Clutter has a way of sneaking up on us. The decluttering process is based on five classic organizing principles. Understand these principles and you can declutter your house, your apartment, your office, or even your garage. A good decluttering plan should revolve around the following principles:

Removal

Probably the most difficult part of decluttering in Greensboro NC. Remove what you don’t need. This can mean throw it in the trash, give it away or sell it. You need to be brutal with this, or otherwise you will only be rearranging the clutter. The old rule of thumb is that if you haven’t used an item for a year you can safely let it go, unless you have a sentimental attachment to it (like your grandma’s china plate). The very brave can cut that down even less.

Grouping

Take the survivors of the removal process and group similar items together. This is the very basis of organization itself. It helps you locate everything you need for a particular task in one place. Mail items should be together, working out equipment in the same area, etc. Imagine if your cookware was all over the house, how much do you think that would slow down your cooking?

Deployment

You need to have easy access to the things you use in your house. This means thinking about the workflow of the space and where you want things to be placed. If you use something often, then it will need to be in the space that you use it and be as close to at hand as possible. If something is hardly used, then it can be placed further away; on a high shelf, in the back of a cabinet or even in the garage.

Containers

This is the basic unit of organization; they contain the chaos by keeping your stuff grouped together. You cannot organize without appropriate containers; bookshelves for books, closets for clothes, drawers for underwear.

You can declutter house and home armed with these principles, though it may take a while to get your clutter completely under control without some guidance. Professional organizers have developed decluttering systems that allow you to declutter quickly. Using these professional decluttering methods can cut the time you spend organizing in half or more.

The Maids can help with a plan to declutter your home. And more importantly, we implement that plan in ways other companies don’t. We can arrange for portable dumpsters that your waste management service will pick up. We can also arrange pickup of things you wish to give to Goodwill or another charity of your choice.

Call or text The Maids at (336) 292-7800 and we will help bring order back to your home and your life.