Out with the old and in with the new, decluttering helps clear both your home and your mind. Having too much ‘stuff’ lying around can make us feel disorganised and unfocused, not to mention making tidying a chore. Getting rid of old things we no longer need is an important skill to develop in many areas of our lives. When you approach decluttering your home, it’s best to tackle one room at a time. Breaking it down into smaller steps makes it easier to manage and less daunting! A slow and steady, methodical pace is the best way to declutter your home.
Before tackling crammed countertops, make sure your cupboards have been cleared out, as this will be your essential storage space. It’s here you can hide unused appliances and worktop clutter. If you can, consider hanging pans above the stove, as you will rarely use this space for anything else. Clear away out-of-date food, moving pasta and rice into glass jars to prevent spillage. Over the door shelving racks are perfect for pantries and storing condiments and spices. If you have open shelving in your kitchen, use baskets to group items together for a stylish and practical solution. These will also stop the shelves from looking cluttered. Finally, use drawer dividers for things other than cutlery, using them to keep keys, batteries and instruction manuals separated.
This is probably the room we spend the most time in, meaning it can get cluttered easier than other rooms. The good thing is, you probably have furniture here that can double up as storage space. Coffee tables with shelves, ottomans and sideboards all allow you to hide anything you don’t need on display. Organise any drawers or cupboards you have, throwing away old magazines and clutter that has accumulated over time. Use open storage, such as shelves and bookcases to display your belongings in a tidy but stylish way.
Old toiletries and makeup can accumulate in the bathroom, so make it a priority to clear out anything old and needs throwing away. If you have a lot of toiletries and little bathroom space, look at keeping them in your bedroom or a spare room until you need to use them. There usually isn’t much space in the bathroom, so make the most of what you do have. Use under sink storage, wall shelving and over the door racks.
This room is most likely your biggest task! Make sure it’s tidy before you start to organise, as it can quickly get out of hand here. Clothes, shoes, and bags are likely to be taking up most of the storage space, so have a good clear out of these before tackling anything else. If you have items that you want to keep, but you don’t need to have on display, buy storage boxes and keep them in the attic. If you don’t have an attic, then attractive storage boxes can be put at the end of the bed or somewhere subtle, keeping all your odds and ends tidied away. If you have underbed storage, make the most of this storage area that is out of sight but easy to access.
