How To Get Family To Declutter

How to get your family to declutter

Today I am going to talk about how to get family to declutter.  One of the most common questions that I receive is how to get family members on board with decluttering.  This must be a very common problem from the number of questions I get.

When I first started decluttering I didn’t think too much about my family or what they thought.  I just started decluttering my items focusing on my clothes and the household items I am in charge of.  It sounds selfish, but I thought starting with my stuff was the best way.

My closet was number one on my list, by decluttering my stuff I was setting an example for everyone else. 

Decluttering your own items is the best way to get the ball rolling and show your family you are serious.

It is really easy to see everyone else’s clutter while avoiding our own.

 

Declutter Tips

  • Declutter your own items first.
  • Get organized and set an example.
  • Show your clutter free environment and how great it works for you.
  • Now that all your items are decluttered, talk about how great you feel.

 

Serious Talk

Have a serious talk with your family about how you are feeling.  Talk about whatever your problem is regarding the clutter.  For instance I hated that I was always picking up toys.

I didn’t like that my living room looked like a play center.  Once my husband and I talked about everything he understood how I felt.

Hopefully your family will be considerate of how much work you do to keep your home nice. 

 

Declutter the Kitchen

I am in charge of the kitchen in our house so I found it easy to start in that common living space.  Decluttering things that we never used, just in case items, and large appliances that were not needed. 

The changes in the kitchen made me feel better immediately.  Our kitchen finally looked clean and clutter free for the first time ever. 

The interesting thing is my husband started to notice these changes and he got use to the clutter free space.

 

Getting my Husband To Declutter

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“Wow, that place was really cluttered!” my husband said.  If you live in clutter it is hard to see clutter, it just seems normal.  As our home became less cluttered it was easier for him to see clutter.  He understood what I was doing!

After a while I suggested he should go through his closet and see what could go. 

It didn’t take long before we had a huge pile of clothes to donate. 

He kept a lot of items that he actually hated, because someone gave it to him.

I told him he didn’t need to feel bad about getting rid of these items even if I gave it to him.  I have a whole post about guilt free decluttering that you can read here.

 

How to Get Family To Declutter Video

Go to the YouTube Channel Here.

 

Kids Decluttering

I decluttered for my children in the beginning stages.  I always told them exactly what we were doing when we went through the toys.  Explain that there were too many things. 

Surprisingly my 3 year old at the time was more than happy to donate a lot of the toys.

I tried to make the decluttering process fun and involve them where I could.  In a lot of instances the kids do not need to be involved.

Some people comment, that I am getting rid of their toys and it isn’t right. Well the way I see it is I am deciding what they watch on TV, and I am deciding what they eat, so why wouldn’t I decide how many toys they have? 

Having too many toys is the same thing as eating too much candy, or playing video games all day long.  Being the parent we decide what is best for our children.

Here is a super easy way to have your kids help you declutter.  Hold up two similar items and have them pick one to keep and one to donate.  If there is an item that I notice they aren’t playing with I will hide it in the garage. 

If they don’t ask for this item after a little while then I will donate the items.

One of my friends with older kids pays her kids for the items they donate or she will have them fill a bag and then do something fun to celebrate.

 

Getting Family to Declutter Conclusion

The best way to get your family to declutter is to make it a positive experience.  Instead of being sad that you are getting rid of things, get excited about what the decluttering will bring to your life. 

Hopefully more time having fun with family and friends and less time taking care of things.

If you liked this post then you will probably like “How to Deal With Paper Clutter” and “10 Lessons I learned After a Year of Decluttering“.

 

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