This Is the Quickest Way to Declutter Important Bills, Receipts, and Other Paperwork

If left untouched, paperwork like bills can pile up quickly, and it can be time-consuming to sort them out, especially when most of them hold your personal information. 

Before you start tearing those papers, you might want to try this neat hack we learned from professional organizer Mica Santayana Canto of Tidily Ever After. In an Instagram post, she recommended placing sensitive documents in a bowl filled with bleach and water and letting them soak for a few minutes. The solution will break down the ink on each paper, so you won't have to tear or shred your documents before throwing them away. 

Another way to declutter your paperwork is to keep a soft copy of the document. "Go through each document and decide what to recycle, scan or save [in your laptop]," the organizing expert added. (Ed's note: if you can't decide whether to throw away or save the documents you’re trying to organize in your home, here’s a quick guide to help you out!) 

Of course, to ultimately avoid accumulating paper clutter, it would always be wise to opt for paperless bills. "Request for electronic Statement of Accounts, especially from your bank," Mica advised. Not only are you keeping your home clutter-free, you also get to reduce your carbon foot print!