No matter how organised we are, most of us have lots of items in our home that should no longer be there. As we start a new year it’s the perfect time to have a clear-out and start the year with a clean slate. To help you get started we have 5 ideas to help you get better at decluttering.
1. Become a wardrobe warrior
Every person that lives in your home most likely has a wardrobe that could do with a declutter. There could be two, four or more people in your home hoarding a whole load of clothes, most likely crammed into a wardrobe that are no longer worn – in a typical household that will add up to a fair-sized clothes mountain. If you’re lucky enough to have a beautiful rustic wardrobe in your bedroom you want it look as good on the inside as it does when the doors are shut. Take everything out of your wardrobe and put it in a pile – you should justify why a garment deserves its place in your lovely wooden wardrobe, if something doesn’t fit well or you haven’t worn it for some time then it should not be taking up space. Be honest, be brutal and be more Marie Kondo and only hold on to those items of clothing that bring you joy.
2. A better way to fold clothes
Do you have a clothes folding technique? I am sure most of us think we know how to fold clothes, but we tend to fold them flat one on top of the other – when you think about it, for many items this really doesn’t make sense at all. We all know how irritating it is in a shop when you have to rifle through a pile of folded tops or jeans to find the right size, so why do that at home? A large solid wood chest of drawers is the perfect storage, but rather than lay items flat add some partitions and roll clothes so you can easily identify what you are looking from as soon as you open the drawer.
3. Clear out by category
A mistake many of us make is to declutter room by room but another way to approach it is to declutter by category. So one day books, another DVD’s, then shoes the next day or bedding and towels etc. The idea behind this is that you avoid simply moving items from room to room and not really decluttering at all.
4. No nostalgia
We know it sounds dehumanising, but when it comes to clutter, it works best not to get distracted. As you are working your way through your home you will come across photos, letters and even clothes that bring back memories – this does not mean you have to keep every item. Yes, there are things that are treasured possessions, but again they should be organised and in the right place out of the way but easy to find when you want a wander down memory lane.
5. Purposeful furniture
To make the most of storage ensure the furniture pieces you invest in are suitable for what they need to store. When is comes to storing non seasonal clothes a wooden blanket box in the bedroom is ideal to provide plenty of room to store clothes you don’t need until the next season. If your rustic wardrobe has plenty of space to store out-of-season clothes, a wooden chest at the end of the bed is also useful for storing summer duvets, quilts or blankets, ready to grab when there’s a particularly cold snap.
In the hallway, a rustic console table creates a warm welcome and is also a perfect storage spot for those items you need to grab as you leave the house. A hall table with drawers is best if you want a paired-back, minimal entrance.
What decluttering tips do you have? We’d love to hear what you’re doing in your homes right now to get it fresh and organised for the new year – leave a comment below and share your ideas.