Decluttering, Organizing, & Cleaning: What's the Difference?
Friday afternoon at work:
Co-worker #1: “What are you doing this weekend?”
Co-worker #2:: “Cleaning my garage.”
Co-worker #1: “Sounds like fun!”
Monday morning at work:
Co-worker #1: “The weather was perfect this weekend! How did your garage cleaning go?”
Co-worker #2:: “Great! I donated tons of items I was no longer using, organized my space into different zones so it was easier to find things and I added some containers to store everything.”
Co-worker #1 (scratching his head): “So you organized it then?”
Co-worker #2: “Yeah, I cleaned it.”
Cleaning, organizing. They’re the same, right?
It’s not unusual for people to use the two words interchangeably, often throwing decluttering into the mix as well.
But is decluttering the same as organizing? Or is organizing the same as cleaning? To be honest, they have similarities that could make it seem like you’d find them listed as synonyms for each other.
In reality, they’re the same, but different.
Definitions
Before we get into the specifics of what’s what, let’s step back and take a a look at how the dictionary defines each of these terms:
Decluttering is the process of getting rid of things you don't need. If clutter (anything you don’t use and love) is on a surface (like a piece of furniture, a counter, or the floor), clearing those items by decluttering makes the area look much better. But it's not the same as cleaning.
Organizing is putting things in order. It's about finding proper homes for items and keeping them there. Organizing can include physical items like clothes in a closet or intangible things such as activities on a calendar. Organizing also includes planning and figuring out systems for actions you repeat regularly.
Cleaning is all about removing dirt, dust, and germs. Cleaning involves vacuuming, dusting, mopping, spraying and wiping off counters, etc.
Now that you know the definition of decluttering, organizing, and cleaning, can you see how they are related and how they are different?
Again, same, same, but different!
Ultimately, the goal of each task is to bring order to our homes and lives. And now that we have a better understanding of each, let’s see how we might complete each task in a specific room in our house.
Example: A Kitchen Counter
Take a look at the picture of a cluttered kitchen counter. Imagine trying to clean it as is. Only after you’ve decluttered a space can you really go about the process of organizing and cleaning it!
This kitchen counter is covered with the following items: a toaster, a stale bag of chips, a stack of mail, a bag of clothes that doesn’t fit, a stack of books you might want to read, a box of colored pencils, some ponytail holders, and a few bottles of medication. If this were your home and you needed to clean the kitchen before having guests over, what would you do?
This is how I would approach the situation:
Declutter
Identify obvious clutter. In the scenario above, I would consider the bag of clothes that doesn’t fit and the stale bag of chips as obvious clutter. I would put the bag of clothes somewhere near the door to be taken for donation soon, and I would throw away the chips.
Identify any other clutter. Any item on the counter that isn’t used and loved is fair game for possible decluttering. Even the toaster is a candidate if you don’t use it! If you use it frequently, the counter is a good location. If you use it rarely, storing it in a cabinet or pantry might be a better choice.
Glance through the stack of books and be realistic about whether you’ll actually read them. Add any books that you probably won’t read to the other donations.
Quickly sort the mail. Set aside any items that require immediate attention (like a bill that is due). Look for papers that can be recycled or thrown away (junk mail, expired coupons, a flier for a past event). If the stack of papers is particularly large, you might save it for later since sorting paper is time-consuming. You could save it for your next television binging session.
Check the expiration dates on the medication. Put aside any expired medication to be safely disposed of later. Many people are unaware that expired, unused, or unwanted medication should not be thrown away or flushed down a toilet. Search for a drug take back site in your area.
Organize:
The colored pencils might belong elsewhere, like a playroom, a craft room, or a bedroom. If so, take them to their proper home. If coloring is often done at that particular counter (perhaps a child sits at a bar stool at the counter to color while another family member is busy in the kitchen), then that may be the best home for them.
The ponytail holders might belong elsewhere, like a bathroom or a bedroom. If so, take them to their usual location. Sometimes it might make sense for them to stay in the kitchen. If you usually fix your daughter’s hair for the day around breakfast time, the kitchen might be the best spot. You might want to consider putting all of the hair supplies in a container for quick access and easy removal for cleaning.
The medications might belong elsewhere, like a bathroom or a bedroom. If so, take them there. If you plan your medications around mealtimes, the kitchen might be the best location. Again, a container of some sort will keep them both handy and easy to remove for cleaning.
The books you intend to read might work better elsewhere. In the kitchen, it’s possible they would get dirty. Consider relocating to somewhere like a bedside table, a bookshelf, or a living room end table.
If an item doesn’t have a home and you want to establish one, here’s a good question to ask: “If I were looking for this item, where would I look?” The answer will give you good ideas.
Clean
Now that the clutter has been removed, items with homes elsewhere have been removed, and loose items have been placed into containers, it’s time to clean!
Grab your favorite cleaning supplies to remove the dirt, dust, and germs.
Now that you understand the difference between decluttering, cleaning, and organizing, what space will you work on next?