3 Mistakes to Avoid when Trying to Eliminate Household Clutter

Dan Reveal
Do you know the best way to reduce or eliminate household clutter?

Taking the time to consider 3 mistakes that prevent you from eliminating household clutter will put you in a better position to keep your house organized.

Mistake #1 Buying Things Impulsively

One of the most easily recognizable mistakes that prevent you from eliminating household clutter is the tendency to buy things you don't really need. If it looks good on the store shelf, you reason that it will look good in your already over-cluttered living room.

A good way to avoid the mistake of buying things impulsively, then, is to always take a shopping list with you and focus on buying only those things you really need.

Mistake #2 Encouraging the Wrong Type of Present

Is there such a thing as a bad type of present? There is when the gift is of the antique variety, something solid and difficult to clean. You are making a mistake if you encourage people to buy you the type of present that will simply collect dust and add to the clutter of your household.

A solution for this mistake, when you are tying to eliminate household clutter, then, is to ask people to give you edible things like candy, for example. Birthday gifts like flowers or going to restaurants are also good choices when you are struggling to de-clutter your home.

Mistake #3 Trying to Maintain a Strict Cleaning Schedule

Another mistake to avoid when your goal is to eliminate household clutter involves trying to stick to a rigid household cleaning schedule.

You might have good intentions to de-clutter the household every Saturday, for example, but when Saturday comes the task just seems too overwhelming to even know where to begin.

The emphasis on a strict cleaning schedule sounds like a good idea at first, but it really only adds to the problem.

You can logically avoid this mistake by cleaning and getting rid of unwanted objects a little each day. The job of eliminating household clutter won't seem overwhelming if you break the task down into manageable segments.

In sum, there are 3 mistakes to avoid when you're trying to eliminate household clutter. In general, you should become a more charitable person.

As you come to regard your belongings as possessions instead of obsessions, you are more likely to give them to others. In this way, you are also eliminating your household clutter.

Published by Dan Reveal

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17 Comments

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  • Sunshine Wilson5/29/2011

    Great tips

  • Danielle Olivia Tefft5/26/2011

    Excellent advice, Dan. I especially like tackling the task of cleaning clutter a bit at a time. I also try to get rid of three old things now when I bring any one new thing in the house. It helps!

  • Tracie Walker5/26/2011

    Good points. We've been working on de-cluttering and boy, does it give you a sense of freedom! Plus, there's no point in storing a lot of things since you probably won't be able to find them when you need them anyway. Let the stores store them!

  • Lori Gunn5/25/2011

    good work; thanks for sharing :)

  • Orchiolum5/24/2011

    Probably the best way is to not live in a house;) Good tips Dan.

  • rmharrington5/23/2011

    Ha ha. I'm that there impulsive fellow

  • Dina Sullivan5/23/2011

    OMG, Sooooooooo good Dan.... :o)

  • Delicia Powers5/23/2011

    Great! I keep tidy ever day clean deep once a month, works for me...but I must admit it is never ending, but that is nice too...:0)Thanks Dan.

  • carol gibson5/23/2011

    Thanks, Dan. Good points. I'm a sentimental collector, and need to let go of things more.

  • John Myers5/23/2011

    Excellent advice!

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