Declutter Each Room In Your Home In The Correct Order With These Tips

When organizing a room in your home, you want to start small so you can clean and declutter even when you're overwhelmed by a mess. And once you get the hang of things, you can tackle bigger areas with confidence. However, you want to ensure that you aren't turning other rooms more chaotic while clearing out an area. For instance, one of the best ways to declutter your bedroom is to remove any and all items that don't belong there. So, when you remove the chairs you brought in from your living room, the books you got in from your home office, and the dirty laundry taking up precious square footage, make sure you do it responsibly or these spaces will turn messy in no time.

To ensure you organize each room in the correct order, we got in touch with Jamie Hord, founder of Horderly Professional Organizing, who offered some important tips. Emphasizing the importance of organizing rooms in order, she says in her exclusive interview with House Digest, "Organizing can create what we call a domino effect, so when you organize one space, it usually leads into another space. Making sure that you understand this before getting started, and setting aside the proper time to get through all areas [is necessary]." Although this means more work for you, there's an added benefit you can be certain of: "Organizing one space isn't leading to more chaos in another space." So, always have a plan ready whenever you feel like organizing a room in your home.

While the order in which you clean out and organize your rooms will depend on you, remember that each of your steps will have an impact on other areas of your home. This will especially matter for spaces that witness high traffic. Sharing her views on this, Hord divulges in her House Digest exclusive, "Keep in mind that some rooms really affect the entire flow of a home. For example, the entrance can clog up everything from the start of your home, the kitchen can affect cooking and efficiency overall of your daily routines and laundry rooms can stall getting laundry done." And if you're thinking of tackling a room zone-by-zone, don't forget that your decisions will affect the areas you've already decluttered or are yet to start on.

Does this seem like too much work in one-go? Hord has some tips up her sleeve. "I would recommend starting with an easier space that can give you a quick momentum that will encourage you to keep going and do more," she says. The small wins will accumulate over time and give you a high unlike any other, encouraging you to tackle more messy spots. Wondering where to start? "Some examples would be the entryway, a junk drawer, or your dresser drawers," she illustrates. So, look around your house and pick a spot that seems like it won't take up your entire day. "Don't start with an area that is too stressful or emotional that you'll end up giving up the entire project," warns our expert.

Simply being cognizant of how your decluttering efforts will impact another room or space isn't enough if you're planning on organizing your entire home over time. To help you out, Hord shares a few additional tips in her House Digest exclusive. "Declutter before you organize and organizing products should be implemented last, once you know how much you are storing and where," she tells us. It might also be a good idea to shop for bins, baskets, and other solutions after you figure out what you'll house in each and where you'll place them.

Another tip is to get everything out in the open. "Do a full pull out and sort when decluttering so that you can see how much you have of each item. You might not know that you've accumulated so much of something and this will make your decision easier once you see how much you have of that one category and you can easily compare items," adds our expert. Besides, this tip will help you avoid a common mistake everyone makes when organizing their closet. Finally, there's something you should bear in mind to avoid your hard work from going to waste. "Follow the 1-in-1 out rule," recommends Hord, adding, "When you bring something new in, replace it with something old. This will help keep your space easily paired down and maintained." And if you're having trouble getting your home under control, our expert has a tip. "I highly encourage working with a professional in order to get where you want to fast," concludes Hord.