Many of us are living in homes which are too small for our families or which are full of stuff which takes up a lot of space. Living like this can be incredibly claustrophobic and can present practical problems and even affect mental health. Clearing some of the stuff out of your house can breathe new life into a home and enable you to live comfortably even in a small space. When you have a lot of stuff piled up, it can be a daunting task to even get started.
To help everyone out there who is looking for ways to increase their living area, here are 6 easy steps to freeing up space in your home.
1. Separate Your Possessions into 3 Piles
The first thing you need to do in order to free up space in your home is to carefully consider whether you actually need everything you own. The best way to do this is by separating all of your possessions into three piles: things you need now, things you may need at a later time, things you don’t need at all. This can be very difficult for some people to do as it is easy to get attached to things and think, “Well, I haven’t used this for a while but I am certain to need it at some point.” You need to be a little ruthless about which piles you put things in, particularly when you only have limited space. This is the first step to living minimally which has become very popular in recent years with more and more people trying to simplify their lives and homes. Be honest with yourself about what you actually need and commit to freeing yourself of superfluous possessions.
2. Throw Away, Sell or Donate Everything You No Longer Need
Once you have separated your items into three piles, the next thing to do is to rid yourself of all the things in your “don’t need at all pile”. This will actually require you to make three new piles so that you can get rid of your things in the best way possible. Make four piles of things you can sell, things you can donate, things you can recycle, and things that you will have to throw away. There are many online marketplaces such as eBay and Craigslist where you can sell barely used items and clothes which are still in good condition. Similarly, you can take these items to a local charity shop which will be able to sell them to someone who needs them more than you do and then donate the money to a worthy cause. Anything which cannot be sold or donated will need to be recycled or thrown in the trash. Hopefully, the trash pile is the smallest of the piles because we all need to reduce the amount of trash we are producing globally.
3. Store Away Everything Which You Don’t Need Right Now
Once you have rid yourself and your home of everything you don’t need, you need to store away all of the items which you aren’t using now but which you will need in the future. The best place to do this is in your garage as it will keep those items out of your home and provide you with a bigger living space. However, smaller homes often have smaller garages, so you may need to assess the storage facilities in your garage. There are various options available to help increase your garage’s storage capacity and this Overhead Garage Storage Made USA is one solution that may come in handy. They enable you to store items high up so that there is more space below for further storage. Make sure to utilize every square inch of your garage so that you can pack in as much as possible.
4. Purchase Multi-Use Furniture
Buying the right furniture can help to free up a lot of space because these days there are many pieces which act both as traditional furniture and as storage. Look out for sofas that have removable seats with storage underneath, or if you live in a studio apartment where space is really tight, buy a sofa bed so that you can sit on it to watch TV during the daytime and fold it out to sleep at night. Always keep storage in mind when purchasing any furniture and make sure you limit yourself to small, practical pieces, regardless of design.
5. Think Vertically
While your home may not have much floor space, all homes have more space than you may realize when you start thinking vertically. Turn a whole bedroom wall into a floor-to-ceiling set of shelves and you will be amazed at just how much you can fit comfortably into your bedroom. If you have a lot of books, this is a perfect way to create your own home library. Full-size bedroom closets with shelves the whole height of the room are also excellent storage solutions, particularly if you have an extensive wardrobe.
6. Store Your Things Inventively
The final step to freeing up extra space in your home is to think inventively when it comes to storage solutions. We have all seen the amazing pictures of how people have utilized the spaces under their staircases for everything from a wine rack to a seating area. Look at the features of your home and be creative in order to squeeze every last square inch of storage space out of everyone. The cumulative result of everything combined will help you to declutter your home and give you significantly more space to live.
Freeing up space in your home can be difficult but the difference it can make to your quality of life is significant. By getting rid of things you will never use and putting other items into storage, you will be halfway on the journey to a less cluttered home and life. After that, carefully consider every piece of furniture and storage solution so that you can maximize all the available space. Follow these 6 easy steps and you will be able to rescue so much space from clutter.
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