If you read this blog and know me well enough by now, you’ll know that I love a good bit of home organisation and a de-clutter! And whilst I’m not overly keen on crazy New Year resolutions, I have to admit that I’m a sucker for that fresh start feeling: tidy house = tidy mind in my opinion.
With a whole new year ahead, it’s a perfect time to de-clutter and toss out old things, but of course, this is easier said than done especially for families in the UK. Why? Because as it turns out, Brits hoard five times the amount stuff that any other nation in Europe do. House Beautiful Magazine specified that the UK uses 37.6 million square feet of storage space, with many British citizens admitting to having difficulties with de-cluttering. 1 in 2 Brits admit to holding on to junk unnecessarily, while 1 in 3 indicate that they do not like the idea of throwing stuff out.
However, refusing to let go of things can be costly. Studies show that the amount of stuff Brits hoard was estimated to cost £259 billion worth of space in 2016. In addition, hoarding is closely tied to OCD, anxiety, and depression.
If you’re looking to de-clutter your home in the New Year and need a little help, here are some tips for making your living space a little less chaotic.
Stop seeing the job as a colossal task
However large your hoarding problem might be, Good Housekeeping recommends not treating your de-cluttering process as a huge task. By seeing the job as something colossal or insurmountable, you might end up getting yourself down before you even start.
One good way to begin is to draft a plan. Make a survey of your home and figure out which rooms or areas are the most in need of a good de-cluttering job. In this way, you can make a checklist of things you need to do and a tentative schedule for cleaning up your home one room at a time. Just remember to stick to your schedule and make time for de-cluttering.
Start with storage spaces
If you’re a little lost on where to start, take professional organiser Sophie March’s advice and begin with storage spaces. By airing out your cupboard, box room, or large storage cabinets first, you can free up extra storage you might need for when you begin clearing out other rooms.
Another place to begin is with storage spaces that annoy you the most. For example, it could be cupboards that refuse to close properly due to an overpopulation of junk you’ve collected over the years. By successfully fixing those irritable problems first, you it can motivate you to continue de-cluttering the rest of your home.
Practice saying goodbye
Make piles of what to put back, store separately, or let go. Try your best to let go of things quickly without having second thoughts, and be harsh about your decisions. If you haven’t used an item throughout the past year, it’s unlikely you will in 2018.
This decisiveness should also manifest when it comes to large things that can be replaced with smaller ones, from unused toys and games to even inefficient appliances and clunky old radiators. This is particularly useful if you’re having trouble letting go, since you’ll find that throwing large things out only means you have more space to grow. For instance, homeowners can get rid of old radiators and transform their living space by installing underfloor heating. Screwfix details how underfloor heating mats can be used on a variety of surfaces including under tiles and laminate wood flooring, giving you the flexibility to install them in any part of your home. Underfloor heating systems have become a more popular option in the UK for its space-saving and more efficient properties, and it makes sense to go all out when you’re de-cluttering for the year ahead. This is just one of the innovative ways you can start 2018 with a fresh approach to de-cluttering.
If you work from home or have a home office, get your workstation organized, too. Say goodbye to disorganized cables and wires, which are major tripping hazards, by using a charging and data hub for your home computer. While a hub won’t get rid of the wires, it will help you arrange them in one place.
In addition, you don’t need to constantly connect and disconnect peripheral devices to plug in another one. A hub also gives you more connectivity, especially if you’re using a laptop. Choose a charging-capable hub so you can also charge your devices while transferring data or using your computer.
One in, one out
Lastly, it’s important to remember that de-cluttering doesn’t stop once the New Year rolls in. Every additional item you buy has the potential to become junk in your home, so it’s a good idea to practice the one in, one out rule. For example, if you buy a new watch, donate an older one you use the least.
Do you have any other tips for de-cluttering?
Share them with me in the comments section below!
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** Image courtesy of Annie Spratt at Unsplash
Love your ideas, Becky! I was worst at decluttering, solely due to the reason of not getting rid of the unwanted stuff because of my emotions.
Eventually, I started practicing the art of saying Goodbye and stayed focus towards the end goal of having an organized and clutter-free space for living. Things started to change and now I declutter without giving a second thought.
So, staying focus on the end goal – the reason you want to declutter your space is important to accomplish the task.