After a long and tiring day at work, you just want to go home and relax in a clean, clutter-free space. But, every time you open the door to your room, it presents an entirely different picture.
Everyone has some clutter lying around the house. Simply put, clutter refers to any object in your house that is not adding value to your life.
Regardless of the exact stuff accumulated in your home, you can get a lot of peace of mind by decluttering your home. According to prominent healthcare authorities Web MD and Psychology Today, when people surround themselves with a pile of junk—with more stuff than they can possibly manage, it gives off an uncomfortable feeling—as if their life is spiraling out of control. As a result, they struggle with stress. Hence, decluttering your home is akin to decluttering your life.
Go through the following tips to declutter your home. After you are done, hire residential dumpster services in MI to discard it properly.
1. Follow KDT Approach
Start the process by sorting your home items. The idea is to follow the KDT—keep, donate, and toss—mantra.
- Keep – Store anything that you are going to use (e.g. a TV that you plan to watch on the weekend), need in future ( e.g. a winter coat for the upcoming winter), or cherish (e.g. Employee of the Month award)for a long time. Store these items in an organized fashion.
- Toss – For things that do not offer any tangible or intangible value, you can rent a 10 cubic yard dumpster.
- Donate – If there is something that is good for donation; go ahead and send it to any of your preferred charitable causes.
2. Take Photos
Take a mini-tour of your house and list down all the spaces and rooms that have to be cleaned. Capture photos for each of them. This will make the process more enjoyable and satisfactory once you’ve completed the job.
Next, assign three ratings—low, medium, and high—to each room/space based on how messy it is. This methodical approach can help you to split up the work and optimize the workflow.
3. Start on a Small Scale
Don’t start off with the largest space or room in your home. Instead, start the decluttering process by going through the smaller spaces, so you can get a sense of accomplishment sooner without feeling too sweaty. Slowly move up the ladder and clean up bigger rooms to adapt gradually.
4. Choosing the Disposal Option
After you have inspected your home for junk and have a basic overview of decluttering in your mind, you have to pick an option to dispose of all of the tossed stuff. If you have not collected much stuff, then you can just send it off with the weekly trash.
However, if you have accumulated too much clutter, then you have to think beyond the regular trash service. Your best bet is to look for a dumpster rental near your home. Based on the trash size, a 10 cubic yard dumpster (or a bigger one) can sit in your driveway. A professional service will help you to unload all the stuff in it.
5. Gather the Necessary Supplies
It is essential to gather a few useful supplies beforehand for adding more efficiency to the decluttering process. Here are those:
- Three bins or boxes for identification of the items based on the above-mentioned KDT strategy.
- A box for recyclable materials.
- Garbage bags for tossed items.
- A pen and sticky notes for labeling stuff that is owned by your friends or family. Do send them a message and ask them to pick their stuff soon.
- For bigger decluttering projects, you might have to call for residential dumpster services in MI.
6. Put Up with Sunk Costs
Sunk costs are irrecoverable costs that have already been incurred. While finding various items for decluttering, expect most of them to be sunk costs. It is clear that you are not going to recover the money spent on that stuff. That being said, think about any value that they can bring to the table. If they seem to be completely useless and irrelevant, then understanding sunk costs can allow you to make rational decisions on what to keep and what to toss.
7. Don’t Forget the 80/20 and One-Year Rules
Stop for a moment and check your wardrobe. How many clothes from your total clothes do you wear most of the time? It has been found out that people wear 20% of their clothes for 80% of the time.
In addition, this subconscious behavior translates to other personal possessions as well, such as toys, DVDs, books, and computer parts. For instance, there is always one movie that you plan to re-watch, but never really make a serious attempt to watch it. Therefore, consider throwing out all the stuff that is not used 80% of the time.
Another rule that can help you to reach a better decision is the one-year rule: if you find anything that has not been used for more than a year, put it in the dumpster. Most likely, you will be unaware of how it was part of the clutter in the first place. This rule works well because it doesn’t let you feel pressed for time, thanks to a long enough timeframe. If you’re pondering over a seasonal item, then it is your call to decide whether it will be useful in the next holiday.
Final Thoughts
Decluttering is an excellent stress reliever. It offers a sense of accomplishment and control that has a positive impact on your mind. Moreover, it frees up additional space in your home. If you are switching homes, then it is absolutely necessary.
Send us a message if you are looking for residential dumpster services in MI.