Blog — Rescue My Space | Professional Organizer & Declutterer | Houston Area

Decluttering 101: How to Get Rid of Stuff You Don’t Need

You’re bound to accumulate more stuff than you really need, especially when you like to shop and when you’ve stayed in one place for too long. While some things you’ve been keeping might be useful, others are plain unnecessary. So, how can you stop your hoarding habit and get rid of stuff you don’t really need? Here are some tips on how you can declutter your stuff for a neater and more organized space:

1. GET RID OF CLOTHES YOU’RE WAITING TO FIT INTO AGAIN

Closets are usually divided into sections: clothes you wear every day, clothes you are saving up for special occasions, and clothes you’re waiting to fit into again. It might have been easier to get rid of clothes you didn’t want to wear again than clothes you’re just waiting to be able to wear again. The problem is in convincing yourself that you’ll still wear those clothes when they fit you again someday. However, that might take months or years, or it might never come at all. So, if you can’t wear it again in the near future, it’s time to get rid of it.

2. DECLUTTER YOUR STUFF INSTEAD OF BUYING STORAGE

Great storage is valuable to any household, whether it’s in containers or storage units. They keep your home as organized as possible, but they might also pose a problem because they make you a hoarder. People who are faced with too much clutter jump on the opportunity to buy more storage. You might convince yourself that as long as everything’s in containers, you’re not hoarding. However, that might be the first sign that you need to declutter. Experts advise against continuously purchasing storage to keep stuff. Instead, you need to assess your things and decide which ones are worth saving and which ones need to go to the garbage. Decide on which ones you need to keep and which ones you simply don’t need anymore. You’ll likely find tons of things to get rid of. Don’t worry–you can always donate your things to charities. 

3. AVOID GETTING SENTIMENTAL ABOUT JUNK

People get sentimental over everyday stuff, which leads them to hoard stuff they don’t need or are plain junk. For instance, you might have a chair that once belonged to your grandfather and reminds you of your fond memories of them every time you see it. But if the chair has already outlived its usefulness and is only gathering dust in your basement, it might be time to let it go. Avoid holding on to things just because of sentimental value and properly declutter your stuff.Many families have a lot of unnecessary things in their home, which they only hold on to due to sentimental reasons. While there’s nothing wrong with keeping mementos, you should not keep everything.

If some things in your home are simply sitting in the same place for at least two years, it only means it’s no longer needed in your life. You need to begin sorting out and decide which deserves to stay and which does not. That’s the only way you can begin to declutter your home of unneeded stuff. Rescue My Space is a decluttering service in Houston, providing organizational solutions to homes and corporate spaces. On top of decluttering spaces, we also offer interior enhancements. When it comes to the entire process of organizing, we at Rescue My Space follow a specific process to ensure we achieve the organizing job on budget, on time, and most importantly, adheres to our client’s lifestyles perfectly. Get in touch with us today!

How to Keep Your House in Order

Every day, people face different challenges that cause them stress. If you want to remove one cause of stress in your daily life, fixing cluttered rooms around the house would be a good start. Without you realizing it, clutter can affect many aspects of your life. It could be the reason your anxiety level is suddenly out of control, you have a hard time sleeping, or you lose your ability to focus. Because of that, you start to feel stressed and all other negative emotions. Decluttering can be intimidating and confusing sometimes, so why not start with these parts?

YOUR ENTRYWAY

The entryway is one house corner prone to housing all the clutters. It is where you and your guests take off your shoes, hang up your coat, and place your keys. It is the first place people get to, thereby giving them the impression of your home and setting the tone of your space. If you want to make a positive impression from the start or go home to a peaceful and relaxing place, an organized doorway could give you that. Here are some improvements you can make for this home area:

  • Allot a specific area for everything found in your entryway. If you store school bags, footwear, apparel, and sports equipment, they should have their section or storage area. 

  • Place labels in these storage areas to encourage people inside your house and even visitors to follow the proper storing method.

  • Add wall hooks for random clothing articles and a spot for placing keys and mail. 

  • Keep out-of-season clothes and other unnecessary items out of the entryway. 

YOUR HOME OFFICE

Any office is subject to accumulating unnecessary clutter, and keeping them tidy and organized can be tough. When a person becomes too busy, they lack time to tidy their desk. However, a messy office can make one’s mind look cluttered and have slow productivity. If you want to free yourself from that, here are some methods you can use:

  • Manage your papers. Papers are one of the things that pile up quickly. Create a routine that would help you manage your papers better. For example, having a filing system or shredding unnecessary documents every week would help lessen the room’s clutter potential. 

  • Go digital with everything, including your bills and financial statements. That would lessen the mess you need to deal with each time.

  • Instead of printing, refer to the softcopy of files you need to review. That can reduce the number of papers you use daily. 

THE BATHROOM

When thinking about the busiest rooms in the house, the bathroom would make most of the household’s list. People come in and out of this room to do their thing. The bathroom also acts as storage for many things like beauty products, first-aid items, and even medications in most houses. Keeping it organized may be challenging but can be ultimately rewarding. 

Here are some things you can do:

  • Throw all expired items.

  • Get rid of toiletries that you never use. You can send them to friends and family or donate to shelters and charities. 

  • If you have old bath towels, donate them to animal shelters or veterinarian clinics that need repurposed beddings.

  • Regularly conduct a cleaning and organizing schedule. 

More than the impression other people would get, a disorganized and messy home can cost you your inner peace. It can make you feel like you do not have a place for all your belongings, or simply looking at them can make you feel overwhelmed. Clutter starts when a person owns more stuff and could end with removing excessive possessions in this lifetime, but the best way is finding a place where to put them at home and learning how to manage them could help you feel better.  Should you need help decluttering in Houston, call us at Rescue My Space. We are organizing consultants at your service to make your space beautiful again. We can help you improve your life functions by starting with an organized living space.

How to Organize Your Home Using the 10 Percent Rule

We all want to live in a nice, well-organized home. But sadly, our things don’t just magically organize themselves. Without any effort and maintenance, your home can easily turn into a jungle of mess. But with our busy schedules, it’s often difficult to find the time and energy to keep our homes organized. Somehow, there’s always something to clean up or organize. If only decluttering wasn’t as difficult as it is. Well, it turns out decluttering can be made easier and stress-free. What’s the secret? The 10 percent rule.


WHY HOME ORGANIZATION IS DIFFICULT FOR SOME

Before we get into the 10 percent rule, let’s first look at the source of the problem. Why is it exactly so hard to organize your home? While there can be many factors contributing to an unorganized home, the problem with the 10 percent rule is addressing the number of things you have to organize. The reason there seems to be always something to organize is the number of things you own. When you have so much stuff, your home will become more likely to turn into a mess. That’s because there are so many things you have to organize. On the other hand, if you don’t own that many things, your home can be easier to maintain. That’s why decluttering is a crucial part of home organization. It helps you reduce the number of things you need to organize. But sometimes, people are hesitant to declutter because they don’t like the idea of letting go of some of their stuff. This is where the 10 percent rule comes into play.



WHAT IS THE 10 PERCENT RULE?

Essentially, the 10 percent rule is all about reducing what you own by 10 percent. A 10 percent reduction may not seem that much, but it can actually make a big difference. Plus, it’ll be way easier for those who have trouble saying goodbye to their things when decluttering. For example, you have 10 pairs of jeans. Realistically, you only cycle through 5-7 pairs regularly. But there’s a reason you may have kept the remaining ones. Perhaps you feel guilty about throwing away a perfectly good pair of jeans, or maybe you’ve always convinced yourself you can still lose weight and fit into the ones you’ve outgrown. These reasons are probably making it difficult to let go of these unused jeans, even though it’s what’s practical. But to ease you into decluttering, you can decide to let go of one pair instead of 3-5 you don’t use. That way, it won’t feel like too much but will still make a difference. That’s how the 10 percent rule works.



HOW TO USE THE 10 PERCENT RULE TO DECLUTTER?

In the example above, you’re just letting go of one pair of jeans. So, how does that make a difference? The thing is, your jeans are just the start. Take a look at the rest of your closet. You have shirts, shorts, dresses, and other pieces of clothing. When you reduce each category by 10 percent, you’re actually making a difference in your closet. And once you’re done with the closet, you can proceed to other parts of your home. The 10 percent rule should also be done regularly. Instead of a huge decluttering session once a year, you can continuously reduce your possessions by 10 percent on a more regular basis. This could be once a month, every two weeks, or whatever timeline that’s more manageable and convenient for you. By slowly reducing your belongings throughout the year, you can see a big difference from when you started to where you are now. And the great thing about it is, at the time, it didn’t feel like such a difficult decision to make. And that’s because you only had to deal with a small portion of what you own. 

Home organization can sometimes be difficult, especially when you have too many things to organize. That’s why decluttering is important. And to make decluttering easier and stress-free, one can follow the 10 percent rule. By reducing your belongings by 10 percent continually, you’re making it easier to keep your home organized.
Declutter your space with the help of Rescue My Space. We are a decluttering service in Houston that offers organizational solutions to homes and corporate spaces. On top of decluttering your space, we also offer interior enhancements. Contact us today to get started!

3 Things to Consider When Decluttering Your Household

Decluttering is hard to do for most people, especially since humans naturally connect objects with memories and emotions. Even worn-out clothes feel difficult to let go of if it has a special connection to the person. However, decluttering doesn’t just let you own less; it also helps you develop a healthier lifestyle.

DECLUTTERING AS A WAY TO DESTRESS

Drowning in clutter is a feeling no one wants to have. However, it takes plenty of steps toward self-actualization to realize this. For this reason, people need to be more attentive to their surroundings and how they feel in their living spaces.

Do you have trouble moving from one part of the home to the next?

Do you have trouble looking for important items?

Do you have too much of something you don’t even use too often?

These questions may seem simple to ask but can be difficult to face for people that naturally keep piles upon piles of their belongings. Constantly dealing with a disorganized living space can harm a person as a logistical and mental health concern. This is why decluttering is the only way to solve two birds with one stone. In this article, we’ll share three things you should consider before finally letting go of your valuables.

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1. PRACTICALITY

The first thing you need to assess with your belongings is their practicality which will vary depending on the object. For example, losing an extra shirt is different from throwing away a spare microwave. This is why you need to measure if an object will be practical to own. Additionally, you should assess if keeping it in your home is practical or not. Understandably, many people have trouble letting go of things without practical purpose. This includes souvenirs and other items accessories. Since it’s tough to weigh their practicality based on use alone, your next step is to gauge their value.

2. VALUE

An item’s value can be its monetary or sentimental value. Using these two opposite perspectives, you get to see if an item is just taking up space or serving a purpose. Many souvenir items and accessories tend to be difficult to let go of because they add something to your rooms. It can be because they’re a part of a collection or an accent to your rooms. However, you need to access if you’re simply keeping or hoarding these items. Besides as a sentimental memento and interior design option, you may keep an object due to its potential market value. Many antiques and collector’s items can fetch a good price in the future. This is why hobbyists tend to have shelves of these items. If you’re one of these hobbyists, you should consider if it’s time to sell your collection or opt for a more effective long-term storage solution.

3. REPAIRS AND REPLACEMENTS

Some items are stored in your closets and above your cupboards because of the chance of repairing them. These are usually damaged clothes or broken appliances. If you’re still thinking about fixing these items, it’s best to put them in a separate box and set a deadline for yourself. If you haven’t fixed these items by then for keeping or selling, it may just be easier to put them in the trash.

Learning to let go of old belongings isn’t easy for everyone. Nevertheless, it’s a necessary part of growing and adapting to new lifestyles. If you stay stuck in the past, you’re unlikely to grow as a person. Thankfully, you don’t have to handle these transitions yourself. Instead, you can hire decluttering experts to assist your goal in living a mess-free life.
Our team at Rescue My Space, are professionals when it comes to organizing your living spaces. If you need decluttering services in Houston, TX, to live a clutter-free life, book us today!