The start of a new year often propels us to take stock of our personal environments, whether at home or at work. However, this can seem like a much more daunting task when we don’t know where to start. Before leaping into action, it may be helpful to clearly understand the differences among the three most basic processes of keeping our spaces clear and ready for use: decluttering, organizing, and cleaning.

Though many of us use the terms decluttering, organizing, and cleaning interchangeably, all three are quite different from one another. You might be surprised to find that learning the differences among the terms will aid you greatly in your endeavor. Below, we’ll be tackling exactly how they are different from one another.

(Take note that due to the nature of language, the terms can be flexible and may be used differently in other contexts. In this article, we talk about the practical uses of each word.)

What each term means and how all are different

1. Decluttering

Decluttering is the act of disposing and giving away unwanted and/or unnecessary items. These unwanted and/or unnecessary items are what we consider “clutter” when we talk about decluttering. ^[1] When decluttering our priorities for example, we dispose of the items we feel are not worth our time or effort. The same goes for decluttering our possessions. ^[2] The term decluttering is often used interchangeably with “purging.”

• Right: It’s time to declutter the books on my bookshelf.
• Wrong: I wish to declutter my important personal documents.
  (You want to organize important documents, not dispose of any of them.)
• Wrong: Let me declutter the dust on that lamp.
  
(You cannot declutter dust; you can only clean it.)

2. Organizing

Organizing is that act of arranging items in such a way that looks neat and orderly. Categorizing and putting things into containers fall under organizing. Arranging things by color, alphabetically, sequentially, aesthetically, and according to personal preference all fall under organizing.

• Right: I want to organize my coloring materials by color.
• Wrong: May I organize the files to be shredded?
  (There’s no need to organize something that’s to be disposed.)
• Wrong: Should he organize the fallen leaves in the backyard?
  (Fallen leaves are to be collected and bagged, not organized.)

3. Cleaning

Cleaning is the act of getting rid of the dust and dirt that have accumulated on our items and spaces. This usually involves sweeping, vacuuming, wiping, raking, washing, laundering. Cleaning usually requires a lot of elbow grease but calls for the least amount of mental energy (since less decision making is involved).^[3]

• Right: I plan to clean the bathtub drain.
• Wrong: My co-worker cleaned the unnecessary items on his to-do list board.
  (Unnecessary items on a to-do list are not to be cleaned but to be decluttered.)
• Wrong: She loves to clean my prized tea collection.
  (Teas do not require cleaning; prized collections can only be organized.)

What this means for us and our spaces

Now that we’ve discussed the meaning of each word, we can begin to understand that each term represents a different step in making our spaces the best they can be.

An easy way to remember the differences between these terms is using the acronym DOC. DOC—Decluttering, organizing, and cleaning, in that specific order—is the best way to keep your home spick-and-span.

Why this specific order? Decluttering before organizing and cleaning means you don’t have to waste time on things you plan to dispose. Organizing before cleaning means you don’t have to re-clean areas that have been dirtied by the act of organizing. You’d be amazed to find how moving stuff around seems to create dust where there was none.

What we gain from these distinctions

Without understanding the meaning of each of these terms, we’re more prone to overwhelm and burnout. It’s easy to be discouraged if we see all three activities as one giant task. But if we mentally break the giant task into these three phases, it will seem easier to endure.

With the help of these distinctions, we can spend less time (and energy!) thinking about how to maintain our spaces and more time pursuing what truly matters to us.

(Related Post: Quit Organizing Your Clutter)

(Related Post: Beat Decluttering Burnout)

Footnotes:

^[1] Clutter as listed in the dictionary means “a disorderly heap or assemblage” or “litter.” While you can technically organize a disorderly heap or clean up litter, this is not the clutter usually referred to when the term decluttering is used.
^[2] Decluttering as listed in the dictionary means “removing mess or clutter from (a place).” Practically speaking, this act of removal often refers to disposing or giving away items that are causing said clutter or mess.
^[3] The term “spring cleaning” refers to a period doing all three activities, however, when we use the word “clean” as a verb, we usually refer to the act of cleaning as listed above.