Today we are going to clean up flat surfaces. It is just a fact that flat surfaces easily collect clutter. It is for this reason that I have refused for years to buy a kitchen table and I still do not have a coffee table. I just love empty floor space in the middle of a room. Anyway, cleaning up flat surfaces will be making a huge difference in the overall look of your house, since this contains all your visible clutter.
Most of your visitors never get to see the clutter in your bedroom closet, but they do notice when your sunglasses, car keys, mail etc is cluttering your hall table, and your kitchen counter does not only hold a bread machine that you never used, but also a full display of cans and bottles, groceries from last week, dishes from yesterday, cooking books, medicines, etc.
So, this will be a very satisfying step in decluttering your house. Take it one surface at the time. Choose if you want to start at your desk, kitchen counter, table, or a simple book shelf.
- Clear everything off the surface. In the case of your desk you can leave the computer, or in of the TV stand leave the TV. There is no need to risk dropping it. Just put everything on the floor next to it, even if it are your dirty dishes when you are cleaning the kitchen counter.
- Clean the surface. Wipe or scrub it down, depending on the surface.
- Have a look at your clean and uncluttered surface. Isn’t that beautiful. Learn to love the ‘empty look’.
- Now it is time for the hardest part of decluttering; sorting through the stuff. Everything that is not even remotely in the right place should be easy to remove. Mail and bills should not be at the hall table, paint and screwdrivers not on the kitchen counter, and your dishes not at your desk. Make decisions according to the sorting rules we learned yesterday and put items where they belong, throw them away or put them in an “awaiting verdict” box. (wipe everything off as you go)
- With only a few items left, it is easy to give them a new spot on the surface. A kitchen counter should not have much more than maybe a toaster, coffee maker, and a knife block. You desk does not need more than your computer, phone and the papers you are working on. The hall table does not need more than maybe a bowl for keys. Etc.
All that is left is making sure that these spaces do not collect all that clutter again over the next few days/weeks. Always put things where they belong and assign 10 minutes a day to clear the few items that were placed on these surfaces anyway. A way to prevent yourself and others to put things on the surfaces again is by placing something decorative on it, a large vase with flowers on the hall table or a beautiful tablecloth on the kitchen table.
Harold S. Geneen
Can you feel the peace in your mind when you look around an uncluttered house. With stuff it works like this: out of sight is out of mind. Now your surfaces are clean and we cannot see into your closets, cupboards and drawers. Your rooms will look larger now and it feels like there is more air, we can sense the energy levels rising.
This does not mean though, that you do not need to clean out those closets, drawers and cupboards. We will tackle that tomorrow, even though it is not likely that you have finished clearing the flat surfaces yet. You might need a declutter year, but I will still try to cover it in 7 days. Just bookmark the pages for future reference or sign up to receive the next steps directly in your mailbox, so you can save them for later, when you are ready for it.
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