How to Get Rid of Visual Clutter in Your Home

We live in a world filled with information and stimuli, and sometimes you just need to get away from all that and relax. But your home isn’t always the best place to do this. You might feel like you’re too busy to constantly be tidying up. But if you don’t get rid of the visual clutter in your home, it will become just another stressful place.

Take a look at your home and answer this question: is everything where it belongs? When you get rid of the visual clutter, you’ll immediately be able to feel a new sense of peace and calm.

10 common causes of visual clutter in your home

1. A messy bed

You probably already know that it’s good to make your bed in the morning. But that’s also true when it comes to clutter. There’s nothing worse than coming home and seeing your bedsheets in a tangle. If you want to avoid this, all you have to do is make your bed the moment you get up!

2. Clothes everywhere

Whenever you get undressed, throw the dirty clothes into a basket and hang the ones that are still clean in your closet. It’s as simple as that! There’s no need to fill your room up with clothes strewn all over the place.

3. Files can create a lot of visual clutter

Try to use file folders so that you can put away all your bills, insurance policies, and any other important paperwork the moment you get it. Pick a set the same size and color and label them with a marker. There’s nothing more stressful than papers everywhere and a bunch of old folders that all look different.

4. A messy desk

If you work from home and have a desk, don’t let it fill up with folders, cords, and post-it notes. For one thing, good organization will help you stay focused and creative. On top of that, you’ll also be getting rid of a lot of visual clutter. 

You don’t need all your beauty products to be on top of the bathroom sink at one time, no matter how organized you think they are.

You should really store them in cabinets with labels, that way they don’t cause clutter. If you want to have the ones you use every day close at hand, our suggestion is to put them in a tray or a wooden crate that matches your bathroom decor.

6. A chaotic kitchen creates a lot of visual clutter

If you have an open plan kitchen, that’s absolutely wonderful! It means you’re onto one of the hottest trends in the decor world. But it also means you have to be extremely organized.

This means having identical jars, colors that go well together, and not cramming your shelves with pasta, rice, and salt. Put it all in a single line and don’t fill the space up to the maximum.

7. Be careful with your shoes

It’s a classic problem: you get home and leave your shoes in the middle of the entryway or living room. But do you realize how much visual clutter that causes? All you need to do is put a shoe rack in your entryway and the problem’s solved!

8. A busy entryway

We can’t deny that it’s great to have a clothes rack, a shoe rack, a space for your bags, and another for dog leashes in your entryway, but…you just don’t need to have every single jacket there. This area should be just for the things you use most often. As for the rest of it: put it back in the closet where it belongs.

9. Unwatered plants create visual clutter

If you have plants remember to water them. If you’re not going to do that it’s best to get artificial plants. Floors and tables aren’t good places for all the dead, dry leaves an unwatered plant sheds.

So, water them, cut the unhealthy parts, and get them to look fresh again. Here are some tips on which indoor plants are best for your home.

10. Tangled cords

Technology is all over the place, but it would be so much easier if everything were wireless already! For now, you’ll just have to be fine with hiding the wires in tubes and cord holders. Tangled cords are a universal problem, and they’re pure visual clutter.

How to fight visual clutter

• Create a balance with colors and patterns. Don’t fill your rooms with lots of colors. Pick one color palette and stick to it to avoid visual clutter.
• You’ve probably heard this famous quote by Marie Kondo by now. If it doesn’t “spark joy,” don’t keep it! Go through all your things and get rid of as much as you can. Nothing creates as much visual clutter as too much stuff.
• Don’t fill up your rooms with objects. Always leave a few empty spaces to give your home some room to breathe.

You’re feeling more relaxed now, aren’t you? Keep this level of orderliness up, and your home will always be a calm, peaceful place!