What do all the homes you see in movies and magazines have in common, no matter what their decor style? – Usually a calming and clutter-free space.
It’s no wonder we associate tidy rooms and bare surfaces with feeling happier and more productive, and clutter with disorder and negativity.
As beautiful and aspirational as it looks, however, the idea of getting rid of things can also feel scary and overwhelming.
Just the word ‘minimalism’ can strike fear into your heart if you’re worried about losing keepsakes you’re deeply attached to. Maybe you actually really want to purge the mess, but it feels like a far-off dream that you could never achieve permanently, so you never even start.
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There’s no shortage of ‘tidying gurus’, out there to help – each with their own method and system for streamlining your home. The key is to find the one that works for you and your particular challenges. So how do you know who to listen to?
We’ve put together a list of five essential books that anyone in need of a clutter overhaul will want to check out! (Of course, we’re sticking to the Kindle versions to free up those bookshelves!)
You can also listen to the Audiobooks via a free month trial by clicking here
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Let’s get to it!
- Simply Clean: The Proven Method for Keeping Your Home Organized, Clean, and Beautiful in Just 10 Minutes a Day Becky Rapinchu
If you’re a fan of the Clean Mama blog then you might have already heard of author and cleaning guru, Becky Rapinchu. This book focuses on getting you into a schedule of organizing and cleaning you can stick to regularly with specific routines for different areas of the home.The idea is that you clean something every day, but you only spend 10 minutes doing it. It’s packed with checklists of how to organize your belongings and what to clean when, so you don’t even have to think about it, you just follow the plan.
With its focus on schedules and lists, this is a comprehensive guide for people who don’t just want a one-off clear-out but need an overall regime they can stick to every day going forward.
- Real Life Organizing: Clean and Clutter-Free in 15 Minutes a Day, Cassandra Arrssen
- The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, Marie Kondo
Japanese tidying expert Marie Kondo can be credited with bringing about the recent decluttering resurgence. Her method is awesomely simple and doesn’t involve heaps of checklists or complicated programs. It uses a basic principle of whether or not any item you own ‘sparks joy’.Anything that does so stays and the rest is thanked for its role in your life before you part with it. It’s a relatively short read and written in a common-sense style, so it’s perfect for anyone who’s just dipping their toes into a decluttering regime.
Simply Clean: The Proven Method for Keeping Your Home Organized, Clean, and Beautiful in Just 10 Minutes a Day
Clutter and the reasons behind it can be very personal, so Youtuber Cassandra Arrssen starts off by identifying what type of organizing style you have. She then offers the methods that are most likely to work for your personality based on the results, instead of a ‘one size fits all’ approach.
This book is great for people who haven’t been able to make other decluttering ‘systems’ stick in the past. If you’re missing the charts and checklists, she also has a workbook with printables. Plus, being on Youtube, you can check out her Clutterbug channel to see if you like her style before investing in the book.
Want to shop all our cleaning & organization supply picks in one place? Check out our dedicated shopping page, full of all our best finds from the interwebs!
The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing
RELATED: Expert Tips for How to Clean Your Home in 30 Minutes!
You can also listen to the Audiobooks via a free month trial by clicking here
