How to Keep a Clutter-Free Home and a Clutter-Free Mind

As someone who has battled with anxiety for the majority of my life, I have spent countless years trying to find ways to ease my mind and, frankly, just simmer me down! The main thing that has helped immensely is keeping a clutter-free home. Here are my tips and tricks on how to keep a clutter-free home.

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1. Clean up as you go

Ok this one takes a little bit of practice to work. I used to wait until my house was, ummm… almost offensive-looking before I would clean the entire place. Ok, maybe I’m exaggerating but I would let clutter build up for a couple days and I’d let dishes pile up and I would leave Jaxon’s toys here and there. And I know that subconsciously, it was driving me crazy and making my anxiety much worse. But I have changed my ways! Now, instead of letting the clutter pile up throughout the day, I “clean up as I mess up”. By that, I mean that, for example, as I’m cooking, I am cleaning the dishes and cleaning up my messes on the countertop. So this way, instead of doing it all at the end of the meal, or (more typically) getting too tired (lazy) and doing it the next day, I get it done in the moment.

2. Purge!!!

This is probably my favorite tip because its so fun to me! I love going through junk drawers, bathroom cabinets and the pantry and throw things away that are either totally useless or just old. Some examples of things that are ready to be thrown out are, expired condiments, makeup, medicine, etc etc etc… Honestly the list could go on forever. Just keep tossing things into the garbage until you cant toss no more!! 

3. Designate one day a week for deep cleaning

Ok so I don’t mean to only deep clean one day a week, I mean designate one day of the week to deep clean the bathroom, the next day to deep clean the kitchen, and the next day to deep clean the living room and so on and so forth. I know this sounds so time consuming but remember, if you clean as you go ( tip #1) then this cleaning will typically only take you about 10 minutes a day. 

4. Find different ways to organize

I noticed that with all the stuff that I couldn’t purge, it still didn’t look right. So I decided to hit up the local Bed Bath and Beyond, The Container Store and of course Amazon and oh my goodness… Magic! Pure Magic! I had forgotten how fun those stores are! I found the cutest little bins and storage containers to put all of the essentials in and now things are put away and they’re fun to look at too!

Here are a few of my favorite organization and storage supplies:

For the Kitchen

5. Clean out your closet

This next tip could be a little heart wrenching if you’re anything like me. Parting with certain articles of clothing, that have sentimental value, is never easy. But I recently went through my closet and I noticed a ton of things that I haven’t worn in ages and some things that I, frankly, never liked (I cant be the only one right??). I ended up filling up almost two trash bags full of clothes that I was able to donate. Now, every morning I am able to walk into my closet and know that no matter what I see, I like it and that makes the mornings so much easier and less stressful. 

6. Ask yourself…..

When decluttering, it is very important to ask yourself a set of questions when wondering if you should part with something. Like: Do I use this regularly? Am I emotionally attached to this item? Do I have multiples of this? Can something else, that I already have, do the same job better? Am I keeping this out of guilt? Do I like this enough to buy it right now? And above all, when I look at this piece, does it make me happy?

7. Kitchen Counters

Ok the kitchen is my personal safety zone. And this is the room that I prefer to have the least amount of clutter in. I feel the most calm when in the kitchen and having the counters perfectly organized and clutter-free really helps. When looking at your kitchen counter, do you see a ton of stuff that you don’t use everyday? Well, get that outta there! My rule is, if I use it everyday, it stays. Why do you think they put so many cabinets in kitchens?

My biggest piece of advice when decluttering your home and your mind is: Start out small! It is so much easier to grasp and accomplish when you don’t rush into it and put the pressure on yourself to do all of these things in just one day. These things take time because it is a complete shift of your mindset. I am still working at these things every single day and it just gets easier and easier now. I really hope these tips and tricks help some of you in decluttering your home and your mind! 

Until next time!

XOXO