How to declutter your home in 5 days?

You're no stranger to clutter? Well, guess what? Hardly any of us are! If you don't have the habit of getting rid of unwanted or unnecessary things on a regular basis, things can really add up. All those cute things you just had to buy but ended up not using, all those clothes in the closet you keep skipping every morning, all those books and magazines you know you won't read again? Those and probably a lot more don't belong in your home anymore. They especially don't belong in your new place, if you're preparing to move. Our experts at Capital City Bins have created a short guide to help you declutter your home in 5 days. If you don't know where and how to start sorting and cleaning up, keep reading, you'll be glad you did!

Clutter causes stress, you'll feel much better once you declutter your home.

Why it's important to declutter your home

Before we start with concrete steps you can take to clean up, you should know just how important it is to declutter your home.

• Clutter causes stress. Nobody feels good when they know their house is filled with things they just don't need. Decluttering requires some time and effort, but you'll feel so much better once you've finished. And, maybe it will inspire you to keep only the things you really want and need in the future.
• Clutter is expensive. The more things you have, the more you buy. If you take the time to declutter your house, then you probably wouldn't want to mess up a clean, sparkling house by bringing in more stuff that you probably don’t need. In addition to that, when you finish sorting through items and see how much stuff you're getting rid off, you will realize that you probably spent a lot of your hard-earned money on that. And now you can't wait to take it out of your house.

Gather the supplies to declutter your home in 5 days

Since there is a lot to do, you will need to prepare in advance. As some of the clutter is probably unsalvageable or worthless, you'll need garbage bags for such items. For items you'll donate, get cardboard boxes. Finally, in order to save some money consider renting plastic bins for moving the items you plan to relocate to another part of the house or your new home. Plastic beans are extremely sturdy and the items will be safe for transport in them. That way you'll also do a small favor to the environment, since you will return the bins and will not produce any waste in the process.

Plastic bins are great for moving items, as they are very sturdy and durable.

Day 1 - Organize your closets and bedrooms

In order to declutter your home in 5 days, you'll have to make some tough decisions. A good rule of thumb when it comes to clothes is that if you didn't wear it in the last year, it doesn't belong in you closet anymore. Suits, dresses and shoes for special occasions are considered an exception from this rule. You want your closet to be organized. As you're going through the clothes, sort them into groups.

1. Keep only the clothes that fit, look good, and you know you will wear again.
2. Donate all other clothes that can still be worn.
3. Throw out the rest or recycle the material some way.

As far as bedrooms go, declutter the tops of surfaces, like the nightstands, storage benches, shelves, dressers. Go through the decor, get rid of everything you wouldn't buy today. If you have too many pillows that spend most of the time piled on a chair, or even worse - on the floor, consider having less and going for a more minimal look.

Day 2 - Declutter the kitchen

Start by clearing off all surfaces in your kitchen. Wash and put away dishes. Organize your countertops, leave only the things you use daily, like the coffee maker. Everything else can be stored somewhere else. Have a plastic bin with you to put all the things that don't belong in the kitchen to be placed elsewhere or moved to a new place. Make sure not to overload you plastic bin. As you're doing this, you'll probably come across items you want to get rid of. Put them in the garbage bag, or in the box designated for donations.

Who doesn't love a view of a clean, organized kitchen after you declutter your home in 5 days

Day 3 - Organize the main living areas

On day three, take on the main living areas which include the living room, dining room, family room etc. It's the space where you spend the most time with a lot of decorative pieces, knickknacks and such. Start from one corner of the room and go from there. Bring a garbage bag for thrash, a carboard box for donations and a plastic bin for things you want to move. Pay attention to everything - walls, shelving, tabletops, buffets, hutches, accent tables, entertainment centers. Declutter as you go.

Day 4 - Declutter your bathrooms

First of all, throw out all expired products. It's important that you make sure not to use an expired product accidentally. If you have a linen closet, go through all the linen and keep only the pieces in pristine condition you use often. Store extra toilet paper and tissue somewhere out of sight, like on the top of the linen closet or in a nice basket. Try not to leave any clutter on your counters. Only the items you use every day such as toothpaste and deodorant should be there. You can keep makeup and hair products in small bins that you can store on a shelf or under the sink.

Day 5 - Declutter books, toys, magazines and do a final surface check

On the final day of the project "declutter your home in 5 days" pay special attention to books, magazines and toys if you haven't already. Organize books the way you prefer, by genre, by color, alphabetize them. Just put them in their place. Again, don't keep items you won't use again. Once you're finished with this, go through all of the rooms you decluttered during the past 5 days and check to see if there's something you have missed before. And voilà, you're done!