How to Declutter Paper: Tips and Tricks for a Clean, Organized Home

A lot has been written about decluttering your house. If you’re like me, you probably have piles of old magazines and newspapers that just seem to take up space. Bills, receipts, magazines, newspapers- it’s enough to make you crazy!

In this blog post, we will discuss some tips and tricks for decluttering your paper quickly and easily. We’ll help you, deal with all that paperwork, get organized and have a clean, clutter-free home!

1. Sort Paper into Categories

The first step to decluttering your paper is to sort it into types of papers. Start sorting, a pile of paper for bills, another for receipts, and so on. This will help you see how much of each type of paper you have, and get rid of accordingly.

Seeing what types of paperwork seems to accumulate can also help you in coming up with a system to prevent dealing with a buildup of paper later.

Some piles you might consider are:

• bills
• bank statements
• credit card statements
• correspondence (greeting cards)
• important papers (social security cards, birth certificates, etc)
• manuals and warranties
• advertisements (junk mail)
• policy information
• school papers and information
• medical records
• random papers
• tax returns

Once you have sorted your paper into piles, it’s time to start decluttering! Go through each pile and decide what you need to keep and what you can throw away.

For bills, you may want to keep one or two months’ worth of statements. If you want you could keep up to a year’s worth for informational purposes.

For receipts, only keep the ones that are for important purchases. The rest can be shredded or thrown away.

Get rid of any manuals or warranty paperwork for products you no longer have.

Tax documents and tax forms and records should be saved for 7 years.

If you’re not sure if you should trash something, look to see how old it is. If you haven’t used it in a year or more, chances are you don’t need it. declutter your paper pile accordingly!

Trash or Shred

Any papers with personal information (for example, your address) should go through a paper shredder before being recycled or tossed. However, window envelopes, general policy information, and other inserts can get tossed in the trash.

2. Set Up a System for Each Category

Now that you have gone through your papers, it’s time to create a filing system. This will help you keep track of important papers and make it easy to find what you need.

For bills, have a folder for each month.

File correspondence in a separate folder, and so on. If you have trouble finding folders, look for ones that are labeled by category. That way, you can just grab the folder you need and be on your way!

Creating a filing system will help you keep your papers neat in the future. But keep in mind the filing system doesn’t have to use files, you can use binders or whatever works best for you.

When new papers come in, have a method to make sure you file them away immediately. This will prevent your home from becoming cluttered again!

Consider Going Paperless

One final tip for corralling your paper is to consider going paperless. This means switching to electronic billing and statements. Many companies offer this option, and it can be a great way to declutter your home.

This may not be possible for everyone, but if you can reduce the amount of paper coming into your home, it will make decluttering much easier. You can do this by signing up for electronic statements from your bank and other companies, and by unsubscribing from physical mailings that you don’t need or want.

However, make sure you have a method for keeping your digital papers organized. This could involve an automated label in your email system or a certain folder on your computer.

Then when you receive a paper bill, file, shred it, or throw it away immediately. This will help you keep your home decluttered and organized.

3. Set Up a Schedule to Go Through Your Papers Every Week or Month 

One of the best ways to declutter your paper is to set up a plan to go through it on a regular basis. This could be once a week or once a month.

It helps if you have a designated spot to place all your papers for review later.

Set aside some time to declutter your paper and you’ll find that it’s much easier to keep your home organized.

During this time, sort through your paper and recycle or shred anything that you don’t need. This will help in decluttering your home and keeping it organized.

4. Use a Scanner to Reduce the Amount of Paper You Have to Store 

If you have a lot of paper that you need to keep, consider scanning it and storing it electronically. This will declutter your home and make it easier to access the information you need.

There are many different scanners on the market, so find one that suits your needs. Once you’ve scanned your documents, you can store them on your computer or in the cloud.

5. Don’t Keep Unnecessary Paperwork Just Because it’s Sentimental 

Just because a piece of paper is sentimental doesn’t mean you need to keep it. If you’re holding onto something just because it’s sentimental, chances are it’s taking up valuable space in your home.

If you have paperwork that is sentimentally valuable to you, scan it and save it electronically. This way, you can declutter your home and still keep the memories that are important to you.

6. Have a Centralized Location Where You Keep All Your Papers

For the papers, you need to keep, make sure you’re keeping them all in one place. This could be a filing cabinet utilizing file folders, binders, a file box, or a regular cabinet. Pick what works best for you and your home.

Bottom Line

By following these tips, you should be able to tackle your paper clutter and come out victorious.  This will help you keep your home organized and decluttered. Remember the most important step in organizing your paper clutter is to take it one step at a time.