Five ways to ease into decluttering in 2021

Overlooked expiry dates

While we are extra cautious about the expiry dates of substances entering our body, we are negligent about the things that touch our skin. Like many of us, you may also be storing away face masks and citrusy lotions for special occasions, only to be used once a month at best. To ensure that a beauty product is still safe to use, check the expiry date along with the 'Period After Opening' date which is usually printed inside a jar icon on containers.

Like with like

One of the most effective ways to declutter is to tackle the source of it all, the habit of cluttering itself.  Storing similar items together will not only help you cut back on future purchases which do nothing but take up space, it will also make it easier to find things you would usually spend hours looking for, such as paper clips or batteries.

Someday traps

One of the biggest obstacles to decluttering is the 'someday' fallacy. Everyone has vases and chairs they plan to fix one day, but fail to ever get around to repair. Set personal deadlines. If the coffee mug you once adored has been fragmented for over six months, it is time to throw it out. If the used wallpaper you got attached to with the earthy tones has been waiting for years to be useful again, it is time to recycle it.

Hidden storage

Labelled baskets can be put under the sink in bathrooms to store products used sporadically in order to free up vanity space. Racks can be mounted on the back of pantry doors to store extra spices. The empty area below beds can be used to store clothes only worn during winter.

Baby steps

Lastly, remember that it is more beneficial to slowly incorporate decluttering habits into your lifestyle instead of going overboard with it just to burn out. Instead of deciding to declutter your entire bedroom in a day, leave just one cupboard in your to-do list. Alternately, you may choose to only declutter and discard a specific type of item at a time, such as disposable utensils.

Photo: Collected