How to Declutter Your Home Fast

Want to know How to Declutter Your Home Fast? Here's how to tackle clutter and keep your home neat and tidy once and for all! This post is brought to you by StorageMart. All opinions are my own.

Now that the year is coming to an end, I have one major thing on my mind: Getting my house back in order!

When we bought our home a few years ago, I intentionally downsized because I was tired of the clutter in our previous house. My thought was that if we lived in a smaller home, we’d accumulate less stuff. Oh, how wrong I was!

I don’t regret downsizing for a second, we really have no use for a huge house with a family of three, but I do need to deal with some of our extra “stuff”, especially once the holidays are over.

The thing is, a lot of our clutter is not junk. I have already gone through our home and purged everything we don’t need. What’s left has value, whether it’s monetary or sentimental.

How to Declutter Your Home

My easy solution for decluttering quickly, without throwing a single item away, is something I should have done ages ago—Renting a storage unit from StorageMart.

I know what you’re thinking… this is an easy way out.

You would be right, too! Renting a storage unit is an EASY way to declutter your home fast! But if you really stop and think about all those valuable items that you hold dear, there isn’t a better way to keep them safe, while reducing the clutter in your home, than storing them with StorageMart.

StorageMart is NOT a fly-by-night storage facility.

StorageMart President Cris Burnam was recently a guest on Modern Living with Kathy Ireland, and he made a comment that really speaks to the brand and its mission: StorageMart is "so clean it’s like an extension of your own home." You can see the full interview here: As Seen on Modern Living with kathy ireland®.

When it comes to storing my family’s beloved items, I want a self-storage environment that’s easy, clean, safe and climate-controlled. StorageMart ticks off all those boxes and then some.

StorageMart features include:

→ Rent with your smartphone
→ Drive-in loading bays (so you can avoid inclement weather)
→ Well-lit day and night
→ Automatic payments for stress-free storage
→ Video Monitoring
→ Gated Access

Plus, StorageMart prides itself on their low carbon footprint and they often up-cycle former industrial or commercial buildings to repurpose them into self-storage facilities.

A self-storage unit is an easy way to declutter your home fast, but that doesn’t mean you should get a bunch of boxes and throw in the clutter at random.

I suggest taking a weekend, or even a week if you need more time, to strategize how you want to utilize your self-storage unit...and finally declutter your home once and for all!

Tips for Decluttering Your Home

Get Rid of the Junk in your Home First

Hopefully, you’ve already completed this phase, but the very first thing you need to do to reduce clutter is get rid of the stuff you don’t want or need.

My family accomplished this by buying a large box for each person and putting them in the center of the living room. Then everyone went through their clothes and belongings and tossed anything they didn’t want, need or had a purpose. We then went through each box and sorted the items to trash or donate.

Sort and Organize into Storage Bins

After purging unneeded items, everything leftover should be something you love, need or has value.

Anything that doesn’t have a place, or as I like to call it, a home, should be properly sorted and secured in a labeled box or container.

I like the clear plastic storage bins with latches and will pay extra for this style because they are easy to move and hold up for a long time. If a box has breakables, make sure to label it FRAGILE. I recommend a jumbo Sharpie for writing on boxes and plastic storage bins.

This step is essential because it will keep you organized and reduces stress in the long run.

Clearly Label all Bins Keeping Like Items with Like Items

These boxes and storage bins will go into your new storage unit and should be easily accessible when you need to get something out of them.

Ideas for Storage Bins: Christmas/Holidays, Keepsakes (sorted by child), Winter Clothing, Sports Equipment, Glassware/China.

Create an Inventory List

The final step before moving your items into a storage unit is to make a list of everything going into it.

To stay ultra-organized, consider making two lists for the contents of every box. The first list can be taped to the outside of the storage bin to show the contents. The second list is to keep for your records at home.

→ Bonus points if you mark each box or storage bin with a number that corresponds to its list! For example, if you need Christmas decorations, you could mark those boxes 1, 2, 3… etc., and then also number the lists with the items in each box. This is especially useful if you need to find a single item fast!

How to Pack a Storage Unit

When it comes to putting your boxes in the storage unit, heavy boxes should go on the bottom. It’s also wise to keep an aisle open so you can walk in and easily see your storage bins with their labels and contents facing out.

If you have a lot of boxes, another idea is to create a map of where everything is. You can leave this inside the storage unit with your lists for the boxes and their items, or keep it at home in a binder.