It’s that time of year when we get the urge to Spring Clean.
De-cluttering Tips Deal with one room at a time the task will seem less daunting.
Stick with that room until it’s finished.
Choose a nice day – Take the room contents outside. Psychologically it’s easier to sort and let go if you’re one step removed.
It’s also less likely that the clutter will make it back inside.
Sort everything into three piles – Label them dump, donate and keep.
Be realistic: if the item in question hasn’t been used for over a year it is unlikely you will ever use i.
If you can’t lay your hands on items you need because they’re buried under piles of junk; if you’re constantly moving items from one pile to a new ‘temporary’ pile; if you find yourself thinking, “
I can’t throw this away, it might come in useful one day,” you’re probably a clutter-victim.
Californian blogger Dave Bruno wrote The 100 Thing Challenge. He set himself a year-long experimental task of reducing his belongings to 100 items. Although it started as a challenge he actually chose to keep living by his new rules afterwards, saying he prefers the simplicity. It would be tough for most of us to emulate Bruno exactly, but he has a point. Most of us probably put far too much time, effort and money into acquiring, keeping and storing possessions, and sometimes it’s good to let go. If you’re ready to de-clutter, then we have a few simple tips.
If you feel you need help, there are experts in decluttering who will guide you through the process of letting go.
Deal with the dump and donate piles – Do this before anything comes back into the house.
It’s much harder to mess up your good work if the stuff is physically gone.
Sort and label – Place the remaining items in clearly labelled boxes. Make sure there is one temporary box to house items which really belong in another room. As each room is sorted those items can be replaced, and other misplaced items can be housed there while the de-cluttering process continues. Replace everything that remains – The maxim ‘
A place for everything and everything in its place’ is a good one. Keep small items in clear plastic boxes and store them in cupboards or wardrobes.
When you’re done instigate a ‘one thing in: one thing out’ rule. It will make you think twice about acquiring something if you know something else must go. Finally, once a week, take two bags and go through your home.
One bag is for rubbish, the other for items in the wrong place. When you’ve finished throw the rubbish away and replace the misplaced items.