Incredible Hacks to Conquer Clutter

Having a place to donate old clothing, shoes, and accessories before beginning to declutter makes the process easier. Find a local donation center or charity that you can easily leave lightly used items with.

Use Shower Curtain Rings to Hold Just About Everything

Whether you accumulate junk by the front door, in front of the TV, or in a drawer, it’s best to limit yourself to one small space. A “junk bowl” by the front door can keep those odds and ends that don’t fit anywhere else. Throw items in here such as receipts, business cards, and hair ties. If a bowl isn’t your aesthetic, another option is a tray.

In your living room or TV room, store remote controls in a caddy. It’s amazing how much a caddy or tray can transform a pile of clutter into something useful. If you have a junk drawer, use a muffin tin for little odds and ends. Small containers in drawers help separate odds and ends and make them easier to find.

A junk bowl, tray, or drawer is only effective if you make a point to go through it regularly and either trash or file the items.

Use attractive baskets for quick living room decluttering. Is that basket holding kids’ toys, assorted batteries, or extra cables and wires? Who knows. But living room guests that the space is neat and tidy. And that’s all that counts.

If you hate cleaning, commit to cleaning for 10 or 15 minutes at a time. Set the timer and clean or declutter while listening to a podcast. Or, tidy the kitchen while you’re waiting for water to boil.

Store extra plastic bags in a paper towel tube to keep them from ending up in an un-attractive clump. You can also purchase or DIY a fabric holder for plastic bags. Either way, they’ll be stored and ready for use as small wastebasket liners, dog waste bags, or tote returns back to the store.

Move toward a minimalist wardrobe. You will find once you start decluttering your clothing that you no longer need all those scarves, sweaters, jeans, and even shoes that you thought you did. You’ll save space in your closet and have less clothing to maintain.

Decluttering your entire home at once is daunting. Instead, commit to filling just one trash bag a day with things to donate, shred, or trash. Breaking it down into this small task will make it much easier to complete and commit to.

Know what to toss in your pantry each week and schedule time to give it a good once-over. The same goes for your freezer—toss anything expired, with freezer burn, or if you just can no longer identify it.

Kids’ toys end up strewn across the house making your home look messier than it actually is. Get your kids in the habit of storing toys in the same place by designating specific spaces for toys, either in their rooms, a playroom, or a corner of the living room.

Use a pegboard to fight closet clutter or to store crafts supplies. The more you can see, the easier it is to keep track of what you use and what you’re just permanently storing.

Don’t save a magazine for one recipe in it. Have a system for managing the content in magazines you actually want to keep. Store recipes in your recipe file, DIY project ideas in your DIY project file, and so on.

Get rid of the knife block that takes up valuable counter space. Instead, store knives on a magnetic strip on the wall or in a drawer with a divider.