If you have too much stuff and too little space, this article is for you!
Most people would like to live a simpler life. However, chaos often prevents everyone from attaining the order they desire. Now, don’t fret because I will help you learn how to organize cluttered rooms.
Owning too many things can make everyday life much more stressful. Still, people hang onto excess, not sure if they will need it later or not. And that’s how their rooms become overwhelmed by clutter.
That being said, let’s learn how to declutter a room with a lot of things.
How To Organize A Room With Too Much Stuff?
If you’re living in a small home and your rooms have too much stuff, better storage and advice on how to declutter your space can change your life.
As daunting as cleaning a room full of everything may seem, a little effort, patience, and basic tools such as boxes, shelves, and hangers, can go a long way.
Start with something simple like making your bed or throwing your dirty clothes in the washing machine. Then, follow the next tips for a deeper clean.
Make your bed
As I already stated, it’s a good idea to start with something small like making your bed. First, remove the things that don’t belong on your bed. Then, put some clean sheets and take the old ones to your laundry room. Arrange your pillows nicely and tuck the bedsheets in neatly.
In case you have a lot of pillows and blankets, remove the ones that you don’t need or use regularly and leave only your favorites that make you feel the most comfortable.
Wash dirty clothes
Wash everything dirty lying around your home together with the dirty bed sheets and pillowcases. If you want to leave this task for after you’re done with everything, use a dirty clothes hamper.
Purchase a dirty clothes hamper if you don’t already have one. It can help you keep your clothes off your floor and other surfaces. Meaning, you will have a secure spot for your dirty laundry.
Hang and put away clean clothes
Clothes can take a lot of space when they’re unfolded or hung up the right way. So, I would suggest that you organize your closet if necessary. Hang up anything you tried on but didn’t put away.
If you have clothes that you don’t wear anymore, donate them or gift them to someone you know who’s struggling at the moment. Now, it’s time for the big and more complicated cleaning tasks.
Create a “To Do” list
I always make a “To Do” list whenever something feels overwhelming. And I believe a room that has too much stuff can seem overwhelming to clean. Therefore, I highly suggest that you make a list.
As you go through the list and strike through the cleaning tasks, you will feel accomplished. Walk around the room you want to declutter and write down everything that needs to be done right away.
That way, you will also notice the tools that you’re missing for cleaning and organizing purposes such as boxes, bigger laundry hampers, or trash bags. The list can help you accomplish your goals easily.
Having bigger tasks divided into smaller tasks can help you declutter without feeling overwhelmed. Not to mention the feeling you will experience, every time you cross a task off your list.
Start with the most annoying spot
Another thing I would suggest is that you start with a spot that annoys you the most when cleaning your room. For instance, the chair where you dump everything or the bedside table covered with too many books, bills, magazines, or other papers.
Set a timer for 15 minutes and deal with that annoying space. You will feel better once that annoying spot is finally clean!
Cross things off as you go and take a deep breath!
First and foremost, remember that some things will take longer while others will take a minute to clean. So, don’t stress and take your time. Take a deep breath!
Depending on the condition of your area, it can take days or even weeks of consistent work to declutter. However, slow and consistent work is better than no work or working hard for a few days, then burning out, giving up without finishing the job, and feeling miserable.
If you’re reading this guide and cleaning along the way, cross off tasks you’ve already done. Determine a starting point besides the annoying spot you’ve already tackled. Some people begin with the floor space or flat surfaces, then move to storage pieces, bookshelves, trash, etc.
Others like to start decluttering the wall space or entryways and work their way through. Select whatever approach works for you and apply the following organizing tips as you go!
Gather and label plastic or cardboard boxes
Grab at least 3 boxes and one trash bag. If you have a bigger room, grab more boxes and trash bags. You can use cardboard moving boxes or plastic boxes.
I highly recommend that you use plastic boxes because they offer better durability and unlike cardboard boxes, they won’t crack open if someone kicks the box or picks it up the wrong way.
Then, mark each box with labels such as “KEEP/PUT AWAY”, “SELL/DONATE”, “TRASH”, and “STORAGE”, so you don’t accidentally mistake one for the other.
The “KEEP/PUT AWAY” box
This box should have items that you use every day or every week that need to be put away in their right place. If whatever you need to keep belongs to the area you’re decluttering, you can place them where they belong immediately. Sort the rest of the items accordingly.
The “SELL/DONATE” box
You can fill this box with valuable things that you no longer use and want to sell or donate. It’s tempting to want to donate everything you don’t need.
However, evaluate if other people will be able to use your old things first. If something is broken, ripped, or stained, consider recycling or tossing instead.
The “TRASH” box
The box for trash is pretty self-explanatory. However, remember, some people might get pretty annoyed when they can’t find storage and discard everything in the trash can.
Therefore, consider if your things can or should be donated before adding them to this box. Items in bad condition should be recycled or tossed.
For instance, that broken coffee mug you’ve been meaning to glue back together for the last few weeks belongs in the trash box.
The “STORAGE” box
One thing I really want to mention is that if you’re not in the state of mind to get rid of things you don’t need anymore, you can fill up this box pretty quickly.
However, if you’re determined to get rid of clutter, this box should contain anything you can’t part with at the moment but don’t need on a daily or weekly basis.
For instance, you can place your seasonal clothing or seasonal décor in this box. Find a spot for this box during the offseason (I have listed storage ideas below).
Empty the boxes and repeat!
Once you top up your boxes, take some time to empty them before going back to the cleaning area. For instance, take out the trash immediately.
Then, store the things you want to put out for a garage or yard sale in your garage temporarily or in the office to sell on Craigslist or eBay. Place the things you want to donate in a cardboard box that’s already in your vehicle and ready to be dropped off.
Sort out the other two boxes accordingly. If you don’t know where to put certain items, store them in a basement, attic, or storage unit temporarily.
As I already explained above, the things you need to keep should be placed in their appropriate spots. If you skip this step, you will just make new piles of clutter. Eventually, you will get back to the sell and storage things to organize them further.
However, for now, get back to the room you’re cleaning and repeat the process. You can also toss items that you’re no longer using like kids’ beds.
When they’re away at college, they no longer need their bed. However, if you’re unsure if they will need their old bed back, rent a storage unit.
Evaluate every item in your room
One last tip I have for you when determining what to keep or discard is asking yourself questions about each item in your room. For instance, does a certain item have a sentimental value?
Perhaps it was a special gift from someone you loved or holds a special memory. If so, you probably lean towards holding onto it. However, consider giving it a dedicated spot in your room.
Another question you should be asking is about the condition of certain items. If they’re broken, they’re probably no longer useful to you, so it may be time to just throw them in the garbage.
Also, ask yourself if you have utilized certain items in the last 6 months. If not, you probably won’t need them anytime soon, so you can donate or sell them and get some of your money back.
If you decide to sell whatever you don’t utilize anymore, ask yourself, what else can you sell. See stuff in a money-making sense. If you can pocket a few bucks by selling stuff on, why not?
Hang wall shelves
Instead of tables or nightstands, you can hang shelves and use them for organizing random stuff. Long shelves make perfect bookshelves, for instance.
If your closet is full of storage containers, determine if you still need everything. Toss, donate or sell the things you don’t need or haven’t used in a while.
Use under-bed storage
If your bed allows it, you can place storage units underneath. That way, your room will remain organized and look bigger. You can either use plastic bins or fabric drawers and store extra bedding, clothes, collections, or other things that you don’t have space for under your bed.
Buy over-the-door hanging organizers
I would also recommend that you buy over-the-door hanging organizers. You can decide what you want to keep on your door. Most people hang shoe racks on their doors.
However, you can store many different things in your over-the-door organizer. If you think you will hang clothes, buy a collapsible clothesline and make your life a lot easier.
Hang your TV on the wall for more space
If you have a TV in the room that you’re decluttering, you can purchase a hanging device and hang your TV on the wall. That way, it will be out of the way and your room will look bigger. You will also get a free space where you can put organizational shelves or other things.
For instance, you can add a cabinet and store your boxes of seasonal clothes and seasonal décor inside. You can also add a new desk with drawers and store away your smaller items. I would recommend that you also hang all your framed images on the wall and save space.
Clean regularly
Decluttering isn’t the most important part of the process. If you don’t establish a cleaning routine and keep your house organized, you will get back to square one. Meaning, you will have to declutter again.
To prevent this from happening, make a plan on how to keep your room or home, in general, organized in the future. I suggest that you clean at least once a week or every second week.
Check for clutter often and have your “keep, sell, donate, store, or toss” mindstate at all times. Also, try to avoid utilizing unfilled drawers and clean surfaces as quick fixes to cleaning up.
Finally, make sure your things always find their way back to their right spots. I would also suggest having a deep clean once a year. Also, give your home a makeover occasionally.
Rent a storage unit for extra storage space
Lastly, I would suggest renting out a storage unit for all those things you want to keep but there’s not enough space inside your home.
A storage unit is a perfect solution, providing extra storage space to accommodate things that you can’t part with or that you might need in the future like pieces of furniture.
You can also store your electrical appliances in a storage unit or anything bulkier that you can’t store at home. Renting out a storage unit costs money, but if you have a lot of stuff that you don’t know where to put, it’s a convenient solution that will save you a lot of space and headache.
Hire professionals
If you feel overwhelmed or believe that you need professional help in decluttering your room and becoming a more organized person, don’t feel ashamed. Not everyone has the time to declutter their living space, dining room, home office, or home, in general.
Therefore, it’s completely okay to ask for professional help whenever it’s necessary. However, what you need to do afterward is make a plan on how to keep your home organized and clean.
If you have friends or family who live with you inside your apartment or house, you can ask for their help as well, especially if you’re decluttering and cleaning more space, not just one room.
Also, don’t wait for the next season or next Monday to clean because this will only worsen the situation. Instead, start the process right away. Otherwise, you will end up with a lot more work.
Wrap Up
When organizing a room full of everything, even if you plan on handling it all in a single day, it’s easier to make it a longer project. I also suggest splitting bigger tasks into smaller ones.
Otherwise, you can get overwhelmed or bored and give it all up! If that happens, you can always ask for professional help. However, if you can handle it yourself, start with a “To Do” list.
Then, use this article for further guidance. Reserve some time for organizing the room, moving furniture around, and donating what you no longer need. Splitting out your tasks and time will make cleaning that room full of things a less scary task. I will also make you feel better about yourself.
Every time you cross over something on your “To Do” list, you will feel more confident. The “keep, store, donate, and toss” mindstate can help you a lot. It’s a common organizing practice.
Finally, make sure you recycle properly the things that can be recycled and discard trash the right way as well. What’s your opinion? Do you have any cleaning tips hidden in your sleeve?
If so, drop a comment below! Also, if you have any questions, express yourself in the comments. I’d love to hear what you have to say about this topic. Let’s continue the discussion!
