ON THE COVER 7 Steps To A Clutter-Free Life
It can be a daunting task, but the benefits will be amazing! Here’s how to finally part with all that stuff you don’t need
SET A DATE Decide on when you’re going to reclaim the space in your home, and don’t let anything or anyone get in the way of your decluttering date!
Be realistic about how much you can do – and tackle one room, cupboard, shelf or drawer at a time.
“It’s a good idea to set aside time first thing in the morning so you’re free to do what you want for the rest of the day,” suggests Simon Glanville of WWW.APLACEFOR EVERYTHING.CO.UK.
BE RUTHLESS “We’re all guilty of hoarding items we no longer use,” admits Vlatka Lake of self-storage company Space Station. “A good rule is that if you haven’t used something for six months, it’s probably time to say goodbye.”
Be methodical as you go through all your stuff, with a space on the floor for keeping, black bin bags for recycling, white bin bags for donating and a big box for everything you’re going to sell.
WEED OUT YOUR WARDROBE This is where a friend can come in very handy – especially one who’ll say “chuck it” when you’re attempting to convince yourself you’ll lose enough weight to fit into a dress that’s two sizes too small and a decade out of date!
With clothes, the SixMonth Rule of throwing out if it’s not been worn doesn’t work so well as we tend to wear different outfits in warmer weather. Instead, stretch the time period to one year – but adopt the same system of keep, recycle, donate and sell.
“Once you have space in your wardrobe, hang shorter items at one end, graduating to longer items at the other end, creating space at the bottom for shoes or folded items such as jumpers or bedding,” advises Simon.
ORGANISE DOCUMENTS AND PAPERS Go through that pile of papers that never seems to get any smaller, shredding paperwork or documents that are no longer required and filing the rest. Introduce a system whereby newspapers are recycled whenever they’ve been read and junk mail goes straight into the paper recycling bin. If you spot a leaflet or newspaper article that might come in handy, take a photo rather than keeping it.
“Ask yourself, ‘Do I really need to keep every Christmas card, birthday card and painting my children brought home from school?’” advises hoarding specialist Jo Cooke of Tapioca Tidy. “Memory boxes enable us to keep the best and recycle the rest.”
FIND NEW HOMES FOR UNWANTED ITEMS Unwanted, good quality homeware and clothing can be donated to a charity shop or given away on websites such as Freecycle. The