Have you been thinking about culling your belongings but the task is so daunting you’re dragging your feet?  While it might sound like contradictory concepts, there are simple ways you can declutter your home and enjoy the process.  Read on for how homeowners can pare down without feeling like it’s a major undertaking, and maybe even have a little fun. 

Focus on good things

Did you know decluttering can be good for you?  MindBodyGreen explains that being surrounded by clutter can have an ill-effect on your health, causing you to feel dragged down by unfinished projects, creating lethargy, causing anxiety, and even making you lose sleep.  If the idea of dealing with your clutter is overwhelming, embrace knowing you’ll be better off in the long run.  Research shows your attitude can directly influence how well things go, so focus your mind on your goals to help you have a good time with decluttering.  Some studies indicate music can help you stay motivated, so put on an upbeat playlist, wear comfortable clothes, and get ready to dig in!

Prepare with a clean sweep

When you accumulate clutter, you also tend to accumulate dust and debris.  Once you get rolling, you’re probably going to find a lot of crud lingering in your piles, and you’ll want to do some cleaning as you go.  You’ll feel terrific as you watch your home open up and shine, so assemble some effective cleaning supplies and keep them handy.  If it seems like too much to take on, you can lighten your load by hiring a maid service to do a one-time deep cleaning on your behalf.  A professional maid service in San Antonio usually costs between $109 and $226.  By getting a thorough cleaning out the way, a big part of your burden is lifted and you’ll be extra motivated to get down to decluttering.

Let the fun begin!

If you’ve never done a true decluttering before, you probably need to think about techniques for managing your excess belongings.  Organized Home explains there are some basic decluttering strategies that work for many people, like boxing everything up and setting it aside, then pulling things as you use them.  After a given period of time, anything left in the box needs to be rehomed.  Another version is to pick a small area, like a tabletop, and sort everything from the table down to what will stay.  As you work through your house, eventually, all the little sections will come together.  Decide what works in your case and what you can keep up long-term.

Stay or go?

Many people struggle with discards, but there are a couple ways to handle conundrums.  One trick is to ask yourself some simple questions, like would you purchase the item again, why you are keeping the item, and ask whether you really use the item.  Those same questions will help with routinely tidying up, too!  Another idea is to limit yourself to what you bring into the home, telling yourself that for every new item you add, another must be given up.  This one in, one out concept is a quick way to help you prioritize purchases, and you’ll save money in the end. If you really can’t make a decision, you can always put items in storage until you decide what you want to do with them. Storage costs can be steep, so look around for the best deals. For example, Downtown SA Storage in San Antonio is offering a free month of storage.

What to do with discards

There are several options for your excess belongings, and you can feel great about most of them.  One option is to toss things out, but it’s the least desirable since landfills are hard on the environment.  Instead, some items can be given away to crafters for upcycling, and Huffington Post notes you can list those things on a variety of freebie websites.  For items that are useful as-is, consider donating them to charities or selling them outright, and for items that are no longer of use, recycle what you can. 

Decluttering can seem like a major undertaking, but with a couple tricks up your sleeve you can knock it out in no time.  Do a deep cleaning, pick an effective process, and have fun!  You can have a healthier, uncluttered home, and eve

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