8 Tips On De-Cluttering Your Home After A Home Renovation
*Guest post from Home Awakening
Decluttering after the renovation is no easy job. But decluttering shouldn't be as tedious as other people might think. It should bring you calm and satisfaction instead! To make your decluttering duties easier, and use your new space wisely, here are 8 tips you should keep in mind:
#1: Organize all the stuff you've set aside for the renovation and categorize them.
To make your decluttering easier, organize all your stuff by category first, preferably by room. For example, you may want to set aside all items that go in the bedroom or categorize per season. Once you've set everything by their categories, go to one set of items and identify which of these you're still using, which you have used only once, and which you've never used or touch once. Have three boxes for each item by your side, then channel your inner Marie Kondo and ask every item, Does this spark joy in me?, or Do I really make use of it? If both of your answers are yes, they get to stay. Otherwise, the other items that didn't pass the sparks-in-me test can be donated to others who might use them better or should be thrown away. The categorizing part may be a little more time-consuming, but it will make your decluttering duties easier!
#2: Gather and evaluate all left materials used for the renovation
Chances are, there are a handful of materials left for the renovation - paints, brushes, and more. If you just left them where they are, they'll just add to your overall clutter. So right after the renovation, make sure to gather all the leftover materials first. See which are still full or unused, and ask yourself if you’ll need them for other purposes. For example, paints. You might also want to check other rooms in your home and see which needs some paint retouching. If you won't have any use of these materials for now, just discard them or sell them to neighbors doing some little renovation projects in their home.
#3: Ditch the huge lighting fixtures and opt for minimal ones
As part of preparation for the renovation, you've probably disassembled some of your lightings to avoid damage and make room for construction. Now that the renovation is done, you may want to check first if you really need that huge chandelier back. Aside from taking up huge spaces in the ceiling (and some headroom too), they're also prone to dust and cobwebs. Not everybody has time to check and clean these fixtures, so if you want to save space and lessen your cleaning duties, ditch these huge lights and buy small ones instead. Bonus, smaller fixtures consume less electricity than those gigantic lights!
#4: Check for duplicate items
We're all guilty of buying extra items we have at home for "supplies" - dishware, cutleries, pillowcases, placemats, and more. And these duplicate items are most present in the kitchen and living room.These two rooms see the most traffic in your home, so you want every space to serve a purpose. Again, evaluate which items you're actually using, and donate, sell, or throw away the duplicate ones. Even if you have plenty of members in your household, trust us, you won't think of using those duplicates, at least not for a long time.
#5: Replace your old, century-old furniture with multipurpose pieces
Got those space-consuming, old pieces of furniture at home? You may want to let go of these huge pieces and consider multipurpose, minimalist furniture instead. For example, if you have a king size bed with lots of draperies, plus those nightstands and century-old wardrobe cabinets, you may want to opt for a queen size bed that comes with storage cabinets underneath them. Or, you can also place those shelves with pullout desks in your office area, instead of having separate bookshelves and desks. Doing this gives you more space you can use for other purposes. Perhaps a play area for your kids, space for doing yoga or meditation, or even for a new pet at home.
#6: Visualize how the items would be placed in your new room(s) before placing your stuff back
You want your newly-renovated space looking as serene and classy for a long time, so plan how you'll place your stuff back in order. Plan everything out - where will you place the bed? Where does the bookshelf go? Does the huge cabinet stay or go? Doing this also helps you discard the items you no longer use or need. You'll automatically be prioritizing the stuff you need per room, and if there's no more room left, you'll be forced to let go of the other stuff.
#7: Use your newly-mounted shelves for storage
Those wall-mounted shelves and cabinets are not just for interior aesthetics. If you have picture frames you can't let go, put them in these shelves. You can also use these extra storages to keep other miscellaneous and fragile items out of your children's or pets' reach. If you haven't opted for these mounted storages, well, it's not too late to make last-minute renovations!
#8: Store seasonal items in storage cabinets or the basement
The Christmas tree should only be within your sight during the holidays. Otherwise, it should hibernate in storage cabinets or the basement, along with other decorations and season-themed items.
A newly-renovated home deserves a clutter-free environment and lifestyle.
Renovations serve the purpose of bringing better space and a clearer mind for its dwellers, so you have to use your new space wisely. To avoid the heap of mess piling every time, practice a minimalist lifestyle. Less is more. You'll find yourself buying fewer items, letting go of the unnecessary stuff, and best of all, gaining control and calm within your abode and life. A clutter-free home makes for a healthier mind and more room to breathe, after all! Visit Home Awakening for more tips and product reviews.
