How to Declutter a Room

When it comes to cluttered rooms, my friend is the queen! She manages to mess up a room in less than an hour and can actually carry on with the mess and clutter for months. By messy and cluttered, I do not mean unclean.

The things are clean, just not kept in the right place. Like for instance, you won't find a stale slice of pizza lying around or things like that. But you can definitely find shoes lying out of the closet, and papers and files lying around as if a hurricane swept through her room.

It's just that she's not very fond of cleaning. But we had to set it right so we decided to take matters into our own hands. Read on for some tips that I shared with her which helped save her room.

The first step is to make the important decision of actually doing it. Pick a day that you're going to be home. Depending on the state of the room, you can decide how long you'll take. I'd keep an entire day for it. Of course, you may think it's very easy. But be warned, once you begin, there's no turning back.

You have to see the whole process through. Only then will you have the mental and physical satisfaction of having accomplished the task you set out to. Why am I making it sound like it's a battle? Because it is one, of sorts.

Once you've decided the date and time, you need to begin. Get big boxes and label them 'clothes', 'books', 'shoes', 'papers', 'miscellaneous', and 'trash'. Judge the number and size of the boxes that you'll need according to the stuff in your room. Then begin with the tedious task of separating everything in your room.

Sift through every little thing, and put it in the appropriate boxes. What you don't need, throw away directly into the 'trash' box! This is the perfect way to put an end to a hoarding habit that you may have.

Once you have all the stuff in your room boxed up, you need to do a double check. Check each box, for the things that you need and things you don't. Start with the clothes. Fold or hang all the clothes that you'll wear, in the closet.

Check for clothes that are torn, frayed, faded, out of style, etc. Throw the torn ones away, or cut pieces and design your own patchwork quilt later. The ones that you won't wear, but are in a wearable condition, keep separately for donating to a local charity. Next, get to the shoes. Out go the torn and broken ones.

Completely out if they are irreparable, and if they can be repaired, get them fixed right away! Next up, books. Get rid of the books that you're not going to need or read. Give them away to someone who will read them. File all the papers that lie scattered around, in separate files, according to what they are for.

Once you're done with all the boxes, it's time to begin with the resetting of your room. Give it a fresh new look by rearranging the furniture a bit. Change the direction of the bed, move the table near the window, change the spot where the mirror was.

Do any small thing to make your room look a little different than it was before. Put all your stuff back in the appropriate places. You'll be surprised how much more space you'll have in your closet and in your room!

All the stuff that you've decided to throw away should be thrown away ASAP. Get a friend to help you; she or he won't have an emotional attachment to the stuff and won't hesitate to throw it away instantly. Stuff that you can sell, have a garage sale. Other things that you've marked for donation need to be taken to the charity place at once, NOT made to sit in a box in the corner of the room or behind a door.

That was my take on how you can easily and properly declutter a room. Remember, clutter is an enemy you can defeat. It's easier than you think but can be a little time-consuming. So keep an entire day for it. Also, keep some fast food, some peppy music, and energy drinks at the ready!