Decluttering: How to do it

When was the last time you had a really good clear out? When you organised all of your things, remembered what you’ve got, and gave away what you don’t need?

If you can’t recall your last decluttering session, then now’s a good time to think about scheduling one in, especially with the annual spring clean just around the corner. 

The thing with clearing clutter is that it can instantly make you feel ‘free’, but it can be a bit of a mountain to climb if you have lots of possessions to sort through that have mounted up over the years. 

Feel ready to take on your clutter? Great news! Take a look through my decluttering tips and practical guidance below if you’re in need of a helping hand with it all:

What should you not do when decluttering?

Now, depending on how much clutter you’ve accumulated, decluttering could take two days, two weeks or two months, or maybe even longer.

Once you’re in the mindset of having a clear out, you may want it to be sorted, just like that.

However, it’s important to remind yourself that decluttering is a process that isn’t necessarily sorted overnight.

This is mainly down to the fact you need to go through every item and assess whether it deserves to be kept because it has sentimental value (or for another reason) or it needs to go because you longer need it.

One of the golden rules of decluttering is not to try and tackle it all at once because you will inevitably find it overwhelming, which could lead to you giving up on it.

If you’re feeling particularly emotional, which could result in you being more inclined to hold on to things you have a personal attachment to, it’s best to leave decluttering to another day.

And finally, don’t hold on to things ‘just in case’ you might need them. Truth is you probably won’t need them, so try and stick to a decision once you’ve made it.

How can I declutter my house quickly?

How quickly you declutter depends on how ruthless you are during the process. Snappy ‘yes’ or ‘no’ decisions are the key to clearing clutter ASAP. Try not to procrastinate over it, just get on and do it! 

1. Sift out the rubbish first – e.g. packaging, broken items, expired products, old magazines…basically anything that needs to be binned because you have no use for it and it can’t be reused or passed on.
2. Divide your possessions by room – if there are things in the kitchen that belong in the bathroom or things in your dining room that belong in your office, put the items where they need to go. If you’re not sure where to put certain things, create a pile of them and then decide if you still have use for them later.
3. Streamline your paperwork – working from home during the pandemic could mean that you now have more paperwork than usual lying around your house. If you have, gather it all, put it all in your office/working space and then methodically go through it, checking for what can be recycled, binned or kept. The aim is to really cut down on physical paperwork and keep things electronically if you can.
4. Identify your unused items – do this one room at a time, and don’t move on to the next room until you’ve completed the room you’re currently working in. What do you no longer use or need? Be honest with yourself. Where possible, look to charity shop or sell these items so they don’t go to waste.

What should I declutter first?

What you declutter first is entirely up to you. In fact, if you can, start with a place that you feel ready to start with, that way, you’ll be more inclined to fully commit to the decluttering process.

As we’ve just mentioned, rubbish is always a good place to start, leaving you with items that you could still keep, recycle or donate to others. 

Another great place to start is the bathroom. In most houses, it tends to be the smallest room in the house and should (hopefully) contain less clutter than your other rooms. What’s more, we usually don’t tend to keep sentimental items in the bathroom either.

Where do I start decluttering when overwhelmed?

Create a list of the areas/rooms you want to declutter. Then, start from the top and work your way down to the bottom.

If you find your mind resisting the process, declutter in short bursts – e.g. 30 minutes or an hour at a time, which will make it seem far more manageable. You may even find that once you get into it, you start to enjoy it, which spurs you on to do more.

If you’re really struggling to part with things, then why not ask a friend or family member to help you? They can provide you with the objective viewpoint you need when you’re grappling to hold on to things you know (deep down) that you can live without.

Storage solutions for a clutter-free home 

Storing your ‘keep’ items away will help avoid mountains of clutter from being created again because everything will have a place and your storage can only fit so much in.

These days, there are so many clever storage solutions I recommend, in particular: