Four Tips For Clearing The Clutter

Spring?. Fresh breezes through open windows, sleeping trees come awake with bright new leaves, flowers begin to bloom and the grass becomes green once more.

Now along with the obvious, there is another sign that the season has arrived, our yearly pledge to clear the clutter and organize our homes.

I'm not sure why this happens, maybe we humans after months of cold, gray winter days are over come with the feelings of clean, fresh and new.

Well, whatever the reason, we always start with good intentions, but like those New Years Resolutions, many of us rarely follow through.

So let's try something new this year by making a pledge to really get stuck in and finally accomplish our task. The following are a few ideas and tips to help make the "Clear The Clutter" task a little easier and maybe even fun.

1. One Room At A Time

The first thought to keep in mind is that this particular project is not one you can hurry up and have done by yesterday. By working through one room at a time, you will have a much better chance of successfully completing the job. Here is a thought to keep in mind. "You didn't accumulate all this stuff in a day, so why does it have to be cleared out in a day".

2. Sort Items Into Categories

Your first step will be to sort items into the following 3 categories, it will make the task go a lot easier.

Have to Keep

Maybe?Not 100% Sure

Definitely Not

Once you have completed this part of the project, you will more than likely find the "Definitely Not" pile is the smallest one.

What is it a professional might call this "Separation Anxiety"? However, don't worry, almost everyone ends up this way, after all it is not easy parting with our things, even if it is something you have not used in years.

3. Re-Sort Once More

Try to be as realistic as possible here, remember the goal is to "Clear The Clutter".

Not Sure Group:

This group is easy: If it is already here, more than likely, you will never use it so into the "Definitely Not" pile it goes.

Have To Keep:

This could be the hardest pile to sort, so a tip to remember: If you have not used something in the last year, chances are you probably will not use it again. This applies to everything from shoes to car cleaners; however if there is something you never use but has a special memory attached, keep it.

Gifts can be a tricky area, one thing to keep in mind just because someone gave you something, it does not mean you must keep it forever. So that figurine that great aunt Edna gave you years ago or the bird made of shells from a friends vacation does not need to keep collecting dust on your bookcase.

Now, you may wonder about things from your children. I use to keep everything my daughters brought home from school. Finally, I decided to go through and keep one or two items from each grade, put them into a plastic storage box labeled Sherri & Ashley ? School ? K-12. Now all school memories are safe and in one place, this is a useful idea for grandparents.

Once you have finished your resort, you have a couple of choices for those "Definitely Not" items, depending on their condition, either just pitch them, give them away or have a tag sale and make yourself a little money.

4. Organize & Store What Is Left

Now is the time to put what is left away, by organizing you will not only have tidy shelves, closets and cabinets but you will be able to put your hands on what ever it is you need.

There are numerous storage options for every room in your home.

Plastic boxes come in a variety of sizes and colors and are inexpensive.

Stacked on a closet shelf, clear smaller sizes make perfect storage for extra shoes, winter gloves, pictures or how about extension cords, nails, packages of hooks or hand tools.

Larger sizes can keep extra winter coats, blankets, odd season clothes or seasonal decorations neat and in one place. Baskets, hampers even seldom used suitcases can be useful, stacking plastic milk crates are perfect for kids room.

How about those cluttered kitchen cabinets, plastic tiered risers work wonderful for stacking cans of soup, veggies or spaghetti sauce, this makes use of wasted space and you are able to see at a glance what you have.

One area everyone has is the famous "Junk Drawer"; these can be kept organized with silverware trays. By buying individual pieces in different sizes, you can customize each drawer to fit exactly what you need.

The lesson here is that by having a little patience, taking your time and giving some thought to your storage needs, you can not only "Clear The Clutter" but also have an organized home.

This article is shareware. Give this article away for free on your site, or include it as part of any paid package as long as the entire article is left intact including this notice. Copyright ? 2005 bonnie carrier.

Bonnie P. Carrier is the creator of Savvy Home Decorating. She is the mother to two grown daughters and a very spoiled 4yr old Blue Merle Sheltie named Toby.

Stop by Savvy Home Decorating -http://www.savvy-home-decorating.com - for ideas and tips on budget decorating:

same day cleaning service Des Plaines ..

In The News:

New Android banking trojan Sturnus steals credentials, reads encrypted messages and controls devices.

Denmark's 3D-printed student village proves automation builds 36 apartments faster than traditional methods. Skovsporet project shows housing future.

Discover Android's new Sound Notifications feature that alerts you to smoke alarms, doorbells, and baby cries even when wearing headphones.

New SantaStealer malware reportedly threatens holiday shoppers with password theft. This Christmas-themed info-stealer targets browsers and crypto wallets.

The Christmas season brings a surge in Netflix phishing scams targeting shoppers with fake emails. Stacey P received convincing scam but verified account first.

San Francisco Giants invite Jamie Grohsong to throw ceremonial first pitch at Oracle Park after he learned to play baseball with a bionic hand following an injury.

FBI warns cybercriminals are stealing family photos from social media to create fake proof of life images in virtual kidnapping scams targeting victims.

Instagram's new 'Your Algorithm' tool lets you control your Reels feed in real time. The app now gives you power to customize what videos you see.

Major Marquis fintech breach exposes 400,000-plus Americans' data through unpatched SonicWall vulnerability, with Texas hardest hit at 354,000 affected.

Free up iPhone storage fast by clearing large photos and videos from Messages app. Simple steps for iOS users to delete attachments without losing chats.

Scammers are flooding inboxes with fake tracking alerts that mimic real carriers, exploiting the holiday rush to steal logins and personal data.

The Fox News AI Newsletter brings you the latest news on AI technology advancements and the challenges and opportunities AI presents now and for the future.

Texas family reunites with missing 11-year-old cat Grayson after 103 days using Petco Love Lost's AI photo matching technology and community help.

Tired of AI customer service loops? These insider tricks help you escape "frustration AI" and get real human help when you need it most for urgent issues.

Unlock richer audio from your streaming apps with simple tweaks to volume normalization, equalizer settings, and quality preferences for cleaner sound.

Scammers are sending fake Facebook settlement payout emails that mimic legitimate notices from the privacy settlement administrator to deceive users.

Holiday shopping scams surge as fake refund emails target distracted consumers during Black Friday and holiday seasons, costing Americans billions annually.

The AI-powered IRMO M1 exoskeleton features four modes, including turbo, eco, training and rest for hiking, running, cycling and sports with eight-hour battery life.

OpenAI announced upgrades for its ChatGPT Images platform on Tuesday, saying the program can now make more precise edits and produce images more quickly.

Chrome for Android now turns web articles into AI-powered podcast conversations. Get hands-free browsing with Google Gemini's natural audio summaries.

LastPass faces $1.6 million fine from U.K. regulators after 2022 data breach exposed 1.6 million users. Password manager failed proper security controls.

Petco disclosed a data breach exposing customer Social Security numbers, financial account details, and driver's license information due to a software error.

Baseball teams can now analyze complete swing mechanics in normal training environments using Theia's markerless AI system that processes standard high-speed footage.

Smart home hacking fears overblown? Expert reveals real cybersecurity risks and simple protection tips to keep your connected devices safe from hackers.

MIT develops needle-free glucose monitor using light technology. Revolutionary device could replace painful finger pricks for diabetes management.

Four Tips For Clearing The Clutter

Get Organized - Organization