Decluttering your home is no easy feat, but I’ve been in the business of home organisation for years, and there’s a few tips and tricks I’ve picked up along the way.
Whether you start off small or tackle the whole house in one hit, make sure you apply these tried and tested top ten decluttering tips:
1. Start Small (And Realistic)
There’s no point thinking “right, the whole house has to go!” you’ll just end up with decision paralysis if you’re thinking too big. Start small. And by small, I don’t always mean room by room, but also area by area. You can start your decluttering journey with just the pantry, or maybe your wardrobe, or the bathroom cabinet. Breaking things down into smaller areas, within each room can help you tackle the whole house over a period of time. Dedicate time once a week to tackling one area, and the weeks will go by in no time. Even if it’s 10 minutes or half an hour here or there, little and often will tackle it all.
2. Storage, Storage, Storage
Too many times my clients find mess and clutter on their kitchen worktops or in their wardrobes, even in their living rooms and conservatories, because there isn’t a proper place to put things! Make organised storage a key component to your decluttering journey. If it doesn’t have a home, do you really need it? And if you do really need it, where can it live?
3. Get Rid of The Floor-drobe!
You know you do it. I know you do it. We all do it, right? So make sure there’s a basket or designated space for clothing you’re not done with, pyjamas or jumpers, jeans or cardigans. If they’re not clean enough to return to the rail, give them a space to live at least.
4. Keep, Donate, Recycle
Sorting through your belongings is made a lot easier if you have piles or containers based on their outcome. So for example with your wardrobe, lay flat on your bed anything you’re keeping – this makes it easier to put back in your drawers or rail, then put anything you want to donate into a Bag-For-Life for ease of carrying; lastly, add any other rags, bedding or unwearable items into a bin liner to take down to your local recycling depot. Be mindful to always donate or recycle, using general waste disposal as your last resort not first!
5. Don’t Let Your Entryway Become A Dumping Ground!
Another one we’re all guilty of is letting the porch go wild. Shoes, umbrellas, dog-leashes and poobags strewn across rails or hooks is not a look! Especially when this is the space you first arrive at when coming home – to relax! Treat it as such. Give shoes a proper space. Keys a hanging rack. Umbrellas a pot to live in and make sure there’s no action piles left out for your arrival (see tip 9!).
6. Apply FIFO
As mentioned in my blog about decluttering your kitchen, you should always use the First In, First Out method for perishable goods. Now, that doesn’t just mean food, make sure you’re using your makeup and cleaning products before their best-before date, and always always get rid if they’re out-of-date. Yes, you did hear that right, cleaning products do expire, so make sure to check these too as their chemical use becomes null.
7. 1 In, 1 Out Rule
Now you’ll have to apply this rule to your home at all times. That is, when you buy one item, one has to go. Otherwise we find ourselves up to our eyeballs in silly gadgets and bursting wardrobes. Being mindful of what you’re buying and bringing into your home also adds an intentional purpose. Choosing an item of clothing or a new set of crockery will feel more personal when you know that making that decision comes with removing old items too.
8. If it doesn’t spark a memory, let it go!
You’ll learn a lot about letting go of items as you slowly work your way through your house, as being more intentional with your space and digital storage is how we clear our minds to new memories and sentimental items. I apply this to digital photos with my clients all the time. Because if you can’t remember why you took it, why are you holding on to it?
9. Stop Leaving Action Piles in Living Spaces!
This one we’re all guilty of, but if you have a pile of laundry, get it put away. If you’ve got a mixture of to-do items, have a designated space for it! Be it in your utilities space or dining room sideboard, if you have a pile of letters to get back to or sort, then have a letter holder – keep a basket in place ready for these Action Piles and keep them far away from your relaxation spaces (bedrooms and living areas) so you can get around to them when you have the time, without killing the mood post-work relaxing.
10. Decluttering Isn’t a One-Time-Event
As you’ll start to realise, decluttering your home isn’t just a one-off project, it’s an ongoing process. Which is why I call it a journey. You’ll notice that keeping a decluttered household involves instilling practices that become part of your lifestyle, such as intentional purchasing, cleansing the household, refreshing once a week or month, and being more realistic about what you actually need and use within your home. Decluttering should be a mixture of practices that keep your home, and your mind, a relaxed place to exist.
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