When you have a cluttered home, you can feel stressed and overwhelmed. I speak from experience! Whenever surfaces are covered with belongings, paperwork, reminders of work and school and every corner overflow with things that we don’t need, it can be difficult to relax and enjoy our home. With a few simple changes, you can easily transform your living space into a more calming environment that is organised and clean. For me, this is still a work-in-progress yet I can see the benefits in the rooms that I’ve focused on so far.

Here are some of my tips to start the decluttering process which can help you regain control of your home and lead to more peaceful surroundings.

THE FIRST STEP IS TO BE BRUTAL WHEN DECLUTTERING  

The first thing you need to is to get rid of anything you don’t need anymore. When you declutter, it’s all about simplifying your space and getting rid of items that no longer serve a purpose. Go through each room. One by one and sort your belongings in a keep pile, donate pile, sell pile, and discard pile. You need to be as ruthless as possible. If you haven’t used something and you’re likely not going to need it in the future, get rid. As this pile gets bigger you’ll need to manage the waste. You may need to hire a skip so that you can get everything done in one go. If you were going through your entire home, you need to make sure that you have somewhere to dispose of any discarded items rather than having to run to the recycling centre several times a day.

MAXIMISE YOUR STORAGE OPTIONS 

You may find that your home feels more cluttered than it is because you have poor storage solutions. It’s wise to invest in decent storage options so that you can keep your home organised. Put things out of sight rather than having laying about. Think about adding shelves and using under-bed storage as ways to help gather loose items. It may also be good to add some multifunctional furniture, such as coffee tables with hidden storage. When you are planning your storage, think about the average size of your home, which needs to have more options for storing smaller items. For example, having children’s toys out can make a room feel extra cluttered, so add a toy ottoman to your living room so you can tidy up at the end of the day.

‘LESS IS MORE’ SHOULD BE YOUR NEW MANTRA 

You’ve probably heard the phrase less is more. This is, without a doubt, the approach you need if your home, like most people’s, is overflowing. Consider what you bring into your home, rather than just buy everything you think you need. Be mindful of what you add to your home and make intentional choices. Think about the function of each item and whether it holds any personal value to you. You may also want to think about using the one-in-one-out method. If you buy something new for your home, get rid of something by donating or giving it away. 

These three tips should help you start decluttering your home and make it feel less unorganised. When you create storage solutions and think about adding fewer items to your home you can more easily control the clutter hence creating a calmer and more relaxing environment.