Regular decluttering is necessary to prevent stuff from piling up in your home. But just when are the best times to schedule a declutter? This post lists a few occasions where it could be useful to tackle all that excess stuff.
Before Xmas
Xmas is a time when many of us receive gifts. If you’ve got kids, it could mean lots of new toys. Selling or donating old toys could help free up space for those new toys so that kids’ bedrooms aren’t overflowing with toys.
Many of us also like to decorate our homes at Xmas and put up a tree. Decluttering can help free up temporary space for a tree and various festive ornaments. In fact, it’s often a great time to tackle the living room.
Hosting Xmas dinner? It could also be worth making some space in your fridge and freezer as well as getting rid of any dining table clutter. Decluttering your entire kitchen and dining room could be a good idea.
In the Spring
Spring is traditionally when many households would carry out an annual deep clean or ‘spring clean’. Many people still use Spring as a time for deep cleaning – and it can also be great for decluttering.
This could be a great time to pull apart rooms such as your bedroom, getting rid of winter clothing that you’re not going to wear next year in order to make room for any new summer clothes you choose to buy. If you need to pull suitcases out of the attic for summer vacations, it could also be a good time to declutter this attic space.
Spring and summer are also seasons of the year when you are most likely to use your backyard. Spring can therefore be a good time for a yard clearout – consider getting rid of unwanted items from your shed and dispose of any outdoor ornaments that may have got damaged over winter.
Before moving home
Moving home requires you to sort through all of your possessions in preparation for packing. Therefore it makes sense to use this process to declutter as you’ll be having to sift through your clutter whether you like it or not.
Decluttering before moving can also save you money if you plan to hire professional movers. The more stuff you plan to take to your new home, the more work it will be for movers – and therefore the higher the price of moving. By getting rid of a big portion of your stuff, you could reduce costs. You may even be able to sell possessions to put towards moving costs.
A new home is also a fresh start. By decluttering before you move, you can help to leave behind all the elements of your old life that you do not wish to take forward. It’s a time to assess what you really need.
Before bringing home a baby/new pet
When having a baby or adopting a pet, you may need to free up space for equipment like cribs and animal beds. This could mean getting rid of excess furniture and equipment that is gathering dust.
Certain furniture or ornaments that are fragile could also be worth relocating or removing from your home. While removing/relocating these items, it could be worth sorting through other clutter.
A clutter-free environment could also be safer for pets and young kids. You may have to consider getting rid of hazardous items on the floor that a baby or puppy could get their hands on. When it comes to adopting pet cats, you may even want to consider decluttering windowsills and other surfaces that they are likely to climb on.
When redecorating/renovating
Decorating and renovating can involve moving possessions around. It’s therefore another good time to sort through your clutter.
For example, when planning a kitchen remodel, you may need to take out all food contents and kitchenware. Before placing these items back into your new kitchen, it could make sense to sort through them and get rid of items you don’t need such as worn pans and forgotten tinned foods that are way past their used-by date. Unwanted tinned foods that are still in date may be possible to donate to a food bank so that they don’t go to waste.
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