With Christmas long past and those new years resolutions well underway (or perhaps by the wayside), Spring is the perfect time to start your decluttering journey. Taking items out of the home and applying a minimalistic approach can seem difficult, but doing so is easy when you get into the right mind frame. A clean home often equals a happy, uncluttered mind and creates an improved atmosphere that guests – and your family – are certain to appreciate. Get your spring clean off to the right start with our top five tips to decluttering your home.
- De-clutter and make the most of external storage
One of the hardest things about decluttering is throwing away things you truly cherish or may need again, later on down the line. Instead of disposing of these items for good, make the most out of storage solutions outside of the home. From large storage units in Southampton to small lockers in London, there’s plenty of options dotted around the UK. You’ll be able to keep and use your belongings whenever you want without having them cluttering up your home – a huge win for you and your home.
- Plan to sort through paperwork
From old bills to abandoned receipts, most of us are guilty of drawers stuffed with paperwork. Not only is this messy, but it means you’ll never be able to find essential documents without digging through a mountain of other junk. Sort through your paperwork and blitz anything you don’t need in a paper shredder, keeping the essential documents in a neat pile as you do so. What you’re left with should be organised by each family member, using separate folders and then placed in a single storage container, as recommended by DIY Adulation. You’ll be able to keep your drawers clear but find all the essential documentation you need in seconds.
- Don’t forget the cupboards
Clutter isn’t just the knick-knacks that mess up your living room; many people forget about the inside of their cupboards. The kitchen cupboards, in particular, need to be organised to prevent any stress when you can’t find the essential ingredient you believed to be in there. Prevent this from happening by keeping your cupboards and drawers free of duplicate items, as well as equipment you never use. Blogger Clean and Scentsible has created a list of everything you should purge from your kitchen, as well as how to decipher what needs to go. By just having the absolute essentials in the cupboard, you’ll be able to find everything you need without scrambling through piles of unneeded supplies.
- Try out the outbox method
If you find it hard to let things go, Apartment Therapy recommends doing a quick ten-minute whip round in search of things you may not miss. They call this an ‘outbox’ and request that you fill it full of things you can see yourself living without. Be strict with it by really thinking about when you’ll use it again or if you have something else that does the same thing. Put them all in a safe but out of the way place and check it again at the end of the month. Did you need any of it desperately, or did you find yourself forgetting all about it? You’ll probably find that you experience the latter and, if so, pass it on to someone else who needs or put it in a storage unit for later.
- Find a place for everything
Finally, make sure you have a place for everything rather than leaving piles on surfaces – you’ll notice a difference straight away. Underbed storage is incredibly handy as it can keep essentials out of sight yet within reach. Label every box so you know exactly what’s in it and try to keep the contents within a similar theme, rather than randomly chucking everything inside. Look for spots where you can put storage containers; if you can’t use under the bed storage, try storing things on the back of doors. Sounds weird, but you’d be surprised at how much you can hide behind them, as shown on the One Good Thing blog.
