De-Clutter, De-Stress Your Home

Want an inexpensive way to improve your home? Eliminate clutter.

Purging excess “stuff” is a way to gain more space, reduce everyday stress, feel more at peace in your home and make your home safer, all without spending money.

Feel overwhelmed? Don’t know where to start? Follow these de-clutter, de-stress® strategies.

TRASH IT!

First, double trash and recyclables this week and for at least the next four weeks. Search your house for “Easy Stuff” – items that are damaged or have expired. Where to look? Read on.

SAFETY FIRST:

• Purge your medicine cabinet of expired medicines. Purge your refrigerator and food cabinets of outdated or unrecognizable food items. You’ll prevent ingestion accidents. These items are out-of-date for everyone. Trash them now.
• Toss moldy and mildewed items. You’ll decrease the irritants for allergies and asthma. Search your bathrooms, the attic and the basement. Don’t sniff them. Don’t bring them into your living space to sort. Sort them where they are or outside the house.
• Toss or recycle excess paper, such as expired coupons and rebate offers, four-month old or older magazines, day-old or older newspapers and out-of-date general information. Information becomes outdated with age. Improve your chance of survival in case of fire.
• Box/Bag Overload: Speaking of fire, keep combustibles and plastic to a minimum. How many boxes have you used this year? How many bags (paper and plastic) do you use each month? Keep reasonable numbers of each. Keep a box full of boxes and a bag full of bags. Recycle the excess. Don’t be afraid you’ll run short — you can get more.

DONATE IT!

Clutter is an overabundance of things you don’t use. Experience the pleasure of helping others who are less fortunate than you. Donate the excess from your abundance.

Don’t know what group needs what? Go to www.beyondclutter.com/passiton for a list of non- profit organizations and their wish lists.

• PURGE EXCESS ITEMS: Reduce your inventory of “things.” How many measuring cups do you use? Two? Three? Four? How many do you have that you don’t use? Donate them. Purge coffee mugs, kitchen utensils, greeting cards, sweaters, CD’s, etc. Donate your excess usable items.
• STAIRCASE SAFETY: Donate any items kept on the stairs. Prevent tripping and falling accidents. If items stay on the stairs they have no “home” and no place in your house! Put it away or give it away.

CONCLUSION

If you’ve created a mess, you can create order. De-clutter what you don’t use, so you’ll be more able to find what you do use when you want to use it.

So, what are you waiting for? The article is done. Get up! Start de-cluttering!