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3 Ways to Declutter Your Home (Even When Your House Is a Mess)

Declutter Clean Purge Organize

Simplify and Declutter Your Home with My 3 Step Approach  (Clean, Purge, Organize)

Declutter is a hot topic right now, and there’s a good reason why. Nothing is better then walking into a room, taking a deep breath in and exhaling “ahhhhhh”. That feeling you get from a clean, organized space can’t be beat. It always feels so fresh and simple; causing relaxation throughout your mind and body. A clean, organized home free of clutter is the goal for many of us, right? But what happens when you walk into an unorganized mess? Typically overwhelm, frustration, anxiety, stress, etc…

Just the thought of getting your space in order can cause overwhelm! (I know because I have been there). Which is why I created this simple, easy to follow, 3 step approach to keeping your home in order. All you gotta do is: clean, purge, and organize. No big deal right? 😉 Before you feel overwhelmed, keep reading to see how this process can be broken down into 3 easy steps so you can manage your mess no matter how big or how small it may be. You got this! =)

Declutter Clean Purge Organize

Create A Space You Love

This clean, purge, organize approach WILL work for everyone! For the person that loves home decor, it will help you keep things clean and in place. To all the Marie Kondo lovers out there creating the ultimate minimalistic space; this will help you really determine what brings you joy and lastly, for the person who is in the middle of the two, this will most definitely work for you as well! We all deserve to love our homes free of clutter and live in a space that reduces stress and anxiety vs causing it.

Follow the Clean, Purge, Organize Approach Step by Step

The only rule here is to follow the steps IN ORDER. This is crucial to your success. Each step should be fully complete before moving on to the next. You can do everything in one sitting or you can take each step one day at a time. Do what works best for you! Rule number one with keeping a clean and organized space is being realistic with your own wants and needs. It will not stay clean and organized if it does not fit within your lifestyle and daily needs.

Step 1: Clean

First things first, clean up the mess! It will be much harder to organize when you are rummaging through trash, recycles, etc.. Clean up everything in the space. Dust, vacuum, wipe down, etc.. We aren’t looking for a deep clean here (unless that is something you want to do), just a quick clean to prepare the space. There is no need to organize items that need to be thrown out, which is why it is important to start with a good cleanout.

If cleaning is overwhelming you and is becoming a block to start this project, I suggest checking out my article on cleaning your home in less time. This will help you get through step one.

Step 2: Purge

Now the fun part…throw the crap out!!! Do you have clothes from years ago that don’t fit that you are holding on to? Shoes you never wear? Expired medications? Expired food? Toss it out! If there is anything you are on the fence about, put it in a separate pile to go back to once you are done with the Clean Purge Organize process.

For help on how to determine if you should keep said item, check out Marie Kondo’s article on what to do with gifts that don’t bring you joy. Or, just look to the future. Are you really going to want this? Do you really need to keep low rise shorts that don’t fit you and that will hopefully never be in style ever again (this has been a personal question)? 😉 No! I never plan to wear low rise anything ever again. So out goes all the low rise clothes! Do your kids need 50 stuffed animals? I am guessing they do not. What about a cabinet full of expired spices, food, medicine, multiple half-used house cleaners? No, nope, nah.

Step 3: Organize

Declutter Clean Purge Organize

Yay! You’ve made it to the organize section! Assess the area/space. Things you use most often should be easy to access. Then begin grouping things into categories. Put like-minded items together. There is no need for fancy containers at this point. Simply use what you have on hand, or just keep things grouped together. Baggies work really well to keep things together-this is what I use for many of our chargers. It is something I have on hand, cheap, and easy!

As a mom to young kids, our storage needs are always evolving. I really love finding basic pieces that I can use in a variety of situations over and over. The goal here is to have a functional space, not the most beautiful. If you can afford the beautiful organization and that is something you want, go for it! However, if you are just trying to create a functional clean space, work with what you have. Use items you can reuse as your needs change.

I have found storage cubes, baskets, clear drawers, and plastic storage boxes have had multiple uses in our home over the years. Whenever it is time to change up our system up due to the kids getting older or our belongings changing, it is easy for me to adapt to the storage/organizational products we have on hand so I don’t have to go out and spend a ton of money.

Recommended Organization Products

As I mentioned above, buying key pieces you can use in a variety of settings will help save you a lot of money (and time) for the future. Basic storage containers, drawers, etc.. can evolve with your growing family and changing needs/spaces for the years to come. Here are some of my favorite items I use to keep my own clean, organized, and declutter.

This blog post may contain affiliate links. These don’t cost you anything extra, but they allow me to continue running this site and providing free content for my wonderful community. Thank you for supporting my blog!

Sterilite 60qt ClearView Latch Underbed Storage Bin With Purple Latch

Sterilite 28qt Clear Plastic Under Bed Storage Bin Clear with White Lid

Sterilite 3 Drawer Small Countertop Unit White with Clear Drawers

Stackable Drawers (Sterilite Small Deep Drawer)

Interlocking Drawer Organizer Set – White – Room Essentials

Command Hooks (I always have these on hand!!)

Now Get to Organizing!

Getting organized can be an overwhelming task, but it doesn’t need to be! If you want to successfully clean and organize your home with an approachable system, try out my Clean-Purge-Organize formula. It breaks down a big task into manageable segments which will allow you to clean with ease!

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Declutter Clean Purge Organize

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23 Comments

  1. I love nothing more than a nicely organized and clean space! I feel like we are constantly in a state of purging clutter. It just adds up so fast. Luckily, we move every 2-3 years, which helps with motivation. And my kids are really into it as well, which helps as well. Thanks for sharing your tips.

  2. I love how simple you made this. I think often we get so side tracked through the process we set out on other projects and it becomes this drawn out process. You made it seem/sound much less complicated. Thanks

  3. Thank you for sharing the post! I think my hardest part is tossing things I should not keep, there are many things in my house I keep because I think I will use it someday.

    1. Sometimes I will put things aside, or turn my hangers around to see if I use it within a specific time frame! It helps convince myself that I actually will not need it haha.

  4. I love deep cleaning and purging! I try to go through things every 6 months and if I haven’t worn it or used it, then I donate it. Makes life a little easier!

  5. I need this advice (and this whole blog) in my life! I’m moving in a couple months so I’m trying to get as organized as possible right now.

  6. Absolutely love the idea of throwing crap away haha! Now I’m to the point where I make SUPER DUPER sure that I absolutely love the stuff and truly need it before ever bringing it into the house. Cuts back on waste Big time! Excellent article!

  7. I clean out our fridge weekly and pantry quarterly. I feel like we still have an overabundance of things. Mostly toys. I wonder if I can get the kids to purge some more of there unused toys. I am off to do more cleaning and organizing. It helps me so much mentally!

  8. I love this method! With two year old twins, the baby and toddler “stuff” has taken over my life! I need to be more disciplined in this area!

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