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Home is where the heart is, but clutter can be a dealbreaker when it comes to loving where you live. When your kitchen counter or the chair in your room becomes your go-to dumping ground, it’s time to rethink how you manage your belongings.
Refreshing your space can do wonders for your mental well-being and make you happier to get your friends over!
But what are the best ways to keep on top of mess? Here, we’ve rounded up our 10 top tips for battling the clutter before it takes over:
Don’t stick to one-off purges
Aside from the kitchen counter, one of the biggest clutter magnets has to be your wardrobe. It is home to forgotten clothes, accessories and shoes – you know the ones? The jeans you’ve had for the past five years or the wedding outfit you wore once.
The thing is, clothes are a massive space hogger if left to accumulate. So ditch the sentimentality and schedule a purge a few times a year. Anything that hasn’t been worn for the past 3 – 6 months needs to be reloved via your local charity shop.
But purges shouldn’t just be reserved for the wardrobe. Go through each room thoroughly from top to bottom a couple of times a year (minimum) to keep the clutter at bay.
Let your home dictate how much stuff you own
We all know the popular saying, “live within your means.” So why not apply it to the things you own? Instead of cramming your cupboards, wardrobes and surfaces full of stuff, let the space you have dictate how much you have.
Minimising your belongings will quickly make your home more manageable. Cleaning will be less of a chore as you won’t have to work your way around clutter traps, and you’ll quickly free up space as you go.
Get your support bubble involved
Many hands make light work! Call in your support arsenal: a friend or loved one, or get the whole family involved and de-clutter together.
Make a plan of attack and take on one room at a time. Schedule a tea and snack break to keep the troops going, and you’ll get on top of the clutter before you know it.
Want to go a step further? Why not hire your local rubbish removal team to take care of all the heavy lifting and dispose of all your waste?
Everything has a place
One of the most straightforward and best organising tips out there is to have a place for everything. That way, everything has a home and if it doesn’t, ask yourself, is it essential? No? Then it’s time to let it go.
If you find that you’re struggling to find a home for all your things, maybe you need to think about storage options to expand the spaces you have. Under the bed and inner wardrobe storage is an excellent place to start, but what about finding a solution to all your crowded cupboards?
The more places you can create for your belongings, the more space you’ll free up elsewhere!
Become a habitual tidier
We all know how much of a pull the sofa or your bed has at the end of the day. But before you get there, clear away all the superficial clutter that has been left out throughout the day. You’ll instantly feel refreshed and at ease, as you no longer have to think about it. Plus, you’re giving yourself a clean slate for the next day ahead.
It will become second nature once you’ve made a habit out of daily tidying.
Don’t agonise over the little things
If you can name anyone who doesn’t have a junk drawer, I’ll eat my hat! Pens, paper clips, tape, you name it are the bane of most people’s existence (figuratively speaking!)
While the super organised might have the ultimate solution to this problem, the everyday average Joe will simply sweep it away into the wonder that is the junk drawer. Problem solved.
Be systematic in where you store things
If you’re tired of picking up abandoned coats, keys, shoes and general oddities off the floor, then you need to think more carefully about where you are storing things. Smaller children won’t even bother to hang up their stuff if they cannot reach the designated storage spot!
Consider easy access storage depending on who needs to reach it. For instance:
- Toys need to be stored in lower down boxes for little hands to reach
- Coat and shoe racks need to be height appropriate
- Keys need to be stored in a memorable place – think near the door key boxes or hooks
Some things have an expiry date
We’re not just talking about tins in your kitchen cupboard! Things like newspapers and magazines should have an expiry date within your home. Once you’ve read it, chuck them in the recycling or leave them for others to read in your staff area at work.
Don’t neglect your kitchen
Clearing out the kitchen can be a mammoth task, and just getting started can put you off before you even begin. So stick to the number one rule and abandon one-off purges for good and tidy as you go.
Checking your food cupboards every 3 months for any out of date goods will ensure you only keep what’s good to eat!
Your fridge will likely be your worse enemy. Make sure food is still fresh every 2-3 days, and clean it out and spray it down with antibacterial spray at least once a week ahead of your next food shop.
Don’t punish yourself!
Trying to live up to the idealistic version of what you think your home should look like will more than likely set you up to fail. Ditch the magazines that make you feel bad about yourself, and remember that a whole team of trendy stylists has set each item on that page!
Take a break for a day or two, a week, a month, whatever you need and hit the reset button when you’re ready and in the right mindset.
The simplest way to love your home is to ditch your worries, embrace good habits and don’t beat yourself up when it all goes wrong! Are you ready to take on your clutter?