For many people, a messy home is stressful. Even if your home looks neat and tidy, there may be messes lurking in closets and drawers. Wherever the mess in your home is, there are two steps to getting it under control.

Declutter

Clearing out all the stuff you don’t need often feels overwhelming. Fortunately, coming up with a strategy makes the job much easier.

First, decide how you are going to categorize your stuff as you go through it. The following categories work for most homes:

• Keep
• Trash
• Donate
• Repair

Find bins for each category. If you have a big clean-out job at hand, you may need to use dumpsters for junk removal Cincinnati and other large bins. If you decide to use trash bags instead of bins, label the bags so you don’t get them mixed up.

Many people hang on to things they don’t need because they worry about possibly needing it someday. Ask yourself if you have used the item within the last six months. If the answer is no, it is probably safe to get rid of the item.

If you put things in the repair bin, make sure you have a plan for actually getting it repaired. If you have difficulty parting with sentimental items, consider taking pictures of the items before throwing them away or donating them. The pictures give you something to hold on to, but they do not take up as much space.

Organize

After you clean out, it is time to organize everything that you decided to keep. It is important to strategize during this step. Tackle one area at a time. Find or make a home for every item. If necessary, label drawers or bins so that you know where the items are. Keep the items you use most often within easy reach.

Maintaining a tidy home is difficult, but don’t despair. If you first get rid of everything you do not need, you will have a much easier time keeping it all organized.