I recently learned that blogger Rhea Becker is The Clutter Queen. She can help you conquer your clutter issues and clean up your life! Over a recent lunch, she agreed to share some decluttering tips with BostonZest readers.
I've been following Rhea for years. We meet up every so often to let our dogs play together or have lunch and brainstorm about blogging, how to achieve world peace, and solve the rest of the planet's problems.
It's funny when you know a person from one aspect of their life and suddenly learn they have another skill set you knew nothing about. During our meal, we talked about her decluttering consulting business, and she agreed to share some tips.
10 Great Tips for DECLUTTERING AND ORGANIZING from Rhea's website, My Clutter Queen
Start small
You know that little drawer in your kitchen where all the takeout menus, rubber bands, twist ties, and plastic cutlery go to die? It's time to dump out that drawer, toss the things you don't need, and put back what's left – neatly. There! You've started decluttering.
Start really small
Declutter for 15 minutes per day. Set the timer on your smartphone or stove. Choose a small project. It could even be as small as a fruit and vegetable drawer in your refrigerator, or one corner of the countertop, the top of the fridge, or the spice rack.
Go to the corner
When beginning to declutter a room, choose a corner and move clockwise until you've completed that room. This could take hours or even days. Keep at it!
Love your thrift shop
Become familiar with your local thrift shop. It will be your greatest ally in keeping your home clutter free. Keep a box or large bag in a convenient place. Put items into it that you are ready to part with. As soon as the box or bag is filled, take it to the local thrift shop. By the way, if youʼre an animal lover, remember that animal shelters often seek used towels and bedding.
Bedtime storage
Use the space under your bed for storage.
Wear it or ditch it
If you haven't worn it in a year, it doesn't fit, or needs mending, take it to the thrift shop.
Will you really get that fixed?!
If you have stuff around the house that is broken, torn, or missing a part, get rid of it. Most people never get around to fixing things they swear they will.
Closets, one day at a time
It may be overwhelming to tackle an entire closet, so start with one category. How about shoes? Pair up all your shoes, then purge the ones that need repair, are worn out, not in style, or that you are simply tired of. Take them to the thrift shop. Then start on a new category, say: belts, scarves, pants, or dresses.
Junk the mail
Open your mail each day, and do it over a wastebasket or recycling bin. Immediately ditch what you don't want or need.
Need a helping hand?
If dealing with your clutter gives you a feeling of paralysis, this is not unusual. You may want to consult with a professional organizer like The Clutter Queen (Boston, MA).
Gift certificate:
Do you have an Amazon Gift Certificate to use? Or do you need to buy one for a gift? Remember to click over to Amazon
Details:
Words: Penny Cherubino with tips by Rhea Becker
Photography: © 2013 Penny Cherubino with thanks to KitchenWitch in Jamaica Plain for letting me take Rhea's photo in their shop!
Note on Comments: We monitor comments constantly and anything that is pure spam, inappropriate, or nasty is swept away. In addition to readers' comments, we welcome hearing from the people, places, and services we cover. Often, those add great insights for our readers. As long as it doesn’t become a pure ad, we’d love to hear from you. We do reserve the right to edit ads and links out of comments.
