By Margarita Cossuto
The arrival of winter often means spending more time indoors to avoid the cold weather, which is the perfect time to do things inside. If you need an activity that is productive and rewarding, I’ve got a few decluttering projects for you and your family. The process of decluttering involves removing unnecessary items from an overcrowded place – this means eliminating clutter, which is anything that you do not use, do not like, or do not have a place for in your home. So, what better time to begin decluttering than the present! I’ll outline a few projects that you can do this winter.
Take stock of your pantry: Considering that you may be preparing more meals at home during the winter, the cold-weather months provide the ideal time to go through your pantry shelves to see what foods have expired or become inedible. To start, have some boxes handy to put items into when you remove them because the best way to declutter any space is to take everything out. Temporarily putting food in boxes, for example, can help so that you don’t have loose items all over the floor or table while you are decluttering. As you empty your space, categorize as you go. For example, one empty box can be for food that has expired or food that has gone bad and needs to be tossed. Another box can be for canned food and another for boxed goods. Also, set aside non-perishable items that you know you will not eat and consider donating them to an organization looking for canned goods. Once you have your groupings of food items (e.g., cereals, spices, condiments), use bins and labels to organize them in your pantry.
Declutter your medicine supply: Have you ever purchased a bag of cough drops only to find later an unopened bag that was buried underneath something else? This can easily happen when there is too much of anything and when items are not organized. Seeing that the cold and flu season is upon us, now is an excellent time to check your medicine supply and dispose of anything that is past its expiration date. Discarding expired items is one of the easiest and quickest ways to jumpstart decluttering. When discarding expired or unused medications, keep in mind that they can generally be disposed of by your local pharmacist. Also, be sure to remove the label with your name on it to protect your privacy. When putting the medicine you’re keeping back into your cabinet or drawers, organize your supplies based on symptoms so that you don’t have to dig through a pile of medications when you have a sore throat or are looking for vitamins to ward off a cold.
Tackle sentimental items: Sentimental items are one of the most challenging things to let go of because seeing objects trigger us to relive stories. This is one of the main reasons why it is easier to box up kid’s childhood drawings, toys, and clothes than to give them away because of all the memories. If you have college-aged kids who are home for the holidays, winter is the perfect time to have them go through bins of their childhood items that are stored in the house. Sorting through bins of sentimental items can be a great family activity as well since seeing things that you haven’t come across in a long time is likely to elicit many conversations and stories. When going through sentimental items, encourage your family to ask themselves why they are keeping an item and what purpose it serves. If your kids have a lot of old toys, encourage them to keep their favorites and sell or donate the rest. A great way to keep the memory of the item, without actually keeping it, is to take a picture and give the item to someone who can use it.
Purge paper: We all tend to have so much paper in our homes, and it can quickly and easily accumulate, especially in large families. While there is some paper we need to keep, such as tax documents, medical records, and schoolwork, a lot of the other paper around the house can likely be shredded or recycled. Since going through paper can be an arduous and time-consuming, consider reviewing them while watching TV or listening to music. Once you know which documents you are keeping, organize them in binders by category or file them in a cabinet or file box for easy access.
During the winter, take a good look at the items you use and don’t use. Use the extra time you have indoors to walk around your house and figure out what items you own that are either no longer needed, expired, or don’t belong in the place they are. Not only does decluttering make a space tidy, but it can provide you with a sense of control and order.
