No room seems to get cluttered as quickly as a craft room. Knowing how to declutter your craft room will make your time in it much more enjoyable and creative.
Why Decluttering Your Craft Room is Important
If you’re like most crafters, you may find yourself constantly searching for tools and materials among the clutter in your workspace. A chaotic craft room can drain your creativity and leave you feeling overwhelmed and uninspired.
It’s not just about having an organized or nice-looking space. The less time you spend hunting for the things you need, the more time you have to actually do some crafting!
Clearing out the clutter in your craft room not only frees up physical space but also creates mental space for new ideas to flow. With a decluttered workspace, you’ll be able to create without feeling bogged down by disorganization.
Step 1: Clear out the Clutter
The first step is to get rid of anything that doesn’t belong. Start by going through everything in your craft room, including supplies, tools, and any other miscellaneous items.
As with decluttering any small space in your house, ask yourself:
- Am I still using this?
- Is this taking up space I could use for something I’d rather have?
As you sort through your items, make three piles: keep, donate/sell, and discard. Remember the six-month clutter rule.
- If you haven’t used it in six months, declutter it (extend this to 12 if it’s a seasonal item).
- If it’s broken beyond repair, it’s time to let it go.
If you find this hard, keep reminding yourself that clearing out the clutter will give you more space to work on your crafts and focus on the things that truly matter.
Step 2: Move Everything Out
It’s great to start with a clean palate. Move all your craft supplies out of the room if possible.
If not, put them all on the floor or somewhere out of the way. Now take a look at your tables, shelves, pegboards and other storage options. Ask yourself:
- How much stuff can I realistically fit in here?
- How can I group things together in a way that makes sense?
- Do I need to get some shelves or storage bins for organization?
Sort and Categorize Your Supplies
The key to a well-organized craft room is categorizing all of your supplies. As you sort through your items, group them together by similarity.
For example, put all of your paints in one pile, fabric in another pile, and paper products in another. This step helps you visualize how much of each category you have and where each item belongs.
Once you’ve sorted through all of the clutter, start placing your categorized items in their designated areas. If possible, store similar items together in clear containers so you can easily see what’s inside without having to open everything up.
You should also label your storage containers with what’s inside for easy access later on. Remember that the goal here is to simplify and streamline finding what you need when it’s time to get creative.
With everything properly sorted and labeled, it’ll be much easier to navigate through your supplies quickly and efficiently.
Step 3: Donate, sell, or discard items you no longer need
Once you have sorted and categorized your supplies, it’s time to decide which items you no longer need. This step can be difficult for many crafters, but it’s crucial if you want to create a functional and clutter-free workspace.
Start by identifying items that are duplicates or that you haven’t used in a long time. These could include supplies for crafts that you no longer do or materials that didn’t work out as planned in previous projects.
You can donate these items to local schools or community centers, selling them online or at a garage sale. If they’re not in good enough shape, either recycle them or throw them away.
Remember that getting rid of things can be liberating and make space for new ideas and creations. Plus, knowing that your unused supplies are going to someone else who will appreciate them can make it all feel better.
Step 4: Organize Your Space for Maximum Efficiency
Once you’ve decluttered your craft room and sorted your supplies, it is time to organize your space for maximum efficiency.
Storage
Start by identifying where you’re going to put each type of craft supply. Clear plastic bins with labels are great for storing small items like buttons, beads, and sewing notions.
For larger items like fabric or yarn, use shelving units or stackable bins. Make sure to group similar items together so they’re easy to find.
If you have room, you might want to get a rolling storage cart that can be moved around as needed. It can also serve as an extra workspace.
Using Vertical Space
If you don’t already have them, you may want to get some pegboards, hooks, floating shelves to take advantage of wall space. This is especially great in a small room.
Hang frequently used tools on the pegboard or hooks so they’re always within easy reach of your work area. You can put hooks inside cabinet doors or on the walls of shelving units for additional storage space.
Tips for Maintaining a Clutter-Free Craft Room
After decluttering and organizing your craft room, you want to ensure that it stays that way. Here are some tips to help you maintain a clutter-free space:
1. Stay on top of it: Set aside time each week to tidy up any messes or clutter that may have accumulated. It is easier to keep a space clean than it is to clean up a huge mess.
2. Use storage containers: Invest in high-quality storage containers and label them clearly so you can find what you need without creating chaos in the process.
3. Create designated spaces: Assign specific areas for different types of supplies, such as fabric, paper, paint, and tools. When everything has its place, it is easier to spot when something is out of place.
4. Don’t overbuy: Before purchasing new items for your craft room, ask yourself if you really need them or already have something similar at home. Avoid impulse buying during sales unless what you’re purchasing will actively solve a problem in your crafting process.
5. Celebrate your victories: Reward yourself when you successfully maintain a clutter-free area by spending some time engaging with your craft projects! Enjoy basking in the accomplishment of having an organized workspace while creating something beautiful.
Maintaining an organized and clutter-free craft room can feel like a never-ending task but by following these simple tips it can become part of your routine without much additional effort.
How Decluttering Can Improve Your Creativity
Creativity is what crafting is all about, and a cluttered craft room can hinder creativity. Clutter can be distracting and overwhelming, causing you to feel stressed and anxious.
When you declutter your craft room, it creates a sense of calm and helps you to focus completely on what you want to make.
Decluttering also frees up physical space in the room. With more space available, you no longer have to waste time searching for supplies; instead, everything has a place.
This simple act of organization can help boost your creative productivity by allowing your mind to focus on the task at hand rather than worrying about finding what you need.