De-clutter your home this January

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bathroom, clean, clothes, clutter, cupboard, declutter, dust, home, house, KonMarie Method, living room, sanctuary, space, spring clean, tidy, towels, utensils, wardrobe

 

The new year is upon us and what better time to take stock of your home and create the space you have always dreamt of?

If you’re one of those people who dread the big spring clean, listen up as we have some easy to implement tips for de-cluttering your home. Whether you want to keep hold of every birthday card, all your school reports or every pair of jeans you have ever owned, having endless possessions can be more suffocating than liberating.

Rather than focusing on hiding all the stuff you have in your home, the best way to deal with de-cluttering is by concentrating on the life you want to live and organising the space you have.

So, let’s go:

Set aside a couple of hours and go around your house collecting the rubbish cluttering things up. Old magazines and newspapers, discarded food containers and general litter can go in the bags and taken to the rubbish tip. Reusable items like random toys, old books and clothes can go in bags and taken to the charity shop.

After this top level ‘stuff’ has been cleared away you can then de-clutter your home, one room at a time:

Kitchen
Many kitchens are the hub of a home so this is the perfect place to start your real de-cluttering. Set aside a morning and go thought every drawer and cupboard one by one. You will be amazed at how many pennies, biros and old cans of sardines you will find. Once each one is empty, give it a good clean so it is fresh again and only put back in the items you really need and are in date. If you have endless utensils and appliances that you don’t use, think about packing them away and seeing how long it is before you need to use them. If you haven’t unpacked them in three months, give them away or donate to charity.

The living room
You will be amazed at the number of redundant books, puzzles and films you will find in your living room. Be ruthless, if you don’t use or watch it, get rid of it.

Hoover under all sofas, chairs and tables, dust, wash covers and cushions and open the windows to really give the room a fresh, new feel and a room where you want to spend time.

Bathroom
Bathrooms might be small but they are often home to a tonne of items you just don’t need any more, and have probably forgotten you own. Half empty bottles of bubble bath, a soggy bag of cotton wool and endless cosmetics past their expiry date will probably be found lurking in cupboards. Once again, be ruthless, throw out the old products and towels that have seen better days and give the bath, sink and toilet a really good clean so the room feels really clean once again.

Bedroom
Take out all your clothes and only keep the ones that fit you now, that you love and ones that make you feel great. If you do this you will be surprised at the space that suddenly becomes free in your drawers and wardrobes. All of a sudden it will be easy to decide what to wear in the morning because everything feels and looks great. Marie Kondo’s KonMari Method is a great way to sort out your clothes for good.

When you buy anything new make sure you really need it and love it.

Ensure your bedding is clean and matching, dust photos and pictures and give the whole room a thorough going over so it is sanctuary for rest and relaxation.

Once you have cleared out and cleaned you will feel fresher and lighter and your home will look so much better for 2016.