Decluttering your home
There is no point in paying for self storage space and then using it to store stuff that you don’t actually want. First of all, you want to declutter. Here are a few tips on how to go about it, starting with the clutter mindset.
Accumulation, accumulation, accumulation!
The UK is a successful consumer society. The shops are full of goods, and we have the incomes to buy them. Result: we have too much stuff!
Unless you are a disciplined discarder, you will accumulate more and more stuff. You buy it, you are given it, you find it.
You can divide your possessions into four categories:
- There is stuff you really need.
- There is stuff you may need from time to time.
- There is stuff that serves no great purpose, but you like it.
- Then there is clutter.
Clutter is redundant stuff. It hangs around. It bugs you. It clutters your brain.
Throw off the shackles!
Decluttering makes YOUR HOME look fresher, brighter, more efficient.
Decluttering make YOU feel fresher, brighter, more efficient.
Three top tips for decluttering
1. ATTACK MODE
Steel yourself in preparation. Whip yourself into a ruthless mindset. You are going to attack the clutter in a mood of ferocious, lightning-quick decision-making.
2. THE THREE BIN BUST
You need:
(i) A roll of large, strong black plastic bin bags
(ii) A set of medium-sized cardboard boxes
(iii) A set of small cardboard boxes
Head into the room bearing one of each of the above.
Scour the room, its cupboards, drawers and crevices, and insert objects into the containers according to the three sets of responses below:
(i) It’s rubbish. It’s useless, it’s broken and you are never going to mend it, you never liked it. Shove it in a black plastic bin. BIN IT!
(ii) It has its uses, but you don’t want it hanging around. Shove it in the medium-sized cardboard box for the moment, then STORE IT! (neatly, out of sight — you really don’t want too much of this.)
(iii) Not so sure… can’t decide about this one. BIN IT! But if you can’t bring yourself to do that, put it in a small cardboard box. Keep it somewhere annoying (e.g. occupying a cupboard shelf) for a year, then BIN IT!
3. SELL IT? GIVE IT AWAY!
You COULD try to sell unwanted items that have some potential value — either on eBay, or in a carboot sale or garage sale. If you are thinking of this, you need:
(iv) another large cardboard box marked: FOR SALE.
But is it worth the hassle? Will you earn enough money to justify the time and effort and expense? Won’t the stuff just be in your way for longer, cluttering up your house and mind?
ALTERNATIVE: Just give the stuff away. Bag it / box it, and take it to the nearest charity shop. Result: double satisfaction — unload your clutter for a good cause.
Decluttering and self storage
Surveys show that a large proportion of stuff placed in self storage is:
(a) worth less than the cost of the rental;
(b) discarded anyway at the end of the lease.
If you are going to use self storage, make sure you declutter first! Give a home only to the good stuff.
The benefits of decluttering
- You’ll feel so much better. Decluttering is good for the soul. It makes you feel you are making a new start.
- Your home will be worth more — if you are selling it. These days, estate agents think everyone wants to live in homes that look like an airport hotel.
- You won’t need to spend so much money on self storage.
… or call in the professionals
Some people just cannot declutter. They may not be “compulsive hoarders” (which can be a serious mental condition, with social consequences), but they may be on that spectrum. Maybe they just don’t have the time.
But they may have the time and money to call in the professionals — people who declutter as a livelihood and career. Just Google “declutter your home” and dozens of names will appear.
Alternatively, go to the website of APDO, the Association for Professional Declutterers and Organisers, and click on “Find a Declutterer” tab: www.apdo-uk.co.uk
5 Responses to “Decluttering your home”
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Really informative article! The really hard part when you come to declutter, is being strict and getting rid of stuff that you have not used for a long time, we tend to think that an item might come in useful at a later date but that day very rarely comes and so we keep hold of it for no reason what so ever! lol
There is nothing worse than looking around you at all the clutter and not knowing how you will be able to sort it all out,it can become overwhelming even at times. Thankyou for a good read!
Excellent advice! I’m an Organised Lifestyle Consultant and my clients include those who need decluttering. I offer advice, support and guidance to make sure you not only get the job done but you continue to keep it that way by formalising a plan that suits you. Decluttering is enlightening and lightens the load both mentally and makes room in your house sometimes enough to discover you have a whole new room you didn’t realise was there..a perfect place for a lodger perhaps or create that dream office and start your own business! Amazing article great website I often pop on here to see what you’re up to Thanks
Thanks for the info. I found it very useful and look forward to seeing your future posts. Terrific website.
De-Cluttering home or office is really very ruff task . But anyway will follow your ideas. Thanks for sharing.
Another top decluttering tip is to hire a miniskip for the day and don’t stop decluttering until you have filled the skip….completely.
It will help you make up your mind about thigs you really ought to throw out, but about which you are wavering.