Decluttering Tips For Hoarders

Let’s talk hoarding. Hoarding is a term thrown around often when someone has a growing collection of clutter. It doesn’t mean you have hoarding disorder necessarily.

It could just be a simple case of things piling up because there hasn’t been any time or dedication to putting it away or handling it. We’re all guilty of letting clutter build up in our homes at some point, but hoarding can escalate over time and develop into a hoarding disorder. 

Hoarding disorder is when a person is unwilling to give up any of their things even when the piles are from floor to ceiling of things and knick-knacks that they may not need.

Hoarding disorder is a mental illness that needs professional help because it’s much more than just cleaning up the mess.

You know you’re beginning to hoard when you start to hold on to things for various reasons that may not be just because you might use it one day. There’s a lot of anxieties and obsessive thoughts and feelings when it comes to your possessions.

If you are worried you are becoming a hoarder, and the clutter is building up around you, don’t worry.

Take a deep breath! Chances are you are not a hoarder. You may just feel like it because of the mess accumulating in your home. 

There is a solution and many actions you can take to help you get through this! Here are 8 tips to help you declutter your home.

 

8 Amazing Decluttering Tips for Hoarders!

 

1. Enlist a Close Friend or Family Member

Having a support system can help you through. You can reach out to have them help some days or even just be there to listen when things get hard, and you’re feeling overwhelmed.

A support system can help motivate you and keep you motivated to clean up your clutter and help you stay organized.

Here my mom is helping me go through some of my stuff.

 

2. Stop Adding to the Clutter

When you plan on a large declutter project, the first thing you want to do is stop adding clutter to the mess. It’s like working against yourself when you keep adding to the clutter.

Try thinking in terms of what you’re buying and bringing home and if it is worth the money, and if you will actually use it. Think about all the money you’ll be saving if you stop buying things for a bit to focus on decluttering. 

Stop Shopping!!!!

 

3. Start by Making Small Movements

Remember, this is a big task to take on, and if you try to move mountains, you’re going to end up feeling overwhelmed.

Break up the decluttering into smaller manageable tasks to boost your productivity by accomplishing small wins.

For example, you could tackle the cluttered room by room, making the tasks seem less daunting every day. You can even break it down further by sections if that helps! 

 

4. Don’t Hoard Trash

Trash makes up a large portion of your clutter. Go through every room with a large trash bag and look for anything that could be thrown away.

You don’t have to move anything around or sort things to look for the trash.

Make it simple by quickly reviewing each room and grabbing things that are obviously trash. Clearing up the trash will help make small movements and help with your visualization of what you actually need to get done. 

 

5. Create a Plan of Action for Each Room

Once you get that trash out, you will have a clearer view of everything you have to clear up. Create a plan for each one by setting a day, the order of decluttering, and what you will do with everything you find you don’t need.

Having a plan can help get rid of any feelings of overwhelm. You can even set goals and deadlines to help you with that extra burst of dedication. 

Making a plan and writing it down will always help!

 

6. Ensure You Have Supplies Handy

Make sure you have all the supplies you need to get to work on your decluttering project. You should have trash bags, organization bins, cleaning supplies, and a place to store things.

You should have a box available for the things you want to donate.

When you have everything ready, it makes it easier to work through the mess than stopping and searching for supplies. Stopping momentum can make you feel like giving up. 

Get everything you need ahead of time, bags, boxes, whatever you choose to put everything in!  Here we used trash bags for clothes.

 

7. Organize as You Go

Clearing out clutter isn’t just about throwing things away. You have to get organized so you can help prevent the clutter from returning.

When you organize, you find you have more space for the things you need and help you see if you have too many of one thing. This is where it would be a good idea to invest some money.

Buy some great organizational equipment like nice storage bins, shelving, whatever you want to add to your home aesthetic. 

For easy areas, I organize as I am going.  Here I am dumping things out, going through, and then putting back what I decide to keep. 

 

8. Make it Fun

Decluttering isn’t the most glamorous way to spend your time, I know. And there are probably dozens of other things you’d rather be doing.

Making it fun can help motivate you to get it done and not make it so stressful. Play your favorite music, diffuse some calming scents, play a favorite movie in the background, or choose a reward for when you are finished.

Make your decluttering sessions short, so you can have some true self-care at the end of the day to celebrate all you have accomplished. 

Decluttering takes so much energy, time, and motivation, and it’s even more difficult when your home feels like the home of a hoarder. Your house is your safe space and should make you feel at ease and comfortable when you are at rest.

You will feel much happier in your own space after you start and make small accomplishments every day towards that decluttering goal. It’s hard but trust me, it’s worth it.  

 

Sometimes if you’re decluttering, a little help can go a long way.

My detailed decluttering eBook can help you take those small actions that lead to a cleaning decluttered space. Get your copy here! For more decluttering tips and tricks, check out my YouTube here or browse my website to help declutter and take control of your life. 

 

More Decluttering Posts:

How Long Does it Take to Declutter a House?

7 Benefits of a Clutter-Free Kitchen

Declutter Motivation! 8 TIPS you MUST TRY!

5 Quick Decluttering Projects

 

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