Keeping our lives and homes organized is truly a never-ending challenge—but there are ways to make the task slightly less daunting. In addition to providing a sense of calm, an uncluttered space lets your home’s interesting design features shine and architectural elements breathe. Here, we spotlight four tips to maintain a tidy home (and a peaceful mind).
START WITH THE STRESSORS – While it can be tough, starting with the areas of your home that give you the most anxiety is a surefire way to kickstart the cleanout process. Whether it’s your bedroom closet, garage, kitchen, or junk drawer, count down from three and jump in—the result will be worth the momentary unease.
GO FOR THE GARAGE SALE – In Palm Springs—where the temp is relatively mild from winter to summer—garage sale season is year-round, making this a great option for reselling all manner of clothes, furniture and artwork. Check to see if your neighborhood or homeowner’s association has a designated garage sale date. To catch those early bird sales hoppers, be sure to plan ahead and set up in the morning.
DITCH THE DUPLICATES – Pare down the clutter by ditching duplicates. Multiple items that serve the same purpose often clog up drawers and cabinets, making it hard to reach anything (let alone the actual thing) you need. A household typically just needs one or two of tools like wine and bottle openers, scissors, office items like staplers and certain sizes of screwdrivers.
CLEAN YOUR CLOSET THE SMART WAY – Most people wear just 20% of what they own. To deduce what items you aren’t wearing much anymore, try turning all the clothes hangers in your closet to face back-to-front. Then, for the next six months, if you wear an item of clothing, return it to the closet with the hanger facing the correct way. At the end of this trial, your most frequently worn items will be clear. Seriously consider getting rid of apparel that has not come into rotation over the last six months.
