Depending on how deeply engrained your “squirreling” or “hoarding” tendencies are, decluttering your home may seem like an insurmountable task! Where to start? When to start? Which spaces to do first?
These questions are nothing in comparison to the real exercise in judgment you will need to do when you actually get to the process itself. Do I keep this? Do I want that? What should I do with this one? It wouldn’t be surprising if the thought of just calling a junk removal service and having them remove everything en masse, without going through it, has occurred to you!
“Help! I Have to Declutter! ”
If you’re not exactly the King of Organization, Ms. Minimalist, or OCD when it comes to keeping things in their proper places, decluttering is something you put off, probably until you absolutely have to, like when you’re selling your house, or when your son or daughter decides to move back home with their whole family, and you desperately need more space, right?
But take heart! There is plenty of help available for the organizationally challenged, if sought. From inspirational prodding to help the procrastinators, to practical tips to facilitate the process and save an overwrought declutterer from a nervous breakdown, real help is out there. One of those supportive aids is an online printable checklist that will keep you on track in your decluttering journey!
Printable Checklists to Save the (Decluttering) Day
These digital printables range from checklists that are fairly broad stroke, to those that cover every second of the process and account for every minute involved. Which one you choose depends on how much direction you need. If you’re a novice to clean-ups or just a very reluctant cleaner-upper, you’ll probably need a very specific checklist pinned somewhere you can’t possibly escape it. If, however, you’ve been around this block once or twice before and are keen to get it done and over with, a more general checklist will do.
Like maybe this one:
If you are not at all into detailed cleaning and decluttering, a more thorough checklist may be necessary. This one is intended for spring cleaning/decluttering, but it can be used for any cleaning, any time. You may find that following this regimen leaves you with quite a pile of trash, but not to worry—you can always call a junk removal company to come and dispose of it all.
You can also access printables that will help you keep your clutter to a minimum on a daily or weekly basis, and get your cleaning done in an organized, efficient way. You can place this printable on a clipboard, and walk about the house on your designated cleaning day, checking off each item with much satisfaction!
There are also monthly schedules for your cleaning and decluttering routine. These two below are very detailed. Rest assured that if you faithfully follow all the instructions on either one of these printables, you will definitely end up with a super clean and uber organized house, worthy of a feature in House & Homes!
There are plenty more samples of such printables online to guide you through your decluttering project. They will prove quite useful in keeping you on track! The biggest obstacle to your decluttering project may, however, be to actually get going on it, and to complete it within a specific timeframe.
One strategy to deal with this challenge is to call your junk removal company and order one of their bins for your clutter on a specific day. That way you’ll be more motivated to get this decluttering project done for that date. Once you wave goodbye to all your rubbish as it’s taken away by a junk removal truck, you can start enjoying your much cleaner and more spacious home. That is, of course, until your son or daughter arrives with their kids and many belongings for an indeterminate stay!
