A recent study reported by Scientific American found that between five million and 14 million people in the United States are compulsive hoarders. That's a lot of junk sitting around in homes, garages, and storage units. Because of the popular show Hoarders, many people believe they have been consumed by the need to collect junk and leave it around their house. In reality, a cluttered space can often be cleaned up by simply organizing the spaces in our homes.
When you see the sixth example on our list you'll quickly realize that you don't have to hop over random objects to climb into bed after a long day of work. We've found bedrooms, kitchens, bathrooms, playrooms, garages, and other rooms in peoples' homes that went from completely cluttered to clean and spacious. If you need some motivation to get cleaning, this should do the trick.
A Desk Mess With A Quick Fix
Here's a fun test to try out on your own. If you have a really messy desk, clean up the clutter and then sit down and do some work. You'll be amazed how much a clean office space can increase your productivity. Sometimes you just need to get rid of old junk and other times a quick shuffle of where you place things in your office will do the trick. This person relied on professional services from KW Professional Organizers. What can we say, some people are awesome at cleaning up their own space and others need all of the expert help they can get.
Preparing For The Holidays One Closet At A Time
The holidays are supposed to be a festive time of the year but not everyone can sit back, relax, and enjoy time with family and friends. Those people tend to have a closet that looks like the one on the left. Jen Robin of Life in Jeneral managed to turn her cluttered closet into a wrapping station that any department store would be proud to display. It's incredible how a little bit of added vertical wall storage and removing any "extras" can transform a space from drab to fab. If, like Jen, you attend a lot of parties and wrap a lot of presents, this space will hopefully inspire you to get your holidays uncluttered.
Ditch The Bags And Dinner Becomes A Snap
Have you ever opened up the cupboards in your kitchen and cursed at the clutter your various food packages have created? Rebecca Hart at Real Simple discovered hidden bags that were stacked on top of other food products. Instead of waiting for her food to expire she unpacked the bags and replaced them with plastic containers. This hack will take up more space in your pantry but will also help you get organized and not waste food. Purchase stackable containers for added use of your pantry space and then relax as you finally realize what there is to eat in your home.
We Almost Missed The Little Girl In All The Clutter
When your child can lay in all your clutter and nearly be missed at first glance it's definitely time to clean up the mess. Laura Cattano of Order Obsessed is a master at maximizing vertical storage space. Cattano managed to maximize storage space by placing some drawers in the bottom of her closet, adding wall hooks for extra access and including a second overhead shelf for stowaway items she had just laying around. Sometimes the best way to declutter isn't to get rid of stuff but rather find an eye-pleasing setup that maximizes all of the space you have available.
How To Turn An Unusable Room Into A Fun Craft Space
Fran and Dave Keith realized life in their Mt Kuring-Gai, Sydney home had become too cluttered to be considered functional. They decided to clean up each room in their home and this transformation was our favorite. The couple has a simple process for determining how to clean up a huge mess. "Forming a vision then leads to agreeing on a function, which gives rise to zoning and then, importantly, limitations." If you break down the decluttering process with these steps you can go from completely stressed out to enjoying a room you might have forgotten was once a functional and beautiful space in your home.
Where Did That Desk Come From?
When you can't find the desk in your bedroom there is likely a clutter problem you need to address. Truth be told, most decluttering projects are needed because clothing, papers, and other objects can add up quickly and become all-consuming. One second your room is clean and organized and the next moment it seems to look like the example on the left side of this photo. Some laundry washed, boxed moved, and a made bed turned this room from a disaster area into a beautiful shared sleeping and workspace.
From Playroom Disaster To Posh Playground For Your Children
Let's be honest for a moment and realize that this immaculate after photo probably ended up more like the before photo within a few hours. Kids love to make a mess but this mom did a great job re-organizing her children's playspace. There may be hope for this gorgeous playroom because mom added a ton of storage. Teach your kids that every toy has a special place to be stored and you might just win the constant battle of toys versus living space. Either way, this mom did a great job by turning a disaster area into a really pretty and well-thought-out spot for her kids.
The Garage That Didn't Store Vehicles
What's the point of having a garage if you can't store your vehicle inside? If you have baby strollers, table saws, a ton of tools, and other everyday items floating around in your garage, this is probably a familiar sight. The solution? Buy a bunch of storage shelves and tuck away each item in a designated spot. This is not a cheap decluttering project but you could save your vehicle from harsh weather, theft, and general outdoor wear and tear. Need more storage space in your garage? Check out the cool overhead space this garage features.
All The Shelving!!!
If you have a very small space and a lot of stuff to store the easiest trick is to build up instead of out. Shelving is inexpensive, easy to install, and convenient for displaying all of your materials. Check out the incredibly messy office on the left and then compare it to the office space on the right. You might need a stepstool to retrieve some items but the lack of a messy desk will make up for that extra step.
Choosing The Right Furniture For Your Cluttered Space
If your current home office is cluttered and you can't get it under control it might be time for a new desk and other furniture. The previous desk in this space offered no shelving and took up too much of the room with unusable areas. A new desk with included shelves and built-in file cabinets allows items that are not being used in the moment to be stored out of sight. Building a floating desk or finding a better storage solution is a great way to go from the before to after photos in this expertly developed example. Watch some of your stress melt away when you have a clean and organized space to work in.
Sometimes Simple Solutions Can Get Rid Of Your Clutter
Believe it or not, all of that clutter around your home can be fixed by stepping back and finding simple solutions. This declutter job only required three small containers that served as organizers for clutter that was left hanging out in bags on the floor of the space. Take anything you don't need access to and store it elsewhere. The main goal of decluttering isn't to keep everything in one place all of the time. Think about your goals for the space and then organize it so functionality is at the heart of what you are attempting to accomplish.
This Person Is Probably Great At Tetris
If you look closely at the before and after photos of this cluttered space you'll notice that nothing was added to create more workable space. Instead, this person took what we like to call the "Tetris approach" to clutter organization. Simply look at the containers you have available, place similar shaped items together, and you'll soon find lost items at a much faster pace. Clutter is oftentimes the result of attempting to quickly put down items without thought about where they will fit best and how easy they will be to find at a later time. Think of every clutter job as a game of Tetris and you'll be in much better shape.
Every Garage Needs Lots Of Shelf Space
We already offered one garage that used expensive new shelving to organize a cluttered space. If you don't want to spend money on professional storage space you can always install cheaper but still reliable shelves. This decluttered space in Japan was in serious need of a facelift. Once the job was completed there was still plenty of room for a vehicle and lots of workable space for those times when a task needs to be completed. A hugely cluttered space might look like an impossible task but it's really just a fun challenge that can be incredibly rewarding when finished.
Store Your Stuff In Inventive Ways
When you don't want to get rid of stuff in your home there's always the option to store items in inventive ways. In a garage, it's typically pretty easy to place bikes and other items on the ceiling with hooks. Catalog what you need to store and then place those items wherever they make the most sense for your own needs. Of course, you can avoid this need to declutter completely if you constantly remind yourself that the garage isn't just a big storage unit for your junk. A few hours and you can go from disaster area to clean and welcoming.
Hidden Storage Space To The Rescue
One of the best-kept secrets of decluttering is to hide items you don't need all the time in places that are showcased in plain sight. This room was partially decluttered by replacing a simple coffee table with a unit that can store items that are not needed. Moving around large furniture can also open up a space so it appears less cluttered even when the same number of objects are stored or displayed in the room. Sometimes the easiest solutions make decluttering a simple task with an awesome outcome.
There's An Entire Industry Based On Closet Decluttering
If we've learned one thing after researching closet decluttering it's that shelving is the key to success. You can use wire shelving, wood shelving or even place a dresser right inside of your closet in order to maximize space. If multiple people are sharing a closet the trick is to leave no space empty. From how you hang your clothes to where you store shoes and accessories, it all makes a difference when your closet is being overtaken by the clothes you wear on a daily or even seasonal basis. This closet organizing expert proves that even the messiest of closets can look amazing when decluttered.
Bedrooms Have A High Potential For Clutter
Bedrooms become easily cluttered because of the functional spaces that can exist. From the bed you sleep on to the storage space for your favorite books, toys and other objects, there are so many things that can become cluttered. Throw in a closet and all of a sudden you're living in a room that looks like something out of hoarders. The trick with a good bedroom decluttering is to focus on each space individually. Clean off and make your bed, pick up random items around the room, and then tackle that closet which has been storing not only your clothes but also a ton of random items for probably way too long. In the end, you could see results like this person experienced.
Decluttering Your Fridge With The Necessities
How many times have you gone searching through your refrigerator in the middle of the night for food only to realize there is a two-month-old package of salami or three-week-old Chinese food hidden in the back? Here's a simple tip to declutter your fridge, throw away any expired items and get rid of food and condiments you are never going to use. Move all of your staples to the front of the fridge and place similar items together. When you have less food in your fridge you'll find you're not stacking day-after-day of leftovers. We know some people don't have time to visit their local grocery on a regular basis but a little minimization can go a long way in decluttering your fridge.
The Small Bathroom Dilemma
We understand that many people spend a portion of their day in their bathroom. With that being said, is there anything worse than going into the room where you are supposed to get clean only to stand in a disgusting cluttered space. This person managed to declutter their bathroom by removing tables that were getting in the way and storing other less used items in the sink cabinet where they belong. Your bathroom should be on of the most functional rooms in your home because you are going to use it in some capacity every single day of the week. Doesn't the after photo look a lot more pleasing?
Closet Decluttering Can Be Very Simple
Add a shoe rack, remove all the stuff hanging from the back side of your closet door, and figure out what you want to keep and how to store it. That really is the simple process for getting your closet under control. If you can afford some shelving and other types of storage space that's your best bet for creating closet space that won't drive you crazy when looking for that one missing sock or that pair of shoes you absolutely must wear on your special night out. It's not an exact science but closet organizing is definitely a fun game you can challenge yourself with when the clutter becomes too much.