Spark Joy with 5 Tips on How to Declutter Your Home

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Last updated on March 27th, 2025 at 11:03 am

Clutter can be a headache, especially for your mind. Learning how to declutter your home can do wonders for your personal space and mental health.

The benefits of learning how to declutter your home

Decluttering may seem like a lot to do, but it also has benefits. A study found that people who decluttered their homes or living spaces felt less anxious and had a more optimistic outlook on life.

Whether you’re looking to start a new chapter in your life or just looking to adopt a new habit into your self-care journey, decluttering isn’t just about being tidy but is also a great habit for your mental health.

So, with that being said, let’s look at why learning how to declutter is good for your home and you.

Decluttering and mental health:  How it can reduce stress

In case you’re not familiar with how decluttering can alleviate your mental health, check out the following benefits.

1. Decluttering can reduce stress

Clutter comes with problems that may induce stress in many forms. Apart from making your personal space unpleasant to look at or be in, it can impact your physical and mental health negatively.

A study found that clutter can contribute to higher stress levels. This is because your home is supposed to be a space of relaxation and restoration.

However, when clutter is dominant, it can leave you stressed and depressed because of how much clutter you need to clear, as it did for the participants involved in this study.

Additionally, if not handled, it can leave you prone to accidents.

2. Decluttering can enhance your safety

To add more to the previous point about physical safety, decluttering is important to consider if you prioritize your safety and that of your loved ones as well.

Another study found that if participants were not implementing the habit of decluttering, their clutter could lead to possible physical injuries.

These include accidents, leading to outcomes such as bone fractures and possible fires being started.

Who knew messes could be this dangerous, right?

3. Decluttering can help you break up with the past

For more mental health benefits that come with knowing how to declutter your home, this activity could help benefit your mental health in more ways than one.

This could be the best  time to let go of or give away items that may come with bad memories you want to make peace with and finally let go of.

Sometimes, it’s wiser to give away items that bring no value so you can have space for better things.

As a result, decluttering may give you the clarity you need. In this way, you’ll be calmer, not only in your home but in your mind too.

If doing this activity means beginning a new chapter for you, it may be time to leave items that remind you of a past you want to depart from.

Now that you understand the benefits of decluttering, let’s get into tips to help you get started.

 5 Simple tips on how to declutter your home

Here’s an easy guide to help you learn how to declutter your home. With these tips, you’ll be on your way to decluttering and reaching your mental health goals.

Tip 1: Set a goal for a clutter-free space

As mentioned earlier, when it comes to decluttering and creating a spotless space, it’s important to consider the goals you have for your mental health as well.

For instance, consider how clutter makes you feel.

Do you dread attending to it because of how anxious you may feel? That is where setting a goal comes in.

That goal should address that issue head-on.

Here’s a quick example for you

So, let’s say your shoe closet needs to be decluttered and you are procrastinating to get to it because of how anxious it makes you.

And maybe, you just don’t like the way it looks. Well, decluttering your shoe closet may be just what you need to turn into a goal.

You may want to have a neater shoe closet as a goal. Close your eyes and visualize your dream space.

Does that well-put-together shoe closet bring a sense of happiness? Proceed to write it down: “ I want to declutter my shoe closet”.

To make it all more real, write in a personal journal or planner.

Tip 2: Decide how long you are going to declutter.

Okay, so now that the goal has been established, it’s time to move to developing a strategy for achieving that goal.

After writing or noting what your goal is, decide how long you think it might take you to complete your decluttering mission.

Will you need a day? 3 days? A week?

Remember that you are working at your own pace, so it’s important to be realistic.

As for our shoe closet example above, let’s say you saw how much you must do and have decided that you might only need a day to go through it.

You can note that down. So even though I have used a shoe closet example, this can also work in other rooms, such as your kitchen or bedroom.

Tip 3: Organize your decluttering containers

Now that the important information has been set, the next move is to get your decluttering into motion.

This step includes organizing the containers you are going to use to place your items in. These could be containers or boxes.

Furthermore, if you are planning to donate items or planning to send them to recycling centers, consider using separate containers for each place you’d like to donate to.

Also, maybe label them to avoid confusion.

Tip 4: Start decluttering in bite-sized chunks

You don’t need to tackle everything at once, no need to overwhelm yourself. The whole point is to learn to take it easy on yourself and your mind.

So back to the shoe closet example, you could start with decluttering one type of shoe at a time.

You could first start with decluttering and organizing your sneakers, followed by sandals and then your heels, etc. Part of decluttering could include deciding to redo your entire shoe display and putting shoes that you are planning to give away.

By taking these baby steps with this strategy, you’ll be well on your way to achieving your decluttering goal.

🌼You might also like: 6 Juicy Reasons to Take a Detox from Social Media!

Tip 5: Give yourself a pep talk

When you are knee-deep in decluttering, it can be easy to feel overwhelmed by how much you have to do. Just know that it’s normal to feel that way.

A little encouragement and pep can help the goal in this instance.

Whether it’s reminding yourself of why you are doing this in the first place or the peace you stand to gain after finishing. It may be worthwhile to remind yourself that you are decluttering in the first place.

Keep in mind that it’s because you want a fresher space for your home and that it will be good for your mind as well.

While sorting your items, ask yourself, “Do I need this?”. If the answer is no, it may be time to say goodbye because your mental health will thank you.

Also, as a reward for conquering your goal, consider rewarding yourself with a little treat just to look at yourself on the back.

Conclusion

Learning how to declutter your home is essential for your mental health such as letting things that no longer serve you.

I hope I have simplified these tips to help you get there. Remember that learning how to declutter your home doesn’t have to feel like a chore because of a fresh perspective you’ve just learned about.

So, how has decluttering helped your mental health journey? Let me know in the comments.  Don’t let clutter get in the way of enjoying your self-care journey in all spaces, especially in your home.

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