National Declutter Week is here!

Dateline: Wednesday 7 March 2012. It’s the start of National Declutter Week, sponsored by Storage.co.uk. Get decluttering – you know it makes sense!

National Declutter Week survey

Over 80% of people across the UK have too much clutter at home, according to a survey* by Storage.co.uk. Clearly, people love their “stuff” so much, they don’t want to lose it, even though they’ll never use it.

Storage.co.uk carried out a survey in advance of National Declutter Week. It found the top reasons that people hold on to things they don’t need include emotional attachment and the idea “they may be useful one day”. Another common cause of clutter (one-third of respondents) is the hope that their stuff may be valuable.

But the main barriers stopping people from having a good clear-out is lack of time and feeling they have better things to do, suggesting they struggle to put the task high on their list of priorities. In some cases, clutter can really get out of control and become a bigger issue in people’s lives

Rachel Papworth from Green and Tidy**, a professional declutterer and organiser, says: “We live such busy lives, it can be hard to make time for decluttering. If you’re struggling to fit it in, think about how much time you’ll save when you can easily put your hand on whatever you’re looking for. Plus decluttering saves money, protects your mental and physical health, and reduces your environmental impact.”

According to the survey, quirky items of clutter getting in the way at home include a train piston, “hundreds” of old train tickets for travelling to see a fiancé, a camel saddle, carpet samples for a would-be rug , an empty Rotastak hamster cage, seven inch white platform boots, “thousands” of LPs and a lifesize cardboard cut out of Justin Bieber.

What National Declutter Week is all about

It’s simple. National Declutter Week (7–18 March 2012) is all about encouraging people to get the clutter out of their lives. Free up space, free up the mind!

We’ve got a dedicated webpage, with links to other pages, that tells you more.

This year we are especially encouraging declutterers to donate your useful but unwanted stuff to hospice charity shops

Adopt a Hospice

Storage.co.uk is calling on all home occupiers to consider unused stuff sitting at home and to make a big decluttering effort in National Declutter Week. Then take the good stuff to a hospice charity shop.

Storage.co.uk has linked up with hospices across the UK to direct donations of saleable items. To view participating hospices, visit www.storage.co.uk/national-declutter-week/adopt-a-hospice. If none of these is near you, it’s easy enough to find your nearest hospice charity shop through a Google search.

National Declutter Week and self storage

A number of self storage companies have also taken up the cause, generously offering spare space to hospice charity shops, to store donations temporarily – and encouraging their clients to donate unwanted items to their adoptive hospice.

Storage.co.uk also acknowledges that often declutterers want to clear their house, but also to hang on to stuff for one reason or another. Then, the obvious solution is SELF STORAGE!

*Storage.co.uk’s survey was conducted face to face and on-line in January and February 2012. It gathered over 500 responses from people in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

**Green and Tidy (www.mygreenandtidylife.co.uk) helps people who have way too much stuff, to declutter and create homes they love, homes that support them to live the lives they want. Its founder, Rachel Papworth, has developed an innovative approach which means that you can get help and support wherever you are in the world. Through online programmes and telephone/Skype coaching, Rachel trains the chronically cluttered to develop new habits, attitudes and practices that have them declutter and stay decluttered forever.

2 Responses to “National Declutter Week is here!”

1. Easy Stevey says:

   March 8, 2012 at 6:10 pm

   Hi
   Just realised I posted my comment on your Janaury announcement page. What a fool I feel now!
   I am reposting here where I hope you will see it.

   Thrilled to see National Declutter Week is back. I still have my poster from last year. Can I use it again or should I use the new one?

   Also the extra time is great news. Last time it was a real rush to get my decluttering done in just one week. I was back and forth to my local storage centre every day and I think the (assistant) manager was getting sick of my cheery face!
   Do you have any advice for me?

   Thanks
   Easy Stevey

2. Kelsey says:

   March 16, 2012 at 9:00 pm

   I have been trying to do one area/room of the house each week. breaking it down seems a lot easier.