I love to shop, and I am definitely prone to impulse purchases – especially when it comes to clothes and accessories. As a result, I always feel like I am decluttering my closet, and feel guilty about my 'wasted' purchases every time.

If you're looking to get your home into tip top shape as the new year approaches, you might want to consider trying out a clutter-free countdown. 

A new year invites a fresh start, and sometimes the easiest way to feel lighter at home is simply to let a few things go. Experts say January is the ideal moment to release the items that you’re “making do with” or “saving just in case” but never actually use

It makes sense that one of the toughest rooms in the house to keep tidy is also one of the most frequently used. The kitchen is a work space, gathering space, and command center all in one, requiring consistent attention to ensure the clutter there doesn’t spin out of control.

The beginning of a new year is typically the time we declutter our homes, but professional organizers recommend getting a jump start on the task and tossing certain things before the holidays. “December is a great time to throw away anything that you no longer use or need, so your home can be clutter-free for the new year,” says Olivia Parks, owner and lead organizer at My Professional Organizer Northshore.

It's easy to get swept up in the coziness of fall, only for winter to come knocking and leave you feeling like the rug has been pulled out from under you. And with hosting season quickly approaching, it's time to get your home in order.

Whether you’re a self-proclaimed hoarder or a fervent organizer, chances are there’s stuff you hold onto just in case you need it at some point.

It’s a dilemma we all face, regardless of our habits. Think: an old sweater at the back of your closet, extra scissors in the junk drawer, or spare plates “just in case” one breaks.

Let’s face it: the holidays can be stressful, especially if you’re the one hosting. There's food to prepare, a guest list to curate, and gifts to purchase. But the biggest silent stressor? Cleaning and organizing your space to prepare for the festivities.

From overgrown garden beds to forgotten tools, garden clutter builds up in subtle ways. It can accumulate when you walk away from an unfinished project, or when your garden enthusiasm wanes in the heat of the growing season.

It's easy for our brains to miss piles of 'stuff' and clutter hot spots in our homes as we quickly grow accustomed to seeing them day in, day out. Invite guests into your home for the holidays, however, and they will lock onto the clutter zones you've stopped noticing immediately.

As one of the most frequently used rooms in the house, it’s easy for the bathroom to get cluttered with personal items and excess decor, which is exactly why it should be prioritized during your routine tidying. But sometimes it can be difficult to pinpoint what should be removed to reduce visual clutter for your guests, especially during holiday chaos.

Life can get messy—it’s so easy for your home to go from neat and orderly to a chaotic disaster zone in no time at all, especially if you have little ones running around. As a working mother of a 5-year-old, I feel like I’m constantly wiping, vacuuming and picking up the latest round of arts and crafts to keep my home in a somewhat neat state. That’s why I’ll take any hack that promises to help me organize my home—and keep it that way.

When you're running out of storage in your home, the basement may seem like a viable solution. Unfortunately, basements experience fluctuating temperatures and high humidity levels, which can cause severe damage to materials like wood and fabric, especially in the winter.

When I was a kid, people would chalk up my inability to complete things to my “artist’s spirit”. What people didn’t understand was that the clutter and inability to complete things were symptoms of ADHD rather than personality traits. The most frustrating part was that it made me feel completely overwhelmed and incapable nearly all the time.

My linen closet is a complete jumble of sheets, towels, and toiletries, so ahead of hosting for the first time this holiday season, I tried the Functional Elimination method in a bid to organize it.

Raise your hand if you’re guilty of shoving anything and everything into your hall closet without much thought. Think: cardboard boxes, outerwear that hasn’t seen the light of day in years, and other items that you may have forgotten existed.

It's easy to get swept up in the coziness of fall, only for winter to come knocking and leave you feeling like the rug has been pulled out from under you. And with hosting season quickly approaching, it's time to get your home in order.

The process of decluttering can be downright draining, both mentally and physically. Deciding what to toss, what to donate, and what to keep “just in case” often feels like an emotional guessing game. But the payoff, a calm, organized home, is well worth the effort. 

My name is Danica Carson, and I am the Co-Founder of The Uncluttered Life® as well as the Creator of the Declutter Deck®. Alongside my partner, I launched The Uncluttered Life in 2019, and we have been transforming lives through the power of organization ever since.

Having a transitional space like a mudroom between the outside world and the rest of your home is a great way to help keep your home cleaner and more organized. Unfortunately, a mudroom can become cluttered and messy unless you keep it well-organized.

We asked two professional organizers for their best tips to keep a mudroom neat.