Is Shaheen the most organised mum in UK?
WITH her colour-coded wardrobe, meticulously labelled pantry and spotless playroom, Shaheen Pathan - who swears by the saying, ‘tidy house, tidy mind’ - may just be Britain’s most organised mum.
Always neat, Shaheen, 37 - who is taking a break from her job as a business analyst - only became serious about decluttering in 2016, when she moved into her four-bedroom home in Batley, West Yorkshire, with her husband, Sajid, 40, a contractor for a financial company, and their older children, Eesa, 10, and Adam, seven.
Hoping one day to turn her organisational talents into a new career, Shaheen, who also has a daughter, Aisha, two, keeps her home neat using the KonMari method - the brainchild of decluttering guru and Netflix sensation Marie Kondo - where tidying is performed according to category rather than by room.
Regularly sharing tips with her 450 Instagram followers, she insists that keeping a spotless home does not need to be time consuming, explaining: “I absolutely love organisation. I think the saying, ‘Tidy house, tidy mind’ is very true.
“One of the most common comments I hear is, ‘I wouldn’t have time to get my house that organised,’ but actually, once you’ve done one big clear out, it’s barely any bother to maintain.”
“My motto is, ‘Put it back where you found it.’
It really is that simple.”
Over the years, her love of fashion and accessories saw her build up an expansive, but never messy, wardrobe.
“I’d hold on to stuff for sentimental reasons, despite the fact I never used it,” she said.
“I had things like the first bag I bought with my very first pay cheque when I started working as a teenager.”
Then, in 2016, Shaheen and her family moved out of the home they had been staying in with her in-laws and into their own place.
She seized the opportunity to get rid of unused and unwanted household items and start again from scratch.
She organised her home, cupboard by cupboard, using the KonMari method. Now, every single item has its place. All her wardrobes are colourcoded and she stores anything she does not hang up in drawers or baskets, stacked sideways.
“That makes it easier to see what you have - nothing is hidden away,” she said. “Every season, I take two to three hours to rotate all our wardrobes, storing away winter clothes and getting out summer bits, or vice versa.
“That way, nobody has to rummage through things they aren’t going to wear.”
Her pantry is similarly spotless, with items organised into set categories such as tins, treats and condiments.
Everything is kept in corresponding baskets, which she buys for just a few pounds from B&M or Poundstretcher.
In her bedroom, her perfume collection is organised in height order and her jewellery is neatly stored in a tray, according to colour and style. She keeps the beauty products she uses every day in a special caddy, while everything else is neatly stacked in her medicine cabinet in categorised 79p Poundstretcher baskets.
“I don’t want to just shove things into cupboards at random,” she said. “It may seem easier at the time, but sooner or later, things become cluttered and you end up making more mess trying to find the things you need. Keeping everything in tiny baskets is a good tip.”
Even Shaheen’s playroom - the site of utter chaos for many parents - is pristine, with toys categorised by type and stored in crates and baskets, while books are neatly stacked in height order.
She continued: “My kids and husband aren’t quite my level of organised, but they know to put things back where they found them. Don’t get me wrong, with three children, sometimes things get chaotic, but I want to let them play and enjoy that time.”
Adding that she would one day like to become a professional organiser, she concluded: “Decluttering your home is cost-effective, it minimises waste, it saves time and it’s also good for the mind to live amongst order and tidiness.”
You can follow Shaheen on Instagram at @organised_happiness.