How To Declutter Your Home
There’s no better feeling than leaving the hustle and bustle of the outdoors behind and stepping into a clean, calm, clutter-free home. But we know it isn’t always like that.
Life can get messy, as can our homes, yet the saying ‘tidy home, tidy mind' still rings true. In fact, if you’ve ever stood, hands on hips, staring at a cluttered bedroom with no idea where to begin, we’re willing to bet you’re all too aware of just how accurate that old adage can be!
Ready to declutter your home and declutter your mind? We’ve got seven simple decluttering tips to reset your space in no time at all.
1. Take it room by room
Decluttering your home can feel overwhelming, especially when you’ve got more than one room to contend with. We suggest you take a room-by-room approach to make everything feel that little bit easier.
You might want to start with the room you spend most of your time in - the living room or bedroom, for example - to tackle your most troublesome spot and ensure you’ve got space to relax in after the job’s done. Alternatively, our favourite decluttering tip for a quick burst of stress-relieving satisfaction is to start with the bathroom. Clearing a bathroom is typically not as time consuming, as you’re less likely to have sentimental items hiding away in there, with more focus on practical, consumable clutter.
Settled on a room to get cracking on? Start in one corner and watch as your chaos becomes calmer, using space in the middle of the room to organise anything you’re keeping into piles (more on that later). Decluttering this way helps to keep the motivation going - you could even reward yourself with a quick 10 minute brew or snack break after each successfully cleared-out corner!
2. Think about what you need
One of the hardest parts of decluttering a house is choosing what to keep and what gets the boot - especially if you’re a sentimental stasher.
Luckily, there are plenty of methods you can follow to simplify the decision-making process, and most of them revolve around asking yourself questions to prompt that all-important answer. Start by thinking carefully about the item in the hot seat, and ask questions like the following:
• Have you used it in the past three months?
• Are you likely to use it again soon?
• Does it make you smile?
• Would it make someone else smile?
• Is it easily replaced?
If you haven’t used something in the last 90 days and you’re unlikely to use it again anytime soon, then you might want to think about getting rid. But don’t fret - we’re not suggesting you send your great grandma’s heirloom ornaments to the charity shop! Items that hold a special place in your heart and bring a smile to your face - or “spark joy”, in the words of Marie Kondo’s popular KonMari method - are always worth keeping around.
3. Sort items into piles
Now you know how to decide what to keep and what not to keep, it’s time to look at some decluttering tips to help when actually clearing up your space.
Our top decluttering tip is to create categorised piles to place items into once you’ve decided what to do with them – keep, donate, or discard. You can use labelled boxes here, but designated sections of the floor work just as well if you don’t have any to hand.
Once the contents of your room are piled high, pop any items you want to donate in bags to take to your local charity shop, and anything you’re saying goodbye to can go in the relevant recycling bins. You might find items you want to keep have somehow ended up under the sofa or fallen to the back of the TV cabinet, so make sure to have a good root around for anything that’s made the cut before stashing your items away in their new homes
4. Create a decluttering checklist
Keeping your cleaning motivation going can be tricky. If you love the satisfaction of ticking off a to-do after a job well done, a declutter your home checklist might be just what you need to stay on track! Before you make your list, remember to separate big tasks in each room you’re looking to declutter into smaller, manageable jobs for more frequent instant serotonin boost moments. For example, on your bathroom checklist you might break down the overwhelming task of ‘clearing the cabinets out’ into easier to-dos like ‘throw out old facemasks’, ‘sort out medicine drawer’, and ‘tidy skincare shelf’.
You can jot your list down in the notes of your phone so you always have it to hand, or use the back of an envelope or your notebook for old school pen-to-paper satisfaction. Whichever you prefer, this decluttering tip is great for managing your time, as well as giving you a sense of accomplishment with every task ticked off.
5. Maximise your storage space
With your new decluttered house starting to take shape, you might want to think about maximising your storage space to avoid having to declutter again.
You’ll need to be a little creative with your furniture here, especially for a smaller apartment or studio space, and multifunctionality is just the trick for it! But what does that mean?
Multifunctional furniture is, as the name suggests, furniture that goes above and beyond its one intended purpose to give you the best of both worlds. For example, a bookshelf does its job housing the latest and greatest of your romantasy collection - but it can be home to your sentimental photos and ornaments as well! In the bedroom, a multifunctional ottoman bed promises sumptuous, sink-in sleep, with under-bed storage to keep spare bedding and out-of-season clothes tucked away until needed, while a storage footstool in your living room gives you kick-back comfort and keeps crochet hooks and puzzle books out of sight.
6. Master the minimalist mood
For a truly decluttered home, minimalism is a must, especially for smaller spaces.
Minimalism is all about sticking to the essentials, paring back your décor, and finding happiness in the basics. Decluttering your home for minimalism encourages you to focus on creating a clutter-free space for a serene, calm, and soothing environment.
Sound like your style? Try to embody the minimalist mindset while you’re organising, and visualise how you’d like your space to look once you’re finished. Instead of having ornaments strewn all over your bookshelf, mantle, and side table, keep a couple of your favourites and choose one area to spotlight them. For furniture, leave the big, bold pieces behind - opt for one statement piece that catches the eye and becomes the centre of your space. You might also create tucked away, concealed areas to store things like games and photo albums, instead of having them scattered across your coffee table.
And that’s it! You’re now on your way to decluttering your home and restoring that instantly relaxing feeling when you step through your front door. Looking to spruce up your décor too? Well, whether a cosy cottage core is for you or you prefer the sound of a coastal retreat vibe, head over to our Inspiration page or Trend hub.
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