It doesn’t take long for a little bit of Clutter to turn into a lot and it can easily spread from one room throughout the entire house. By the time your whole house becomes cluttered with junk, wading through it seems like an insurmountable task. If you’re ready to declutter your home but you aren’t sure where to begin, here are some simple tips to get started.

1. Stop Clutter Before it Starts

There’s no sense in getting rid of the clutter in your house if you’re just going to accumulate more. Make a commitment here and now to stop bringing more junk into your home. Before you purchase anything, ask yourself whether you really need it or whether you can wait to purchase it. If you wait a week or two, you may find that you no longer want it anyway.

2. Visualize Your Home How You Want It

Before you actually get started in clearing out all that clutter, take the time to think about how you want your home to look. Having a vision of your home clean and clutter-free can be a source of motivation for you to keep at it even when you’re getting fed up. It will also help you prioritize. If you know you want to use that hall closet for something specific, having a plan can help you get there.

3. Gather Up Your Supplies Before You Start

Once you’re knee-deep in the cleaning process, the last thing you want is to have to make a run to the store to get more Trash Bags. Make sure you have all of your trash bags, boxes, and cleaning supplies together before you start so you don’t have to interrupt your groove once you get into it. You may also want to stock up on plastic storage bins and other storage solutions to help you organize the things you plan to keep.

4. Make a Plan and Stick to It

Depending on how bad things have gotten, you might not be able to declutter your whole home in a single session. For big jobs, it’s a good idea to break it down into smaller portions and make a plan for when you’re going to tackle each portion. Write it into your calendar and make sure you set aside time to get things done and actually do them!

5. Start with the Toughest Job First

The hardest part of any unpleasant task is getting started, so why not start with the hardest thing first? If you tackle the space that bothers you the most, you’ll feel great when it’s finally done and you’ll be that much more motivated to do the rest.

6. Don’t Be Too Sentimental

While clearing out clutter, you’re going to have to ask yourself some tough questions. Do you really need that box full of old greeting cards you’ve accumulated over the past twenty years? Are you ever actually going to get around to fixing that broken vacuum cleaner? For each item, ask yourself whether it has a purpose or whether it’s just adding to the clutter. If you need to, make piles of things to get rid of immediately, things to keep, and things to think about.

Dealing with clutter is never fun, but if you make a plan and really stick to it you can take your house from cluttered to clean in less time than you might imagine. So, put on those rubber gloves and get to work!