As a society, we have too much stuff. 25% of Americans with two-car garages don’t have room to park their car inside them.

Part of the problem is our love of shopping. Americans spend more on shoes, jewelry, and watches than on higher education.

If you are sick of living in a cluttered home, read on. We’ll tell you how to get rid of clutter for good.

Identify the Root Cause of Clutter

There are many reasons why a person may have clutter in their home. Perhaps they like to collect things such as teacups, knick-knacks or dog-themed items.

Others love to shop and so buy more and more things that they don’t really need to experience retail therapy.

Some people are disorganized and so don’t realize how much stuff they already have and so keep buying more.

Then there are those who suffer from a hoarding disorder. It is vital to get to the root cause of the problem before trying to clean the clutter. Otherwise, the clutter will just come back in a matter of days, weeks or months.

Once you have identified the reasons for your clutter, you can take proactive steps to get rid of clutter once and for all.

How to Organize your Life and Get Rid of Clutter

The first step in getting rid of clutter is to have a plan. Don’t just grab garbage bags and jump right in.

Instead, make a drawing of your space and identify what you use each space for. This way you will quickly be able to spot the things that don’t belong in that area.

For example, if your living room is for reading and watching TV, then you don’t need kids’ toys, a sewing machine, and out-of-season clothes in this room.

Then it’s time to tackle the items.

Get Rid of Clutter With 3 Boxes

Find three large containers or boxes and label them “garbage” “donation” and “keep.”

Next, pick one room to start. Go around your room and put items in the appropriate box.

Anything broken, worn or not useful should go in the garbage bin. Items that are useful but ones you no longer need can be donated to a thrift store.

Sentimental items are harder to let go of. But, you can always take a photo of those items to preserve the memories without hanging on to the physical items.

You don’t have to declutter your entire house in one day. Just do one room at a time.

Make sure that the items you keep will fit in your space. Otherwise, you’ll need to add more to the garbage and donation bins.

Organizing Paper Clutter

Paper clutter can be overwhelming and make your home feel crowded. To get rid of clutter, find a way to organize your important papers and toss the rest.

When you get someone’s business card, enter their info into your digital contact list and toss the card.

Buy a file folder cabinet or dedicate a drawer for bills, warranty items, tax documents and more.

Keep receipts in an envelope for no longer than a month. Once you are sure you won’t return the item, recycle those receipts.

Final Word

We hope this guide helps you get rid of clutter so you can live in a tidy and organized home.

Then, if you want to sell your property or need to move, it will be easier to do so. Keep coming back for more home-related topics.