No matter how hard we try, it doesn’t take long for clutter to take over our homes. Without ever seeming to happen all at once, you can find once beloved rooms spilling with things everywhere that all feel immovable. But we shouldn’t put up with it; it’s impossible to appreciate our homes when everything is a mess and we all know how much better it feels to be in a clean and tidy room than a cluttered one. What’s more, it might not be nearly as hard as you think to fight back against the clutter. Here, we’ve compiled some of our favourite tips and pieces of advice that make decluttering your home much more manageable.
If your nervous about the idea of confronting the build-up of clutter then the best tactic might be to plan one intense session to get it all done with as quickly as possible. There’s what Marie Kondo advises, who has become world famous for her techniques on getting rid of clutter in your home. Instead of living in a constant state of getting rid of unwanted items throughout the year, Marie recommends getting it over with so you can enjoy life free of the worry. Another important part of Marie’s technique is a little unconventional, but might just be the approach you need to push past the emotions involved in letting go of old items.
Marie’s criteria for choosing things to keep require something to be necessary, or to provide joy. She says we should hold an item we’re considering in our hands, and if it doesn’t do either of these things, thank it for being a part of our lives and consign it to donation or trash. While it might sound a little silly at first, it’s undeniable that we can form very strong emotional bonds with things we don’t even want anymore because they’ve been around for so long. Marie’s approach of confronting this emotional relationship might just help you stay firm, and move on.
Alternatively, if you’d rather not try to tackle the whole load in one go, there are many great tips for staggering out decluttering your home a little at a time to make it much more manageable. There are various stage systems you can use, such as getting rid of an item or a bag of items a day, or by focusing on a room or area. Whatever system you decide, keep things clearly planned so you can see the progress your making. For example, you might decide to dedicate ten minutes a day to one room a week, making your way through the house without losing hours at a time.
If your struggling for inspiration, there are also a few handy structures you can try right away. The 12-12-12 method is a challenge to find 12 items to throw away, 12 to donate, and 12 to relocate back to where they should be or where they’d fit better. The best part about this method is that you can even make it into a light-hearted a game, a great way to get past feeling overwhelmed or nervous to start.
Similar is the four box method. Just take four boxes (large or small depending on how ambitious you are!) and mark each one as trash, donate, keep or relocate. Go room by room, and before you know it you’ll have made a huge difference.
If your nervous about the idea of confronting the build-up of clutter then the best tactic might be to plan one intense session to get it all done with as quickly as possible. There’s what Marie Kondo advises, who has become world famous for her techniques on getting rid of clutter in your home. Instead of living in a constant state of getting rid of unwanted items throughout the year, Marie recommends getting it over with so you can enjoy life free of the worry. Another important part of Marie’s technique is a little unconventional, but might just be the approach you need to push past the emotions involved in letting go of old items.
Marie’s criteria for choosing things to keep require something to be necessary, or to provide joy. She says we should hold an item we’re considering in our hands, and if it doesn’t do either of these things, thank it for being a part of our lives and consign it to donation or trash. While it might sound a little silly at first, it’s undeniable that we can form very strong emotional bonds with things we don’t even want anymore because they’ve been around for so long. Marie’s approach of confronting this emotional relationship might just help you stay firm, and move on.
Alternatively, if you’d rather not try to tackle the whole load in one go, there are many great tips for staggering out decluttering your home a little at a time to make it much more manageable. There are various stage systems you can use, such as getting rid of an item or a bag of items a day, or by focusing on a room or area. Whatever system you decide, keep things clearly planned so you can see the progress your making. For example, you might decide to dedicate ten minutes a day to one room a week, making your way through the house without losing hours at a time.
If your struggling for inspiration, there are also a few handy structures you can try right away. The 12-12-12 method is a challenge to find 12 items to throw away, 12 to donate, and 12 to relocate back to where they should be or where they’d fit better. The best part about this method is that you can even make it into a light-hearted a game, a great way to get past feeling overwhelmed or nervous to start.
Similar is the four box method. Just take four boxes (large or small depending on how ambitious you are!) and mark each one as trash, donate, keep or relocate. Go room by room, and before you know it you’ll have made a huge difference.
Whatever method you try, remember decluttering is not nearly as tiring or frightening a prospect as it can seem. With some firm planning and commitment, you can work out a way that suits you and will have your home feeling like home again in no time. Why not invest in a sliding door wardrobe as a gorgeous storage solution for those items you decide to keep?
Send us in some before and after photos of your results or let us know your own handy tips.
