Decluttering your home can be a big job, especially if you’ve lived in the same place for many years. It’s amazing how much we can accumulate over just a short period of time, and it’s important to clear it all out now and then, not only to make room for new things but to help boost our mental and physical health.
Too much clutter can detract from your home’s wellness and leave you feeling overwhelmed, anxious, and even depressed if it sticks around long enough. It can also make it difficult to concentrate, meaning the entire family can feel the negative effects. It’s important to set about decluttering in an eco-friendly way, however, to ensure that you aren’t throwing out things that could be put to good use elsewhere. With so many landfills already overflowing, it’s imperative for us all to do our part and keep recycling.
Keep reading for some great tips from Greenbook Design on how to declutter your home the eco-friendly way.
Donate Clothing
Most of us have one too many things in our closets, and cleaning them out could really help a family or child in need. Look online for programs near you that will get gently used clothing and shoes to foster families and women in children who are living in shelters. This is a great way to give back to your community and help declutter your home at the same time.
Keep Large Items Out of Landfills
Refrigerators, mattresses, and washers/dryers are all big items that take up a lot of space in a landfill, but they can be recycled if you know where to go. While most recycling centers won’t take mattresses because they don’t have the resources to break them down, there may be a carpenter near you who knows how to take one apart and use the individual pieces as scrap. Large appliances can be donated to a Habitat For Humanity store; look online to find the closest location to you.
Go Digital
Decluttering doesn’t necessarily mean throwing things away; you can downsize a bit by going digital with your photographs and scanning them onto the computer, allowing you to pack away the originals into safe storage to get them off the shelves in your home. You can also invest in a good thumb drive or external hard drive to keep the photos on, and use a digital photo frame so you can see all your favorite pics as a slideshow.
Choose the Right Cleaning Products
Decluttering and organizing often means cleaning the space up to get rid of dust, pet hair, and other debris. Look for green cleaning solutions for your windows, flooring, and furniture, such as a simple mixture of vinegar and hot water, and get to know some recipes for eco-friendly cleansers so you can keep up with the green way of life during your next round of cleaning.
Invest in a Good Vacuum
The right vacuum will have an adjustable height setting that allows you to clean any type of flooring, which will come in handy throughout the house as you’re getting things spic and span. Many vacuums these days also come with high-quality filters to keep dust and dander from flying back into the air, which means you and your family will stay healthy. There are even vacuums that have special attachments to rid your home of pet hair.
Extend Green Decluttering to Your Workplace
The benefits of eco-friendly decluttering clearly extend beyond you and your own home, so it makes sense to branch out into your workplace. If you’re fortunate enough to be the decision-maker at work, this might be as simple as enacting policies for your company. Or you could even take things a step further and move your business to a location that is especially friendly to green businesses.
If you aren’t in a position to enforce green decluttering practices, you can spruce up your own workstyle, and even consider approaching the powers that be about raising the bar in your workplace. Classy Career Girl recommends doing your research so you can make solid points, focusing on actionable steps and volunteering to lead the way for your team.
Decluttering your home may be a big job, but it doesn’t have to be a stressful one. With the right products and some careful planning, you can get your space organized and clean and help keep the environment safe while you do it.
If your kitchen or bathrooms feel hopelessly cluttered and disorganized, it might be time for a remodel that opens up more space and creates storage solutions. Greenbrook Design Kitchen & Bath Home Center can make all of your design dreams come true! Contact us today to start your project.
