• Declutter the area first before purchasing any organizational items, so you know what you need.
• Start small so you don’t feel overwhelmed or burnt out quickly.
• Don’t hold onto items that you no longer use or think about often.

Looking to declutter your home just like a professional organizer would? If so, you’ll want to be sure to follow some of the golden rules of decluttering that experts swear by time and time again. You will find six key methods to abide by below, all of which will help you streamline and elevate your space.

Don’t Purchase Containers Right Away

You may enjoy the process of going to the store and selecting organizational bins for your home, but this task is actually something to complete later on in the decluttering process, Kristin Gorin, the co-owner of Get Organized RVA, explains.

Oftentimes, she shares, people will purchase bins at the store only to return home and discover that these vessels aren’t actually suitable for their needs.

“After decluttering, you will have a much better idea of the quantity and type of bin you’ll need,” Gorin says.

Another pro tip from Gorin? When it does come time to buy bins, be sure to measure your shelves before heading to the store—doing so will prove super helpful as you shop.

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Start Small

Gorin encourages people looking to get organized to kick things off with a smaller-scale project to get things going.

“This not only prevents overwhelm, but it will also help build the necessary momentum to continue,” she says.

Rather than tackling your bedroom, narrow your focus to just the closet, the organizer suggests. You can still make plenty of progress going through all of the belongings there, and if you wish to continue on after this area is complete, you certainly can do so, she explains.

Don’t Keep Things That Evoke Negative Emotions

Take it upon yourself to get rid of items that make you cringe, Chitra Swygard, the co-founder of Organized with Beauty, says.

“If something makes you feel unattractive, uncomfortable, frustrated, or annoyed, why are you keeping it,” she says.

Examples she cites include shoes that never fail to give you blisters, a water bottle that tends to leak, clothes that make you feel frumpy, and the like. Go ahead and toss or donate these items for good rather than holding onto them when you never look forward to using them anyway.

Get Rid of Items You Forgot You Had

If you come across items while organizing that you forgot you even owned, odds are that you don’t actually need them, Swygard states. Examples she shares here include duplicates of items, home improvement tools you never reach for, and books you never got around to reading.

“More than getting rid of things, the purpose of decluttering is to create space for what works for you,” Swygard says.

Don’t Over-or Under-Declutter

While it’s important to part ways with items that you truly never use, you don’t want to get rid of too much while decluttering, either, Gorin adds. After all, she explains, you may be getting rid of things that you actually do need from time to time and will end up having to repurchase them later on.

At the same time, decluttering too little is not going to help you out in the long run, either, Gordin adds.

“You may not create enough open space to meet your goals, which may be making everything accessible and easy to find, or finally being able to park your car inside the garage,” she says.

Never Start With Photos

One tip that Julie Mills, the founder of All Squared Away, shares is to never kick off an organization project by going through photos.

“Those images and memories may conjure both positive and negative emotions and usually stop people in their tracks,” Mills says. “Photos impede progress and cause distractions.”

She recommends that when people come across stacks of photos, they place them in a box with a plan to sort through them later on in the decluttering process. Better yet, if you have a ton of photos, consider sending them out to a digitization service that will streamline them for you, Mills offers.