Where to Begin When Everything Needs Done

As you probably know, sometimes the hardest part about any project is just starting it. When it comes to your home, there can be tons of emotions that also come into play, making it even more difficult. For this reason, I often recommend starting in places that are very cut and dry when you are overwhelmed and feel like your whole house needs help.

One good place to start is the Medicine Cabinet - look through each and every bottle and package. I bet plenty of them are expired! The police station will take your old prescriptions to dispose of properly. Next, you might want to move on to the pantry or even your fridge. Chances are, you have plenty of expired food in here as well. Or maybe it isn't expired, but if you're being honest, it's never going to get eaten. It's always a good idea to donate non-perishable foods to a local food shelf. The next area you might try to declutter is your cleaning products. Usually, bottles can be consolidated or you realize that things are empty to begin with. In this area, I also always recommend to ditch the packaging if you bought a product in bulk and it's already been opened - trust me, it's a small thing that makes a big difference in the overall appearance of the space. Do this with your toilet paper and paper towels as well. Simple fixes, big payoffs!

*Additionally, for anyone looking to begin a less-toxic or just less-wasteful lifestyle, once these areas are decluttered, you can be much more mindful of the items you bring into your home in the future. These things are so easy to purge because there's just about zero sentimental value - most of it is stuff we picked up without really thinking in the first place (like when you buy Tylenol because you don't realize you already have it). The less stuff you have, the more intentional you tend to be with what you bring in - especially when you're paying more attention to ingredients and packaging and deciding to weed the icky stuff out.