For many years, I was one of those people who kept things with “sentimental value.” I always kept birthday and graduation cards and the letters my mom wrote me while I was in boot camp.
There were also clothes that I thought were cute (that I never wore), shoes that I thought were cute (that I also never wore), and many other things that I didn’t need but didn’t want to get rid of.
After I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, I took a look around and realised that all these purchases were a direct result of mania. I also realised that when the depressive episodes of bipolar disorder hit, my home was an absolute wreck. I needed to declutter and didn’t know what to do.
A year before this, a friend helped me by going through the apartment and getting rid of several bags I did not need. Thankfully, that helped a lot and taught me how to declutter my house. But when financial struggles hit, the depression got worse, and it was like nobody had come in there at all. I reached out to a friend, overwhelmed and disgusted with myself, and asked for his help.
These how-to-declutter tips that he gave me still help me to this day.
1. Do a corner a day.
This seems simple, but crap in every corner can be overwhelming. So, I cleaned one corner a day to declutter. I still use this practice when things get unorganised and overwhelming.
As a person with ADHD, I learned that setting a timer for 10 minutes and cleaning until the alarm goes off is helpful. I keep resetting it for 10 minutes until that corner is done. I only take breaks to go to the bathroom or drink some water. Of course, if you have young children, it may take longer. However, you can do it, girl. I know you can. The result is so worth it.
2. Only keep the clothes you need.
I had well over 50 shirts, 10 pairs of sweat pants, around 15 pairs of shoes, and several dresses I had never worn. My friend told me to keep around 10 shirts, five pairs of sweats, and a couple of pairs of shoes. I don’t wear heels, so why did I have four pairs of them? They were cute, I thought. But I never wore them. So, his advice helped me significantly downsize.
After that, I used the hanger method. Every time I wore a shirt, I turned the hanger around. After a month, if I hadn’t worn a piece of clothing, I donated it. Laundry is a big problem in my house, too, and one of the reasons is having too many clothes. So, getting rid of some of them helped so much with not only organisation, but forcing me to do laundry once a week because I didn’t have extra clothes to fall back on.
3. Put it away, don’t put it down.
It seems simple, but it’s hard when you lack object permanence. I would put something on the counter, leave the kitchen, and forget it existed. I would walk into the kitchen and think, “I have got to put that away.” Yet, I would grab something else, walk out of the kitchen, and the cycle repeated. Next thing I knew, the counter was cluttered, and I’d be too overwhelmed, so I just went into my room and closed the door.
Now, I put it away instead of putting it down. For example, if I’m using seasonings, I put them back in the cabinet before I leave the kitchen. This also goes for dishes. I handwash my dishes because they won’t get done if I put them in the sink. I learned to do what I can to make my world more livable, so I don’t go down a deep hole surrounded by a mess.
4. Do laundry at least once a week.
Set a day every week for laundry. I do mine on Saturdays. This is also when I wash my bedding. I do about 3-4 loads, including my daughter’s clothes when she’s with me.
If I start to notice I’m wearing the same things repeatedly, I go through my shirts again. I know I have too many shirts right now, so I will go through those. I will also put my fall and winter clothes in a container in the garage. I will do the same with my daughter’s clothes. This minimises laundry significantly, making more room in the closet so it looks less cluttered.
5. Set aside a day to clean.
I also do this on Saturdays. I have a roommate, and we alternate who does the floors. She usually does her laundry on Sundays, as does her son. This plan works great for us. I clean my room and bathroom, and do the floors in both. On deep clean days (first Saturday of the month), I wipe down the fans, do the baseboards, and wash the walls. To make it easier, I use a calendar on my phone and set reminders. You can also make a to-do list and mark off as you go.
This list may seem like a lot. To actually declutter, try implementing one thing at a time and choosing what works best for you. It takes time, but it is definitely doable. It initially took me several days to go through my clothes and organise everything as I liked.
Change doesn’t happen overnight, so give yourself grace. With time, you’ll be less stressed and more organised. You deserve a clean home, and I hope these things help get you there.
