Easy Decluttering: Just Count to 10 and You're Done!

Decluttering. Does that very word make you shudder? Let's all take a soothing, deep breath and then read Declutter by Counting to 10. Ten a day, and your piles and clutter will be dealt with in no time. Less stress, now that is more like it!

PS. Post a comment - what are YOU currently trying to declutter? For me, it's my basket of 'catch-all' mail, bills, flyers, and other assorted papers. Off I go to tackle just 10 for the day...

Decluttering? Send old clothes where they're needed

I just received a wonderful email from a No Hassle Housecleaning reader. We all get so gung-ho (and rightly so!) about decluttering, but sometimes we forget that there are people who can really use our old items. Next time you have a pile of clothes to give away, remember this idea from Deborah.

"you mentioned giving away clothing to charities...
please list any nursing homes in your area...I work at one (nurse) and some of the people have very little clothing.
I took a huge trash sack full of gently worn clothing up there, and you would have thought it was Christmas!!!
they were all so pleased to have "new" stuff."

Today: Declutter your Bag

Ready, set...go to it! When you're done, come report back and tell us all how many pieces you de-junked from your bag, backpack, briefcase, whatever. Try not to get sidetracked and just get rid of the junk that's loading you down - literally - every day.

Piles and Piles of Books - Reducing Book Clutter

Now this is one subject I completely and fully understand! For the past 10-15 years I've become quite a book collector. I have books on travel, tons of great novels, cookbooks, photography books, old textbooks, books on writing...and the list goes on (and on and on and on, to be perfectly honest.)

If you love books, you'll understand this predicament. So -- add to your Weekly Clean for All list: "Book decluttering!" Yes, the exclamation point is probably necessary in this case. As you do with all your decluttering chores, make separate piles:

• Books to Keep
• Books to Give Away (to charities, friends, whomever. Remember that nice books make beautiful gifts -- and you won't have to spend an additional penny!)
• Books to Sell

Ah ha, yes you read that last bullet correctly - you can SELL your books and make a nice little chunk of change! I did some research on selling books online, and came up with a number of ideas for you, on how to turn a pile of books you no longer need into a little much-needed padding for your wallet!

1. Sell books on eBay - This is the old standby, and years ago I used to do this when I needed a little extra moola! You'll get an especially good end price, of course, if your book is in demand, or a rare edition.
2. cash4books.net - An online book store that buys your books. It seems to have a fairly good reputation - if anyone has firsthand experience, please post a comment.
3. eCampus.com - An online campus bookstore that buys back used textbooks. You can make a lot of money if you have textbooks that are in demand. So if you have scholarly friends, offer to help them with decluttering THEIR books and then split the profits. :)
4. Sell books closer to home - Within a ten block radius of my home I likely have at least 2 or 3 used book stores. Go in and talk to the owner and see what kind of deal you can get for your old books.
5. Last but not least - garage sales. You won't make a lot of money selling your books at a garage sale, but at least you'll get rid of the clutter. Most people seem to pile those books into a box and label them at either a buck or a quarter a piece. Hey, at least your books will find a good home, and someone else will read and enjoy them.

Back to the Decluttering:

Take one area at a time to declutter your piles of books. For instance, if your Focus Room cleaning area today is the den, then take a few minutes to work on one or two bookshelves, separating the books into the categories listed above (sell/give away/keep). You'll be surprised that a few minutes of work, done often, can really reduce book - and all other types of - clutter! Happy decluttering to you, slobbos!

Reader Poll - What is the ONE Area of Your Home You want to De-Clutter?

In an attempt to get more organized and declutter more often, I'd like to hear from all of you on this question:

What area(s) of your home do you want to declutter? What are your biggest organizing challenges? Would regular email organizing tips help you stay focused on your organizing/decluttering goals?

Please post a comment on the blog OR email me at christina@happyslob.com and let me know your answers! Thanks for participating everyone. :)

Totally Decluttering Problem Areas - Uncluttering Tips

I know, I know...decluttering can somedays feel like a bad word. Why? Because we are so NOT in the mood to cope with the disaster areas in our homes, such as messy closets. Today, we're going to tackle one of those areas, and as is always the case, we'll do it quickly and without a lot of muss and fuss.

1. Choose the 1 problem area that is ANNOYING and AGGRAVATING you the most
2. Set the timer - hopefully for 10 minutes or more.
3. Go CRAZY on the clutter. Be a bit relentless - set aside things that you 1) Need 2)Don't Need or 3)Will Give Away
4. For the allotted time, work like a madwoman on the clutter. Once the timer rings, you can stop, but you might find that you want to quickly finish the job.
5. Throw away or recycle the things in the Don't Need pile
6. Get rid of the 'Give Away' things as soon as humanly possible
7. The things you 'need' (make sure you really do need them and will use them) will get put back in a tidier way.

After this decluttering session, you might notice why your place gets so cluttered in the first place - a lack of space, or maybe a lack of organization. So, once you've decluttered an area, you might need to go out and purchase something to help you keep that space less cluttered from here on out. Examples: Storage units, shelving, or storage boxes.

:) How did you guys do? If you successfully did this decluttering session, then DON'T be shy! Post a comment below and let all happy slobs everywhere know how you did...Bravo, everyone!