Feng Shui + Decluttering

Posted on Feb 02, 2021 By Julie McEachern

What does decluttering have to do with Feng Shui?

The ancient Chinese philosophy of Feng Shui works with energy or Qi (Chi) to improve the positive flow of energy in your home or office. Clutter blocks the flow of Qi (Chi) energy, and clearing clutter is the first step towards creating good Feng Shui.

You don’t have to be a Feng Shui Master to know how you feel when you walk into a space that has great energy. Have you ever walked into a home that is cluttered or messy? It’s almost suffocating because there is no energy flowing. The energy is just ‘stuck’ in the clutter.

Now compare that to when you have walked into a clean, clutter-free home, office or hotel. How does that make you feel? It makes you feel happy, calm and peaceful because there is no clutter clogging up the energy, and that my friend is Qi (Chi) energy, or 'good vibes'. It doesn't matter what you call it, you instinctively know it when you feel it.

How to improve Feng Shui in you home.

One of the main principles of Feng Shui is to keep your home clean and clutter-free, so that is where we will start.

Declutter. Literally go through your home item by item. Donate or have a garage sale to get rid of anything in your home that you do not use or does not make you happy. Discard broken items or if you can fix it, fix it.
'Spring clean' your home, even if it’s summer, winter or fall. It doesn’t matter what time of year you do this, just do it. Clean every square inch of your home, literally. Wipe down the walls, clean your windows and the tracks, wipe out every drawer and cupboard. This is a very big undertaking so don’t get stressed when you think of cleaning every square inch of your home. I personally like to attack one room at a time. If you're feeling overwhelmed I recommend starting in what you would see as the easiest room first, the one with the least clutter. Or if you are the type of person that wants to get right into it and tackle the biggest room first, go for it! It’s very rewarding either way.
Start by going through your room item by item and sort into piles of keeping, donating, recycling or boxing it for a garage sale. I like to make these piles outside of the room, so when I'm done sorting, the room is clear and ready for the next step of cleaning.
Once you have gotten rid of everything that does not have a purpose or make you happy, start the cleaning process and don’t put anything back into the room until it’s spotless.
Now that the room is clean, start putting back one item at a time and be mindful of the placement as you don’t want to create that cluttered feeling again. You want the energy to be able to flow through the room.
Repeat the decluttering and cleaning process throughout your entire home and see how it makes you feel. I guarantee you will feel those good vibes flowing immediately.