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5 Reasons Now is the Best Time to Declutter

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Shifrah Combiths
Shifrah Combiths
With five children, Shifrah is learning a thing or two about how to keep a fairly organized and pretty clean house with a grateful heart in a way that leaves plenty of time for the people who matter most. Shifrah grew up in San Francisco, but has come to appreciate smaller town…read more
published Feb 4, 2018
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Open living room with white sofa, wooden armchair, hanging pans, and cozy decor.
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Clearing clutter out of our physical spaces, and therefore out of our lives, has the power to refresh the space in our heads. While this alone makes any time a good time to declutter, there’s something about this time of year that puts us all in the mood to cozy up, buckle down and start over.

1. You’re at home anyway

Whether you’re stuck indoors because of frigid temperatures, freezing rain or a dusting of snow that shut down your north Florida city for half a day (raises hand), weather-prompted time at home is the perfect time to tackle one of those decluttering projects on your list. You’re not missing anything or wasting beautiful weather, and by checking things off your list now, you can go on a conflict-free outing when it warms up a bit and the sunshine calls your name.

2. You’re at home

Yes, I said it again; that’s not a typo. There’s nothing like spending a lot of time in your house to make you realize how much stuff you have and how much work it is to put it away in the same stuffed cabinets over and over. It can be downright suffocating. You’ll be itching to clean out some space and doing it will make you breathe easier for the rest of winter.

3. You’ll keep that fresh-start mentality going

Whether you love making resolutions or not, there’s just something in the air when a new year is beginning. Whether you’ve stuck to your goals or not, you can channel all that atmospheric energy around you into a fresh start and clean slate for your home.

4. Storage items are on sale

Don’t forget the professional organizer’s rule of not buying containers until you’ve already purged and sorted. But once you’re ready to store, should you need new or matching containers, you’ll probably find them on sale this time of year. And don’t forget to keep an eye on your usual haunts for President’s Day sales on home goods and organizers.

5. You’ll be ready to clean when spring cleaning comes around

By shedding excess before it’s time to spring clean, you won’t spend your time fiddling and sorting with things that really don’t belong in your home anymore. You can spend your cleaning time actually deep cleaning. Not to mention a pared down space is easier to clean. Picture yourself dusting bookshelves that display only your most cherished books instead of shelves crammed with two layers of books, papers you haven’t put away, and all the little tchotchkes you haven’t gone through yet. Sounds peaceful.