The Ultimate Guide to Decluttering your Home

Hello World!  Welcome Friends!  All of us have treasured possessions that have accompanied us through life and have intrinsic value to us – if no one else. But we also have ‘stuff’, all sorts of clutter that has proliferated almost insidiously around us, and that in actual fact weighs us down. To state the blindingly obvious, having more stuff in a room makes it more difficult to clean, it makes the space seem smaller and untidy, and it afflicts your eyes and mind with an impression of ‘busy-ness’. These are all factors that can be real stressors in your life. So what to do?

Photo: Björn Wallander

Assess the situation honestly

And this is tough! For many reasons we are reluctant to get rid of things, even though we have not used them for years, they’re getting in the way, and we really, really just don’t need them anymore. But they’re there, they are connected to memories and we are used to them. In short, we have a sort of loyalty to them.

But actually, in our heart of hearts we really do know that we have to get rid of masses of this baggage that we’ve been dragging around with us for ages. Decluttering is also a wonderful opportunity to get reorganized and arrange things more efficiently and comfortably.

Getting started

So how to begin? The idea of decluttering an entire house is so daunting to most of us that we just shy away from the whole idea and never get round to it. So the first thing to do is to break the massive task up into more manageable pieces. Take one room or even one section of your house at a time, like the bathroom. Go through your medicine cabinet for instance. Throw out all medicines that are expired ruthlessly – they can be dangerous! And to a lesser extent, the same goes for old makeup, face-masks, skin lotions and the like. Clearing out all the stuff that you no longer use will give you more space to organize the things that you do use attractively and functionally.  

Photo:  Houzz

Getting into your stride

Having overcome that initial reluctance to start decluttering, you can now really get going. Tackle the kitchen next. Here you need three boxes and one large rubbish bag to start off with. Into the latter goes all your expired spices, condiments, sauces, pickles, sachets and other foodstuffs that have been lurking in the back of the pantry or grocery cupboard. Assess all your kitchen stuff with stern resolve, really ask yourself the question – since I have not used this item for ages, is it likely that I will ever need it again? And the truthful answer is no!

And this is where the boxes come in. In one box place the items that can potentially be sold, in another box place the things that might still be useful to somebody else to be handed to the charity shop, Hospice or the SPCA. The third box is a contentious one – decluttering experts tell you to have a box for ‘undecided items’, things that you can’t quite make up your mind about. If you’re anything like us though, this might be a bad idea, as you can end up putting everything in there! Remember that a neatly packed and reorganized kitchen is a joy and a real lift to the spirit.

Deal with broken items once and for all

Many of us have once-favorite appliances that no longer work, but that we have not had the heart to throw out. “I’ll have it fixed one day; it probably just needs a new plug” etc. Deal with these once and for all. Either get a good appliance repairs company to fix them, or toss them! Be tough and resolute. The same goes for appliances that you no longer use – sell them or pass them on to your local charity shop where they can be to the benefit of somebody else.

And, finally … and this is the key

Make decluttering a way of life. Go to that bulging closet and look at everything in it. If you haven’t worn that coat/jersey/suit/tracksuit etc. during the past two years, get rid of it. Take it to your second-hand shop or donate it to a charity organization that will find someone who can put it to good use. Why are you keeping those old curtains packed away at the top of the linen cupboard? Do the same with them. Likewise some of the seemingly hundreds of books that you’ve accumulated and love but will almost certainly never read again – let somebody else have the joy and use of them.

And for the rest of your stuff that you really can’t bear to part with? More efficient storage will keep them safely tucked away and easily accessible, while making your newly decluttered home look pristine, restful and welcoming!

Click the links below for any posts you may have missed!

Fancy a Luxury Bathroom?

How to Start a Vegetable Garden

Choosing the Right Bread Machine

4 Rules for Bathroom Design

Make it Pretty Monday

The Sunday Showcase from Make it Pretty Monday

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