- Sometimes it's hard to part with your items, but if you don't, you may simply be moving them around the room and not really cleaning the clutter. Take a large garbage bag into the room and begin loading it with items that you aren't going to use again. If you want to take the time to sort these items, separate them into garbage and recycled goods that can either be put in your recycling bin or taken to a second-hand store. It's wise to dispose of items throughout the room first so that you don't waste time cleaning them and later throw them out anyway.
- Moving around the cluttered room and superficially cleaning many areas at a time may give you the feeling that you're making progress, but if you stop and look at the room, it might not seem much cleaner. The best way to start cleaning a full room is to pick one area and delve into it until it's finished. This area could be a desk, a corner or a bookshelf. Sort, dispose and put away items in this area. Then move onto another part of the room.
- The O.H.I.O. rule in house cleaning stands for, "Only Handle it Once." Picking up one item, placing it elsewhere, then picking it up again later on is a poor way to get a room cleaned quickly. The O.H.I.O. rule is simple -- enter the room, pick up something that isn't where it should be and deal with it. The item can be discarded, put away or cleaned and put back where it belongs. Follow this rule as you move throughout the room to lessen the time spent cleaning.
- Once you've given the entire room an organizational upgrade, dust all surfaces with a microfiber cloth and vacuum the room. Dusting and vacuuming the room will give it the final facelift it needs after all the clutter has been organized. There is little purpose to dusting sooner, as it's a waste of time to dust items that you decide to throw out. Vacuuming can be done quickly when you have someone help you lift and move furniture while you vacuum.
previous post