Have you ever visited someone’s house and assumed they must not have much stuff and that that’s why their house looks clean? Well, that might be only partly true, and I’m going to tell you their secret.

Whether a tidy person has a lot of stuff or not, they have an amount that they are personally able to handle. And they store virtually everything out of sight.

The key to duplicating this minimalist look in your own home starts with decluttering storage areas. I’m talking about pulling everything out, throwing away trash, and donating or selling any useful items. Once you clean out your closets, cabinets and drawers, you’ll have room to put things out of sight. I discussed this concept in my recent podcast episode entitled Kitchen Reset.

Anyway, I want you to identify the storage areas in your house that are too full. I’m talking about your closets, drawers, and cabinets. I also want you to notice things you’ve been storing out in the open, so you can put them away after thinning down your storage areas.

Let’s get started on your clutter assessment.

Coat Closet and Linen Closet

First, head to your hallway and open up your linen closet—the one with multiple shelves. Are the shelves overstuffed? Is the floor jam packed too? Maybe something even fell out when you opened the door. No judgment here. You might just be in a busy season of life, and it’s been awhile since you’ve organized your linen closet.

No judgment here!

Next, open up your coat closet. Is that shelf at the top cluttered with junk? Or is that where you store your board games? What about the floor? Have any of the coats fallen off of their hangers? I like to keep my vacuum in my coat closet (off to one side). So, if you clear the clutter from yours, maybe you can start doing the same.

Bedroom Closet

Now, head to your room and open your closet. Can you see the floor? If it’s a small closet, you might be using all of your floor space for things like shoes and luggage. I get it. But chances are you there are at least a few things in there that you no longer need.

If you have a walk in closet, you should actually be able to walk around in there.

In addition to getting rid of stuff, consider purchasing some kind of shoe rack and adding hooks for handbags and a rack for costume jewelry. That way, you’ll be utlizing verticle space.

You might also want to place a donation box in the back of the closet for when you try something on and realize you no longer like it. I call that having a “donation station.”

Drawers with Miscellaneous Items

Next, I want you to find the drawers in your house that are chock-full of miscellaneous items. Most people have a “junk drawer” in their kitchen, but you might also have a drawer full of random stuff in your bedroom—possibly the top drawer of your dresser, nightstand, or desk.

Bathroom Cabinets, Drawers, and Storage Baskets

Now, take a peak in your bathrooms. Are your drawers and cabinets full of items you no longer use? Are the baskets that were meant to organize your toiletries now jam packed with random junk?

Kitchen Pantry and Cupboards

I want you to take a minute and find a kitchen cupboard you could empty out or thin down. Or maybe you could clear off your bottom pantry shelf. The idea is to free up space for storing those small appliances that live rent-free on your counter top.

Clutter Stored in Plain Sight

Now that you’ve located some hidden storage solutions, it’s time to walk through every room and look at what you’re storing in plain sight.

You might have stuff cluttering up the following surfaces:

• Dining room table
• Kitchen table
• Bathroom vanity
• Kitchen countertop
• Living room side table

You might also have these items that should be moved into closets:

• Boxes or bins on the floor of a back bedroom
• Your luggage from a trip you took months ago
• An unsightly hamper or laundry basket
• Anthing that might be a tripping hazard
• Excess toys

Now that you’ve assessed the situation, it’s time to take action. Instead of dreaming about clutter free living, you can make it happen right now by cleaning along with my podcast. Grab your headphones, get off the couch, and press play!

Clean with Me is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get podcasts.