If you’re bumping into furniture and feeling a bit crowded in your living space, it’s time to consider a decluttering makeover. Reorganizing your space in a way that feels good to you can help to improve your outlook and keep you safe.
Determine Your Clutter Personality
We all have habits that cause us to amass clutter. Pinpoint yours and use them as a starting point to get organized. If things like junk mail and old magazines cause piles in your home, look for alternative ways to handle them. For instance, put all of your mail into a basket, and every other day evaluate what stays and what goes. Make a promise to yourself that you will not keep things to look at later. Or if magazines are your sticking point, cut out the content that you want to reference, put it in a binder, and toss the rest of the magazine out.
Get Multi-Purpose Furniture
Opt for furniture pieces that double as storage. Find ottomans that can hold extra remotes or pillows, get a coffee table that has drawers to keep games or blankets, and use benches with storage below for extra seating. Baskets are also a good option for gathering small items like knitting or sewing projects.
When bringing new furniture pieces in, think about how they will affect the traffic flow of your space. Decluttering will help you to remain in your own space, allowing for more room to move around and less chance of tripping. Keep only the pieces that bring you joy and keep you independent. The less you have, the less you’ll need to declutter.
Don’t Keep Sentimental Items Out of Guilt
It’s so easy to hang on to items from our loved ones, but as you continue your decluttering mission, keep an eye out for objects you’ve kept out of guilt. You can still hold on to someone’s memory without keeping possessions that don’t fit in your life or home. Only keep items that you truly cherish and that have meaning for you.
Hang Shelves and Create Displays
Rather than having collectibles pile up where you can’t see or enjoy them, hang them up on shelves or find creative ways to display them. For instance, take cherished awards or pieces of art and place them in a shadow box that you hang on the wall. Or keep extra dishes displayed on a shelf in the kitchen so that you’ll have access to them if you need them while they’re also off the counter.
Create a Decluttering Habit
Once a week, choose one space and make it neater. Once you’ve settled on an area of your home, set a limit of 15 minutes to clean out a drawer or put laundry away. Use small bouts of organizing to tackle a messy space, especially if the thought of decluttering your home makes you want to run for cover.
Look at decluttering as a small, but necessary, part of your day. Make it a regular habit to prevent tasks from building up and become so daunting that you become unmotivated. Like anything, decluttering is a skill that gets easier the more you do it. It’s one of the many ways you can age in place safely.
Decluttering your home is an essential part of decreasing your fall risk. If you worry about falling, a medical alert device can bring extra peace of mind to your independent living.
