Parenting Pointers: How To Tackle The Clutter In Your Home, Room By Room

By Tracy McCubbin, Founder, dClutterfly

Non-Profit Website: http://onekidoneworld.org/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/tracy_mccubbin

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tracy_mccubbin/

Everyone is talking about decluttering.  In fact, decluttering is so important it now has its own day: September 23rd is National DeClutter Day.  Why declutter? The answer is easy: Decluttering saves you time and saves you money. It also improves your health and happiness.  Being cluttered eats up a lot of time: Time looking for your keys, looking for the mail to pay the bills or trying to find an outfit to wear to work that day.  

And think about the real cost of clutter.  How about all the clothes in your closet with the tags still on them?  Or the pantry items you buy again and again cause you can’t find the mustard you bought the last time you went to the store?  And let’s talk what you are paying for off site storage spaces: $100 a month? $150 a month? It’s no wonder everyone is talking about decluttering!

Ahead of National DeClutter Day on September 23rd, there’s no better time to share some of my favorite tips to tackle the clutter room by room, and in turn, living a happier and healthier life:

1. Kitchen
1. Tackle Tupperware (or all food storage).  Pull it all out and make sure every top has a bottom and every bottom has  top.  If not … Out.
2. Spices. Contrary to what my grandmother believed … spices do not last forever.  They eventually lose their flavor.  Ground spices 3-4 years and leafy spices 1-2 years.  And here’s a quick tip … write the year the spice was purchased on the lid.
2. Living Room 
1. Take a look around the room and see what items have homes they can be returned to.  Sometimes a quick returning of things to their proper homes will declutter a room in a very short time.
2. Magazines.  First item to make a room feel cluttered.  Last thing to be reread. Be honest about the time and interest you have and put magazines in the recycle bin.
3. Bathroom 
1. Start with under the bathroom sink.  That’s the first place to become a clutter catch all.  Cleaning products you longer use.  Out.  Bath toys the kids have outgrown? Out.   
2. How about sunscreen?  It’s designed to last for 3 years but if it’s older than that, it loses it’s efficiency.
4. Bedroom 
1. Let’s declutter those nightstands.  Nothing gets the day off to a bad start than waking to a pile of clutter.  How many of those books stacked up there are you going to actually gonna read?
2. We wear 20% of our clothes 80% of the time.  So let’s get real about all the clothes spilling out of our closet.  Doesn’t fit?  Out.  Regret buying it and will never wear it? Out!
5. Garage
1. Only 25% of American’s can park their cars in their garages.  Garages are the biggest offenders of clutter.  Let’s start with sports equipment.  Broken, worn out, no one plays that sport any more?  Out.
2. Boxes of old paperwork?  Check with your tax advisor about what you really need to keep and shred the rest! If it’s a lot more than your little home shredder can held, consider calling a mobile shred company.

It is best to these projects up into manageable time chunks. Remember, Rome didn’t get cluttered in a day so it’s not going to get uncluttered in day. Use National Declutter Day as the day to kick off your decluttering.

Good luck!

ABOUT TRACY MCCUBBIN

Tracy has always referred to herself as “obsessive compulsive delightful,” but who knew she could turn that trait into a booming business? Nearly ten years ago, while working for a major television director in Los Angeles, Tracy discovered she had the ability to see through any mess and clearly envision a clutter-free space. Coupled with keen time-management and organizational skills, Tracysoon found more and more people were asking her for help. Before she knew it, dClutterfly was born.

Ten years and over 1,200 jobs later, dClutterfly has been named “Best in Nest” by DailyCandy and has received the Super Service Award from Angie's List for five years. Tracy is a regularly featured expert on KTLA Morning Show, KCAL9, and Good Day Sacramento. She and her company have also been featured in Real Simple, Women's Day and ShopSmart. Along with her team of expert dClutterers, Tracy is ready to tackle any project, big or small.

In addition to her impressive organizing tool belt, Tracy grew up with family members who hoarded and knows firsthand that the effects of living amongst an accumulation of possessions goes far beyond the home’s walls. This personal experience gives her an advantage over most professional organizers as she has a unique understanding of the mindset of the organizationally and spatially-challenged.

When she is not dCluttering, Tracy is the proud Co-Executive Director of OneKid OneWorld, a non-profit building strong educational foundations for children in impoverished communities throughout Kenya and Central America. OKOW is providing kids with the basic (yet essential) fundamentals like desks and books, as well as paying teachers’ salaries, building classrooms and even installing solar power technology so students can study at night. OKOW's most recent project #OneGirlOnePad will provide access to reusable feminine hygiene kits to over 4,000 girls in Kenya, allowing them to attend school all year round. OneKid OneWorld is Tracy's “full time, non-paying passion.”