctor about other ways to help your body physically adapt to the winter weather and darkness that is unique to this area. They might recommend daily vitamin D supplements and a sun lamp . Sun lamps mimic natural light and can be effective for those with Seasonal Affective Disorder. Speak to your doctor before making any changes. Try boredom busters for kids Do you have kids who are starting to bounce off the walls or are (conversely) staying glued to their devices? Check out this list of fun boredom busters to break up the long days. Even a quick card or board game can put a spark of controlled energy into the room. There are also many local indoor play spaces to choose from in the area. There are play spaces for toddlers , indoor trampoline parks , laser tag venues , and arcades for teens. Lean into seasonal sports Enjoying a winter sport can mean everything from watching it live to watching it on TV to participating in it. Living so close to the Olympic Mountains and Mount Rainier means various options for skiing, snowboarding, tubing, snowshoeing, and more. In addition, for those looking to watch sports live in the winter, Seattle is home to many professional teams, as well as minor league and college teams. If you prefer to stay off the roads and in the comfort of your own home, invite a couple of friends over to watch a game together. Start a new hobby For many, the rainy days provide a little more time since there’s often less running around. You can use that extra time to pick up a new hobby. 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