It’s a well known fact that when your home feels tidy and organised so does your life.
Of course, when you have little mess makers taking over your home it can feel like an overwhelming and exhausting task, but as spring is the best to for a home detox, it’s time to pack the children off to friends or family for the day, and take the chance to get your home back to some form of normality.
A happy home gives us a happy mind, so rather than have the little ones running around our ankles whilst we attempt to bin, store and stack everything within reach, make the effort to ensure you’ve got a solo day to get the job done.
Many people believe that living a de-cluttered life means living in a minimalist sanctuary, but this doesn’t have to be the case.
De-cluttering your home has many benefits, with less to clean, less for the little ones to trip up on, and a more considered approach to money, it can leave you feeling lighter, more free and calmer in your own home.
Follow these few tricks and you’ll soon be wondering why you didn’t do it sooner.
Impart Good Habits
If you want to tackle the children’s room but don’t want to face the tantrums of binning their beloved aged toys, then ensure that before they leave for the day you spend time with them tidying their room and discussing with them what they want to keep.
This not only helps to reduce the toy count, but will also instil good habits in them.
Get Organised
It may feel like a daunting task ahead when you realise you’ve got your entire house to de-clutter by the end of the day, but take one room at a time.
Starting from top to bottom, make a list of everything that needs to be done in that room and you’ll soon start to power through your list.
Avoid Storage Overload
One thing that we can all be guilty of is purchasing lots of storage boxes and crates before we know we need them.
Don’t go to town on purchasing storage until you know you really need it.
Then you can assess which type of storage would best suit the room and the products you’re looking to organise.
Donate with Thought
We all have a common habit of simply throwing things in the rubbish or sending tonnes of black bags to the charity shop, but there are many ways that you can make your de-clutter more meaningful.
For example, donating any smart clothes to the Smart Works charity, which helps women on low incomes prepare for interviews, or donating old toys to the local children’s hospital.
Don’t be afraid to earn a little money from your unwanted goods as well.
With many companies now buying old cds, dvds and electrical goods, you can recycle these products, make a little money and feel proud that you haven’t just sent them to landfill.
The 6 Month Rule
It can be easy to give the excuse of ‘just-in-case’, but if you haven’t used a certain item for the past 6 months, the truth is you’re probably don’t need it.
Admittedly this can be hard advice to swallow because we’re always planning for ‘just-in-case’ moments, and hate the thought of the money we’ve wasted on that item.
But this trick will also help you be more considerate of any future purchases, because you need to ask yourself the number one question of, do you really need it?
Tackling Problem Areas
Some rooms are most definitely easier and quicker to organise than others, but below are the areas that either get completely forgotten about, or insert a sense of fear at the thought of tackling them. But don’t worry you can conquer these spaces with some simple tricks;
- Man Drawer; Filled with odds and ends, this is the draw that will be over spilling with everything from random buttons to dead batteries and old birthday candles.
Be brave and empty it. If you think you’re going to need it again then put it in a tuppaware box and label what’s in them.
If you don’t know what it should be used for or where it goes, then bin. Chances are you’re probably not going to need it again if it’s been buried at the back of this draw for over a year.
- Wardrobe; We all claim that we have nothing to wear, but this is far from the truth.
The fact is, many of us are overwhelmed by our wardrobes because we simply don’t know what’s in there. But if it doesn’t fit or doesn’t make you feel fabulous it’s time to bin it.
If this is an area of distress this infographic will ask you all the tough questions to make your wardrobe de-clutter a little less painful.
- Foyers; From leaving unopened letters on the side cabinets to dumping our shoes at the door, the reception/foyer area of our homes can be the most neglected by our busy schedules. Stop the build up of stuff by adding shoe boxes, and organisers.
By giving everything a home, you can tidy your house much quicker and ensure that unsightly bills and dirty shoes are well out of your way.
- Computers; It may seem like a very random area to de-clutter, but as our lives are now led online, we can soon accumulate pictures and important documents on our computers, running the risk of them burning out, and us losing some very precious items.
Take just an hour to clean up your computer, and duplicate any really important information on a USB stick such as these, which can then be stored somewhere secure.
De-cluttering your home may feel like Mission Impossible, but it can relieve a lot of stress and pressure from a busy family home.
Besides, a spring clean only needs to come once a year!
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