8 Habits of a Decluttered and Organized Home

So you decluttered and organized your home, and now you want to maintain it! Well, first off, congratulations!! Having spent years helping people declutter and organize their homes, I know this is no small feat. It can be overwhelming and frustrating having to spend the time and money to organize all your stuff, not to mention how difficult it is to get rid of things. But I’m sure you feel absolutely amazing having all your belongings in a place where you can see and manage them better. I know it must feel so relieving to have a worry-free and anxious-free mind again. In order to keep the sanity you feel now that you have decluttered and organized your home, let me share eight habits with you to maintain the feelings you are currently experiencing.

Weekly Reset
Quarterly Mega Sweep
Something old, something new
Does it have a place?
Monthly Sanity Check
Microdecluttering
Household Accountability
Storage Containers

Weekly Reset

We know how relaxing on a day off feels every week. Time off work, school, and all the hustle and bustle of life gives our bodies and minds time to reflect, unwind, and, well…RESET! The same is true when we have a day when we focus on resetting the order and function of our homes. Make a habit out of taking a day each week to walk around your house and clear counters and surfaces of all the debris that has made its way into the house that week. For me, I have to clear the tops of my dresser at least once a week! My kids bring in their school work to be checked, my husband drops his receipts and clutter on the dresser, and I usually have an empty Celcius can or coffee mug sitting up there, too. Saturday mornings, I like to walk around the main floor of our home with a basket and begin decluttering surfaces. This is typically a good day for us as I can get my kids involved by taking their belongings to their rooms or discarding old paperwork in the trash.

Quarterly Mega Sweep

In the cleaning world, this would be known as a deep clean! You have a reset habit every week, which is surface-level decluttering and clearing, but a quarterly mega sweep is the process of going room to room and really doing a deep dive into all the drawers, dressers, cabinets, etc. This habit should be done every quarter of the year so that your home doesn’t get out of hand again. This is a crucial habit to establish early on because you will be surprised at how much stuff can come into your home without realizing it. Whether you are single or you have many people living in your household, we often don’t realize what is coming in and going out if we aren’t intentional. Grab a trash bag, donate boxes, and start making your way through every room in the house. If you stay on top of this, you could complete it in a single weekend.

Something old, something new

Something old, something new, is a logical habit that you can consider anytime you bring something new into your home. Ask yourself, “Is there something old I can get rid of?” If you are constantly bringing new things in and not getting rid of stuff you don’t use, have too much of, or are expired, you will find your house quickly filling up again. This will bring back feelings of anxiousness, and we desperately want to avoid feeling anxious again. If you purchase something new for your kitchen, check the drawers and see if you can discard anything before putting the new item away. You can practice this same habit in any space in your home.

Does it have a place?

People are known to have junk drawers in their homes because we often don’t have a place for our random nicknacks. You will find many things in junk drawers: batteries, remotes, fly strips, glue, etc. If your things don’t have a “place,” you will put them where ever! Having a battery box in an office closet or a battery bin inside a drawer gives it a home, and when you find random batteries lying around, you will know exactly where to put them! This is the case with anything you bring into your home. Every single item needs a designated place to live. If it doesn’t have a place, then consider getting rid of it.

Monthly Sanity Check

We have created the habit of a weekly reset and quarterly mega sweep, and now we need a monthly routine for our sanity and well-being. This monthly sanity check includes analyzing how you feel in your home. Many studies show us the more stuff we have, the more likely we will feel overwhelmed, stressed, and anxious. On the first of every month or at the end of every month, stop and asses how you feel inside your home. If you are feeling stressed by how much stuff you still have around you, we should continue purging and decluttering. The most important thing about decluttering and organizing is the peace it gives you in your home. Don’t be afraid of a minimalist lifestyle if that is what is comes to.

Microdecluttering

Microdecluttering can be done at any time of day. Preferably, you are able to do it while performing other tasks. For example, if you are cooking dinner, open the utensils drawer and remove any items you haven’t used in the last 90 days, anything that is broken, or anything you think you won’t use again. This process should only take five to ten minutes of your time. While that rice is cooking, go through some drawers and add everything to a donate box or the trash.

Household Accountability

If you don’t live alone, make sure you are holding your family accountable to these same standards. You can not do everything on your own, and you shouldn’t have to! Everyone contributes to the mess. Therefore, everyone should participate in developing habits to declutter and organize. Your children can go through their drawers, closets, and schoolwork. If they are young, they might need help, but this is a perfect learning opportunity for them to grow into learning how to manage their own belongings. As they get older, they will have better self-awareness and become better roommates!

Storage Containers

A habit I like to encourage beginners to start is collecting storage containers. Any time you are at the store, purchase one or two bins for organization. In a few months, you will have ample containers to use all over your home, and it won’t cost you an arm and a leg up front. I have done this with many people over the years, and they love this idea. One of my friends couldn’t afford to purchase pantry organizers for their new home. When I told her about this idea, she slowly accumulated bins. After several months, her whole pantry was completely organized, and it only cost her $10-$20 a month!

With these simple yet effective habits, you will be able to maintain your decluttered home for years to come. Having a decluttered house is all about mindset and intention. Building habits will change your mindset and make you more intentional about what you buy and allow into your home. I would love to hear if you have already practiced some of these habits in your household or if you have any other ideas to share!