What do you imagine when you think of decluttering? Some people imagine a professional organizer coming into their home or business and throwing things away. While getting rid of legitimate trash is part of the decluttering process, most of the process is about organizing what you already have. No one will force you to throw anything away. If you want to start this process yourself, you can. Keep reading to learn how to declutter without throwing your stuff away.
Sort Items Into Containers You Already Own
One of the first steps of decluttering is sorting your items. Some people sort items with the “keep, donate, and throw away” strategy. If you know you’re going to keep everything, then you can sort by the function of the item or where you need to place it. Place each item in the appropriate container, such as a phone charger in a box for bedroom storage and staples in a box for your business’s supply room.
If possible, you should use storage boxes and containers you already own. They don’t even have to be official storage boxes. Any containers you have that can keep items safe and in the appropriate space will work.
Add Catch-All Containers Around Your Space
When everything is in its appropriate container, you’ll start to imagine that your home or business can always look clean and organized. However, you’re not just going to sit and sort items into containers all day, every day. Life happens, and you need to prepare for it.
The best way to prepare for the chaos of life is to place catch-all containers around your space. Catch-all containers exist to hold any items you can’t immediately put away. Instead of stressing over obvious clutter or running items from room to room, you can toss them in the catch-all containers. At the end of the day or week, you can pick up the container and distribute the items into their appropriate storage bins.
Repurpose Old Items
Old items can look out of place when stored with new items you use more. If you don’t want to donate or throw out these old items, try to repurpose them.
You can also repurpose home and business items. If you have old towels in your home, you can cut them into cleaning rags. If your business recently bought new clipboards, you can use the old ones to hold art or pictures.
Buy Functional Furniture With Built-In Storage
While storage bins for new and repurposed items work well, one of the benefits of having functional furniture is that you can use its built-in storage. If you’re already planning to buy new furniture, then pay special attention to furniture that works well in your space and keeps you organized.
For example, you could use a storage ottoman in your living room as a catch-all container and a footrest. When buying new desks for the office, look at ones with shelving attached to the desk so that workers can easily organize their items.
Knowing how to declutter without throwing your stuff away is about organizing your clutter. Whether you’re organizing your home or business, you can store and repurpose your items to declutter successfully.