Springtime is synonymous with giving your home a deep clean, having a clear out and organising your belongings. An annual review usually takes place around now and this can really boost your mental wellbeing and reduce stress.
If you don’t know where to start when it comes to decluttering your home, here are some tips:
Stay focused on your motivation for decluttering – is it to create more space, to tidy your spaces or to reorganise your home? A tidy home will relax your mind make it easier to work out what you need to retain and what can go.
Considering your motivation for a good clear-out might be obvious – you want a neater and tidier home. However, everyone has their own reasons for decluttering, and by keeping this in mind, you’ll be able to stay focused. A tidy home will be less frantic or stressful.
Instead of thinking about what you’re going to get rid of, think about what you’re going to keep and why. Start with emptying junk drawers – get everything out and choose items that you want to keep. Put them back and then decide what you will do with the rest of the items. Try and use this method for all of your areas.
Get your children involved with sorting out clothes and toys and if you can sell any of their items either through an online site or even a garden sale/car boot let them use any funds earned to purchase new items that they would like or even let them take it to a charity shop for other children to enjoy. This is a great way to get them helping and to identify what they no longer need.
Don’t start something if you don’t have time to finish as this will create stress and you may end up with more mess and disorganisation than when you started. Set time aside and set a time limit so that you know you can take a break and not get too bogged down by what you’re doing.
Be kind to yourself and celebrate what you’ve achieved before moving on to the next room.
When you begin to declutter, it’s easy to get carried away and do too much. Make sure you limit your sorting to a specific space or category, choosing one wardrobe, surface or draw and not moving to the next area until it’s been dealt with.
Sorting by category rather than area can take more time, as you’ll need to locate everything in that category – for example, books, clothes, make up, kitchen equipment. However, by gather like with like in one go you can see what you have and what you need to keep hold of.
It’s easy to hold onto things ‘in case’ but many of these items won’t be used again if they haven’t been used in the last couple of years. Think about donating items that are in good condition sooner rather than later.