Decluttering: a word that oftentimes is thought to be time consuming, stressful, and sometimes even unsuccessful, but it's something that needs to be done from time to time. We tend to hold onto more and more items that we think we need, and before we know it, our home is overwhelmed with clutter. Sorting through all your belongings can be very helpful if you're thinking about moving. Why pack up and move extra stuff that you don't even use? It's a great time to get rid of it!

Here are 7 rules to help declutter your space:

Everything Must Fit In Its Container 

Think about your home as a bunch of containers. This could be a closet, drawer, shelf, or a room. The thing about containers is the items within it should fit comfortably inside. For example, let's say you have a drawer in your dresser dedicated to workout clothes. The drawer is your container and the clothes are its items. When it starts getting to the point where the drawer won't close, it means you might have too much workout apparel. If your items are overflowing from their container, it's time to get rid of some stuff. This provides you with a limit and makes an easy visual to judge. 

6 Month Rule 

The 6 month rule is common but important when getting rid of items. Generally speaking if you haven't used something in 6 months, you're probably not going to. This can be applied to clothes, kitchen items, toys and sometimes décor. It's easy to make excuses for keeping things when you can put it off and say you will eventually, but this rule will make you be honest with yourself about items you don't use. This rule obviously won't apply to seasonal and holiday décor, but even then you can ask yourself, "did I use this last year or the year before?" If the answer is no, it might be time to part ways with that décor. 

Look Closely At Duplicates 

Getting rid of duplicate items you own can immediately open up space in your home. Sometimes we keep extras just in case and other times we think that a tiny difference between items justifies keeping both. But what really happens is you use your favorite and never take out the other. If you do have two of the same item, ask yourself if an extra is necessary. This can apply to kitchen appliances, bedding, decorative items and even shoes (like two pairs of similar black boots). Get rid of the extra and enjoy the one you do use!

Don't Mistake Organizing For Decluttering 

Some people may mistake organizing and moving things around as a solution to clutter, but this doesn't work in the long run. Putting things in cute bins doesn't solve the problem of having too much stuff. Either way you'll still have a messy space. The only way to solve it is to take a second and decide what to get rid of. Organized clutter is still clutter.

Everything Should Have A Place 

A golden rule when cleaning up and getting rid of items is that everything should have a place. Clutter builds up when we have a lot of “orphaned” items floating around. If everything has a place, it’ll be easier to get rid of items that you realize don't have a good place in your home.

Let Go Of Guilt 

A big issue surrounding giving things away, is the guilt that might surround items in your home that you know you should probably get rid of but can't. You might feel guilty getting rid of items that were gifts, or related to old memories. It's also hard getting rid of items that you are afraid to admit were a waste of money or a waste of time.

Bring Everything To Trash Or Donation Immediately 

The last rule to conclude your decluttering weekend, take the trash to the trash and the donations to the donation center as soon as possible (preferably on the same day).The time-consuming task will feel even more satisfying if you don't drag it out, or else you won't feel finished! Many times we spend so much effort cleaning out our home, just to move our donation bags to the car and let it sit there for months. Get rid of it immediately! Don't let the items sit there just to feel the need to go through the donation bins again when you forget what's in them.