Sometimes, you’ve just got to make your place presentable on short notice. Maybe the original host of the holiday dinner had a plumbing emergency and now everything (and everyone!) is relocating to your house on 24 hours’ notice. Maybe a personal emergency or weather emergency means that people will be visiting for hours or days. Or perhaps you’re preparing for a move, home renovation, remodel, or another big occasion. Regardless of the reason, here are six tips for decluttering quickly.
Tips for Decluttering Quickly & Effectively
- Stop bringing in more stuff. This applies more to situations that involve more of a time span rather than surprise guests… but it helps if you can do it.
- Go through your house quickly with a trash bag …with the intention to fill it. Setting a timer may help because you want to find the obvious trash and extraneous stuff without getting bogged down in thinking about it.
Note that if you’re getting rid of things that aren’t garbage, donating items is a faster process than selling them. Some charities – like Big Brothers Big Sisters – will even pick up the donations, saving you more time. - Tackle the most-seen areas first. If you’re doing a quick pick up before guests arrive, focus on the living areas where you entertain. Overnight guests? Tidy those areas as well as the guest room and bathrooms.
- Clutter “Drop Zones” might be necessary for a fast cleanup. This means designating certain areas as drop-off locations for clutter that you can’t get rid of quickly or need more time to deal with. Garages, basements, and such are common clutter drop zones… but a basket or box can work just as well. The trick is to not leave them like that for long. As soon as you can, go through and clear those areas as well.
- If possible, don’t do it all yourself. Get your partner or whole family involved. Not only will it speed up the process, but they’ll also be invested in keeping it organized.
- Make reasonable goals and stick to them. When you have to do a quick declutter, there’s a clear reason. Keep that purpose in mind and, if you start to veer off course, get back on track as soon as possible. Don’t expect perfection from a quick declutter. The purpose is to make things better now.
So, if things change suddenly this holiday season and you need declutter quickly… now you have a strategy that works. Or do yourself a favor and follow these steps before you decorate so you’re ready for the unexpected.
Declutter with Box&Co the Holidays
Get ready for the holidays by putting those out-of-season items into on-demand storage with Box&Co. Call us for storage containers, and we’ll deliver them to you. Pack up your stuff and then we’ll pick it all up when you’re ready to store them. We’ll return your items when they’re needed, and you can keep track of your stored items online. To learn more, contact us today.
