Our house has been on the market for a while. One of the complaints we got from someone looking at it was “too much clutter”, this was probably just an excuse – since we are selling the house because we’ve outgrown it, and the clutter will be coming with us, not sticking around for the new owner to deal with but when I saw the 5 Days to a Clutter-Free House, I had to check it out.
The book offers several methods on how to go about organizing things – all based on the 5 day method. On the first day, clean the floor, the second day clean up to your knees, etc using your body as a measurement. Separate everything into boxes and then after the 5 days you have to put everything where it belongs – sorting it to Yes, No and Maybe as you go along to get rid of all those unwanted items.
Honestly this seemed like too much of an undertaking for me, but the books also suggests that you assemble a team – either of friends or professionals and assign everyone an area to pack up to help you out. I don’t know I can handle a team with my stuff though, so I guess I’m doomed. (Not really.)
It also suggested timing out 15 minutes – see the dishes piling up again? Set the timer for 15 minutes and devote those 15 minutes to the dishes only. I think that this approach will work for me since my MAJOR issue is laundry – the dirty laundry piles up and then the clean laundry piles up. If I take just 15 minutes to put it away once it is clean, the pile to put away will not end up taller than me and completely intimidating!
I think that I will never really be organized until I have my own place – my room right now is a scrapbook room, entertainment room, office and bedroom all in one – so there is a LOT of stuff in there. But I can definitely use some of the approaches in this book to help organize things a bit better until they all have a (real) home.
If you have a problem with clutter in your home and are looking for some ways to help combat it – then definitely check out this book!
I received a free e-copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in order to write this review. I was not otherwise compensated.
About The Book
No matter how cluttered and disordered your house, professional organizer Sandra Felton and time management expert Marsha Sims encourage readers to transform their homes from chronic disorder to beautiful and organized. In 5 Days to a Clutter Free House: Quick and Easy Ways to Clear Up Your Space, Felton and Sims share their systematic, team-based approach so even the most overwhelming de-cluttering job becomes doable. The “toe-to-head” approach cuts decision-making to a minimum so readers can transform their home in only five days.