Top 10 things you will need to help you declutter your home.

While we've all been in lockdown, you may have been trying to use your time wisely and declutter your home. Some will have been more successful than others and have the inclination to get through it. For others, the sheer overwhelm may have been too much and put you off early on in the process.
If you are attempting to have a clear out, then let me tell you the top 10 items you will need to arm yourselves with to make it a success. 

1. BIN BAGS Bin bags are an essential part of a decluttering process.  Although I try and reuse or recycle as much as possible when decluttering a person's house, there will be some items that just need to be thrown away. Some things might not be able to be recycled because of the material they are made from, some may just be so broken they will no longer be of use to anyone. Then there's rubbish that can accumulate behind the sofa, under the bed or down the side of a chest of drawers. I use clear bags to avoid any worry of throwing away the wrong bag, and the ones below are also made from recycled material which I love.

2. TUBS

Large tubs are brilliant to sort your items when decluttering. I recommend three containers which you can label DISCARD, KEEP and DONATE. These are the most important categories when trying to work through a lot of clutter. I use gardening tubs like the image below, but you could use cardboard boxes or laundry baskets if you don't have these around the house. They need to be big enough to hold a large amount of stuff, making your process as efficient as possible. Once the tubs are full, bag up the rubbish and the 'donate' items ready to be taken out of the house.

3. MARKER PENS AND BIROS

Permanent marker pens like Sharpies are so useful when decluttering and organising your rooms. They can be used to write on plastic bags to categorise your charity shop items and your 'give to a friend' items. They can write on boxes and labels to make sure everything has its place, and they can also draw moustaches on anyone who falls asleep whilst 'helping'! (Jokes! Please do not try this at home!) 

4. ADDRESS LABELS

Sticky labels are an essential part of your kit too. They can be used to temporarily stick on storage boxes and drawers to help children (or grown-ups) remember where everything goes. They can be stuck on large items you want to sell or donate. They can be attached to boxes and bags that are destined for the loft so you can find them quickly next time you head up there. Make sure you buy the address labels which can be easily peeled off things as there's nothing worse than sticky residue leftover from a label. 

5. SMALL BAGS

Small bags are so handy to contain all sorts of 'bits'. Usually, I would ask why you are keeping 'bits, but if you have children they will no doubt have 1000 bits they are not willing to part with!  To make everyone's life easier, freezer bags or material pouches are brilliant at holding everything all together in one place.  This may be lego, LOL doll accessories or even craft materials.  Plastic bags are also see-through, so great for items which are used a lot. This way, you can see what's in them and grab them quickly when needed. Crayons and a puzzle book are great in a bag together so you can pick them up easily before heading on days out or to a restaurant to keep children entertained.Good quality medium or large freezer bags are my choice as they are readily available and are tough enough so they can be washed and reused over and over. Single-use plastic is a big no-no for me! 

6. STORAGE BOXES

Storage boxes can be extremely useful. They can be used as dividers in a drawer to keep items separate. They can be handy to store infrequently used items in the loft or under the bed. They can be used to house toys in a bedroom. But boxes only work if they're the right shape and size for the items you're trying to organise. If not used correctly, storage boxes can create more clutter or just hide clutter until the next time you decide to work through that room. Wait until you have fully decluttered to then work out what storage will work best. I often use plastic boxes as they are sturdy and wipe cleanable - perfect for the bathroom or children's items. So many shops sell storage boxes now, all at reasonable prices. If you are trying to lower your plastic usage, then shoeboxes can also be perfect sizes. You can use decorative paper to wrap them if they are on display, and you can use them with or without the lid. Small boxes with lids can also come in handy for craft items or small toys to keep them all together.

7. DOCUMENT WALLETS

A lot of clutter in a home is created from the never-ending amount of paperwork that we get sent. Firstly think about changing your bills to paperless, online statements which will help this issue and then look at using plastic document wallets to hold all your important documents. Dependant on your filing system you could use one a month or categorise each type of bill into one wallet. A4 size envelopes work well for these too and are cheap as chips. Both can then easily fit in a filing cabinet, drawer or shelf for easy access when you need it. 

8. TIME

When decluttering, you definitely need to give yourself enough time. One hour will not usually be enough to tackle a room. The worst thing is having to leave a space in mid-declutter as it can look worse before it gets better!
I'd recommend giving yourself an afternoon (or morning) per room. Some more cluttered rooms may need a full day so carve out the time accordingly. Rushing the decluttering process can mean you don't do the job properly, meaning you'll have to repeat the process over again sooner than you'd want. 

9. MUSIC/PODCASTS

If you are taking on a decluttering project alone, your favourite music or podcast may help you power through the tricky bits. Stick on a comedy or some uplifting songs and crack on. Give yourself time limits to spur you on too - 10 songs will roughly be 30 minutes long so see how much you can sort in that time and then stop for a... 

10. TEA OR COFFEE

Remember to stop periodically to take in how far you've come and what you need to move on to next stage. Popping on the kettle for your favourite brew is a perfect mini-break to give yourself time to congratulate yourself on how far you've got. Then keep on going! 

If, however, you've tried to declutter and still feel you have too much stuff in your home then give me a call. I can work with you to remove your unwanted and unused items once and for all and reorganise your home to work best for you. I offer a free consultation, so there's nothing to lose and a calm, tidy home to gain!

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