10 Tips to De-Clutter Your New Home
Trying to fit the whole contents of your old house into your new home sometimes just isn’t practical – or doable – and before you know it, your home is soon covered in clutter and it can all begin to feel a bit too much.
We understand this feeling and we also know how nice it is to have a neat and tidy house that is well managed with everything in order. So although de-cluttering your home may seem like a daunting and mammoth task, we’re here to help you face the challenge. We’ve come up with 10 tips for steps you can make to help de-clutter your new home.
1. You have to start somewhere, so choose one place that needs tackling. We suggest starting small, so if there’s one shelf or drawer in particular that needs sorting out then start with this and then move on to something bigger like a whole room afterwards. Give yourself a limited amount of time to spend sorting it out, whether it’s only 10 minutes or half a day. See how far you get and schedule in another time to continue the de-cluttering so it doesn’t get forgotten about. This way you can break it down into smaller manageable chunks of time.
2. Try to imagine how you want the room to look. This may sound pointless but if you have an idea in your mind then it will be easier to achieve your vision as you can pinpoint exactly what needs doing. For instance, you might want one ornament to stand out in particular on your dressing table or window sill; therefore you know how much you have to clear away to make this happen. Likewise you may want the rug on the floor to actually be noticed, so everything else on the floor needs to be moved elsewhere.
3. When clearing through your things, it’s good to have a system in place. Create a ‘maybe’ box. Put everything in here that you aren’t sure whether to keep or throw away. Then come back to the box in a few months’ time. If you haven’t needed any of these things since the day you put them in there then this is a big indication that you can get rid of them. Similarly, if you have found yourself returning to the box then you’ll know these are things you should keep.
4. Set yourself the ‘5 thing challenge’. Find 5 things that you know you use but don’t actually have a place to put them and find somewhere to keep them. Think where would be most convenient to keep them, somewhere you will remember etc.
5. Make a list that prioritises which rooms need to be sorted out first. If you even know what is in the room that needs to be sorted out then put this on the list too. This will help you keep focused and not go off track when the actual de-cluttering starts, as you will always have your list to refer back to.
6. Consider putting some of your belongings into storage if you aren’t sure whether you want to get rid of them or not yet. You can review these items at any time if you decide you have no use for them anymore or if you find someone else who is in need of them.
7. You could schedule in a specific weekend and get the whole family to join in and help. The more help you have the quicker the job will get done.
8. If you struggle throwing things out because there is nothing wrong with them then make a bag to send to charity. They’ll appreciate anything you can donate and it will make you feel better knowing that they’ve not gone to waste.
9. Post can be a big contributing factor towards the build-up of clutter but instead of leaving it on the table top or stuffing it into a top draw never to be seen again, create a simple filing system. Have a section for post that needs acting on and one section for post that needs shredding. If you want to go a step further, create sections for school related letters, warranties, receipts etc.
10. If you don’t live on your own then speak to the others in your house and tell them that you don’t want to live in a cluttered, messy house. Explain to them the steps you have put in place to avoid this from happening and that you hope they respect your decision and even persuade them to join you!
Sometimes it feels like you de-clutter your house just to have it re-cluttered again before you know it, but for everything you buy or bring into your house, question its purpose and make sure you put it in its place so it’s not left lying around. Following these steps will help put you on the path towards enjoying your beautiful, new clutter-free home and remember, less clutter means less stress!
For storage in Wilmslow or to find out how we can help you move into your new home, please get in touch with our friendly team at Rylands of Manchester.