6 Tips To Declutter Your Home Without Regret

Imagine a clutter free home – the space, the calm. Somewhere free of fuss and mess, nothing collecting dust in the forgotten corners. Lovely idea, but for most of us when planning how to have a clear out we often get frozen with fear because deciding to declutter your life can also pull at the few heart strings and seem like an overwhelming a task. Even the most nervous hoarder can make an effective, if tentative start with our decluttering tips.

1. Don’t Over Do it

Your reasons to declutter may be the end of a relationship, a child heading off to college or just the beginning of annual Spring cleaning. Whatever the motivation, it can feel daunting. Try a three box system to ease the anxiety that might be holding you back: Have your ‘definite ‘box of stuff to lose, ‘Store’ for seasonal or heirlooms you don’t want out but don’t want to part with and finally a ‘maybe’ box.

Place your maybe box out of sight in a cupboard for a two week cooling off period. If you don’t miss any of it, it can go but if you do have a pang it means you rescue that teddy bear you can’t quite part with.

2. Plan – Begin at the Beginning

The key to getting rid of clutter is to get organised. Do it in stints – don’t feel you have to do it all at once and will seem less overwhelming or something you might overdo and get ‘declutter regret’. Identify a section, maybe try one corner in your sitting room or hallway and start there. A few small successes will inspire and you can take a pause between each stint. Try to do it all in one day and you may lose interest and feel defeated.

Make sure you have somewhere to put the items too, so a water tight lidded box for items to save in loft and space in the recycling or charity bags to whisk items away. And start with an easy win to get your declutter juices flowing by ditching the duplicates such as wooden spoons, towels, sheets that lurk threadbare or unused waiting to be released into the wild. The ease of movement and space with what’s left will inspire

3. Look at Where You Sleep

Nothing makes you realise how many nice clothes you have to wear than planning a wardrobe clear out. Wardrobe organising should start with moving bulky season items like jumpers into moth proof bags, so you can see what you have that is seasonally appropriate.

Then sift through anything washed out, with that lost button you can never match or simply the wrong size undecided about an item? Ask yourself, does it make you feel good? Is that top for someone you will never be? Or used to be?

The added benefit is that when you declutter your bedroom, you’re more likely to get a better nights’ sleep, with less to distract or overwhelm you in a low level way. (And less clothes to throw about means a tidy bedroom is much easier to achieve).

4. Review Where You Relax

First, lose the guilt. Gifts from friends and family that just collect dust? Faded framed photographs jostling for space that have become visual white noise?

Free coffee and side tables up by packing pictures away or giving away things you just never really liked. These ornaments clutter window ledges and get added to out of habit rather than design.

Try moving these objects off surfaces and see how you feel about the clean lines. Does the light from the window warrant a window chair or if the space allows a window seat? Make this possible by replacing heavy drapes with slim profile roller blind. A tidy living room becomes an instantly more relaxing place to be.

5. Where You Work

Home office organisation is essential if you want to be effective. When you plan to organise your office, start with an office clear out of the ‘I’ll deal with it later’ pile. Amazingly these items becoming increasingly irrelevant the longer you leave them and can result in rapid, motivating headway.

Once completed, look at desk tidy ideas that represent how you actually work; if you fancy the idea you have a paperless office but find yourself, in reality, drowning in paper, try clipping projects onto clipboards in pretty pastels or bold colours and hang them on the wall; like a visual to do list.

Keep surface areas clear by getting rid of clutter such as old phone chargers or hardware that you keep ‘just in case’. It stops this tide of ‘maybe’ junk turning your efficient work space into a little visited dumping ground. One you've creative the space you want, take some time to think about the light. Its important for productive working so consider slimline Pleated blinds with top down - bottom control to give you flexible light control in your office.

6. Where You Eat

A tidy kitchen gives you the creative space to cook with flair. A kitchen clear out needs to include a check on all those ‘best before’ spice and herb containers; out of date will lack flavour as well as freshness. Ideal storage for kitchens should have all your items nearest to the task at hand, so pots and pans only an arms length from the hob and incorporate kitchen counter organisation ideas that leave you the space to work.

Consider how you actually use the space. Can a microwave or toaster go into a cupboard? Once you start clever storage becomes a fun addiction; hanging occasional items from the ceiling on a vintage laundry dryer with butchers hooks or a shallow shelf that allows you to surf your recipes on your tablet. There are so many ways to battle the clutter.

Now what will you do with all that space?

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