Expert praises '12-12-12 rule' to declutter home without wasting your entire day
New year means a fresh start for many people and that aspiration often takes the form of getting rid of all the unwanted or 'I might need it later' items that are taking up valuable space in your home. That over-full garage, those cupboards packed with what was once thought of as possibly useful but have now simply become junk just need to go and according to experts, January is when most people decide to confront that task.
According to the folk at Yell, US householders hit their peak decluttering searches in the first month of the year with 53,469, and an average volume of 37,000 per month the rest of the year, while searches entitled "How to declutter your home" peak at 6,598 each January with an average monthly search of 5k afterwards and "Decluttering Tips" peaks at 6,981 with 4.7k each month afterward.
TikTok is a great place to find tips and tricks you may not have thought of and with more than 165,000 posts hashtagged “#Decluttering” and “#Declutter”. The sheer volume of videos on the subject prompted staff at Yell to rake through the social-media site's most popular clips to compile a list of their top tips and hacks on how best to declutter your home. Getting organised and transforming your space into a less cluttered environment boosts your mood and gets you ready for the next 12 months.
Two of the most useful tips involve using rules to decide what can stay and what can go. A great principle to stick to was created by online creator Becoming Minimalist, called the 12-12-12 Challenge. The idea is that you locate only a select number of items at a time, so find 12 items that you are going to donate, then 12 to throw away or recycle, and 12 to put in their proper place in your house. Continue with this and the clutter will soon be massively reduced.
An issue that many people encounter is the perceived need to hold onto too many items – the "just in case" items. When struggling to make decluttering decisions the 20/20 rule becomes very useful. With this rule you ask yourself two questions – can this be replaced for under £20 ($26) or less? Can I replace this item in 20 minutes or less? If the answer is yes to both of these questions, it’s time to remove that item. If the answer is yes to one of these, you may need to consider if it’s easily replaceable and if you have the space to keep it.
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Another key tip is that you should start small and pick away at the clutter if you have a huge pile to deal with, which will ensure you do not get overwhelmed while still seeing the pile reduce. You should also create a decluttering list which will allow you to plan and map out as much as you want to get done within a set time and again, means you avoid feeling it's all too much. A key tip is to make a list for every room in your house, then work through each room.
Take an inventory of everything that you own, from furniture to the clothes lying in drawers and wardrobes and ask if they make you happy and if they have a purpose. If an item's not been used in six months, it's probably time to think about losing it. To make things easier, it's also a good idea to work through the things in front of you, before you hit those cupboards and other packed storage areas.
Learn how to spot clutter when it comes to clearing your home out throughout the year. This can apply to any item, even unwanted Christmas gifts that may still be lying around. Clutter can grow out of control through bad habits or even guilt, so be ruthless with stuff that now seems to have no purpose.
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