Decluttering is not always easy it’s both stressful and stress-relieving. The time and effort that it requires to make it exhausting and stressful for people who don’t have that much time to sort through all their stuff and check which ones will have to stay and go. But maybe we can all agree that after the decluttering process is done, it gives a sense of satisfaction and stress relief seeing how much storage space was emptied and how much the place transformed. Decluttering plays an important role in every household, particularly those who live in small apartments. Small apartments, with their size, speak a lot about lack of space — which makes regular decluttering a must to maintain better storage and organization.
If you’re looking for ways to declutter your small apartment, then you’ve come to the right place! Here are some simple tips that you can apply as you start to declutter your small apartment:
1. Assign a Day to Declutter
We’re all used to planning and scheduling things, may it be for work or leisure activities — and this also applies to decluttering. It’s ideal to assign a day to declutter so you can take that time to organize and clean your apartment. Doing this will keep you from forgetting what you need to do for that day, and of course, encourage you to stick to the task and make it a commitment to declutter.
2. Avoid Buying New Items When You Haven’t Decluttered Yet
To keep things organized at home, especially if you have limited space, you should avoid buying new items when you haven’t decluttered yet. Remember that you need to get rid of some old stuff to make room for new items. Clothes, for example, are one of the personal items that easily pile up because we tend to buy new ones without checking if we can dispose of old ones. Another is furniture. Furniture items are usually bulky, so they naturally take up space — which can be problematic because they can make the room look cramped up. To avoid this, opt to dispose of old and broken furniture or donate the other ones that don’t serve their purpose to you but can still be useful to others. Making this a habit every time you want to rearrange or redecorate your small apartment can help make the process smoother since you’ll be preventing unnecessary items from piling up.
3. Remove Visual Clutter
Decluttering can be very overwhelming, especially when the clutter has gone way out of hand. Chances are, you won’t know where to start or how to go about decluttering, so the best way is to remove visual clutter first. Visual clutter is anything that you leave out on countertops, surfaces, and shelves — things that typically go unnoticed and make the room look disorganized. This kind of clutter is easier to put away compared to other ones that require more time for sorting because you can spot which ones you need to keep and throw away. You have to start somewhere, right? And if you don’t know where to start decluttering, go with visual clutter first then you can head on to other rooms and areas in the house.
4. Decide Which Ones to Use, Store, Donate, and Throw Away
Most of us are guilty of keeping things that don’t really serve our purpose. Some of them we just forget to dispose of and the others we keep for ourselves because they have sentimental value. However, it may be time to switch things up and take a proper look in your drawers and cabinets and see for yourself the things that can still be useful and the unnecessary items that are taking up too much space.
It’s going to be a ton of work, but it will help you to sort out or properly classify your things. Decide which ones to use, store, donate, and throw away. This way, all your personal belongings can have better segregated and you can avoid storing things at home that are not useful. After doing this, you’ll be amazed at how many things you were able to dispose of and how much storage space was freed.
5. Choose Space-Saving and Multifunctional Furniture Pieces
When you live in a small apartment, space-saving and multifunctional furniture pieces are pretty much your lifesavers. These kinds of furniture items are ideal since they can double as storage. For example, a bed that has built-in storage can be a very practical storage idea for your bedroom. The built-in storage can serve as a place to store blankets, bed sheets, pillow covers, and even excess clothes that don’t fit your cabinet. Ottomans with storage are also great for the living room and bedroom since they can be used not only as an accent chair, but also as an extra storage space, table, and footrest. In the living room, you can use it to store books, magazines, and DVDs, while in the bedroom you can use it to store personal items such as memorabilia, shoes, bags, files, and more.
6. Go for Self-Storage Rental
Self-storage is designed to aid the need of both households and businesses for extra storage space, which makes it all the more perfect for people who live in small apartments. Aside from the home storage solutions you have, renting a storage unit for your excess belongings would be a fine suggestion to add to your storage options. The units vary in size, so you won’t have a hard time finding one that will be able to fit all the things you will be storing. Opting for self-storage rental, particularly from reliable providers, can ensure you safe and secure storage. With a storage unit at hand, you don’t have to trouble yourself with where you’re going to store your things at home, resulting in a less cluttered, spacious, and breathable place for you.
It’s not always easy to start decluttering. It’s a simple task yet it feels complex to the point that people tend to neglect it because it requires time, and of course, energy. But once you’ve got a proper hold on to it, you’ll see that it can do more than just plain organization at home. The lack of extra space in a small apartment makes it a perfect candidate for thorough decluttering since you’ll be needing all the space you can get. Different storage options and tips such as this are available to you — and all you have to do is start with something.
We hope that this article has been helpful in getting you started in the decluttering process of your small apartment.
Looking for a self-storage unit nearby to help you declutter? Contact us today and we will be glad to assist you!
