Clean Sweep, One Room at a Time

You’ve undoubtedly seen the television show called “Clean Sweep”, or one like it.  It’s a show that helps families clean up and unclutter their homes.  If you think your home needs a clean sweep, one way to achieve this is to clean one room at a time until the whole home is clutter-free.

It’s easy to get overwhelmed when your home is cluttered.  Trying to decide what to do to get rid of the clutter is even more discouraging.  You look at the things in your home and wonder where to start.  Here are some ideas that will help you succeed at clearing the clutter.

Start by focusing on one room at a time.  If you look at everything you’ll easily be intimidated by the scope of the work to be done.  By cleaning out one room at a time, you’ll get a sense of accomplishment when you’re done with one room, and be encouraged to move on to the next.

Be prepared with trash bags, plenty of cardboard boxes, and some storage containers.  Label the boxes “Keep”, “Donate”, and “Trash”.  Then start going through the items in the room.

Clean off all surfaces and empty out each drawer.  If it’s a bedroom, take everything out of the closet.  You will have a number of boxes, but don’t look at the total number.  Concentrate on one box by deciding about each and every item in the box, then go to the next box.

Clothing:  If you love the clothes and wear them often, put them in the Keep box.  If clothing hasn’t been worn in six months you may want to donate them, so put them in the Donate box.  If they’re torn or need repairs and you love them, put them in the Keep box.  If they need repairs or are stained and you don’t like them, in the Trash they go.  Put the boxes you intend to keep aside and move on.

Shoes: Treat shoes as you did clothing.  Keep only those pairs that you love and wear often.  If you haven’t used them, unless they are seasonal shoes, let them go.  Each pair you get rid of will give you more room and less clutter.

Music: Go through your music collection to see if there’s anything you’ve outgrown or your musical tastes have changed.  Sort and store your favorite music.

Papers:  Take the time to go through the papers in this room.  Start a filing system if you don’t already have one in place.  You can begin by separating items by broad categories and then into smaller subcategories as needed.

Books:  Unless you’ve read a book multiple times or have recently acquired it, books may be something you’ll consider passing on to others.  You can donate them to shelters, charities, or even a local library.  Books take up a lot of room so getting rid of some of them will open up space in your room.

After you’ve taken the time to decide upon which items you’re keeping, what is being donated, and what is being thrown away, take the donate boxes and trash bags out of the room.  Clean the room from top to bottom, paint if that is planned, and then rearrange or remodel the room.  Put the items you’re keeping back into the room, being careful to store the items in an organized manner.

Give yourself a break after completing one room.  Then start on the next room – separating, keeping, tossing, and donating items until each and every room in your house has been swept clean and is organized.  Congratulate yourself for hard work well done.

© Angela Wenke

Owner of: Frugal WAHM Talk Radio, Frugal WAHM Community and Heartland Graphics

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