De-cluttering could free up whole extra room at home

THERE are so many unworn and unused shoes in Britain that if they were put heel to toe they would stretch around the whole world, research suggests.

And if all the CDs and DVDs we don’t listen to or watch were piled on top of each other, they would reach a staggering 7,641 miles into space. But four in ten people admitted they have not even thought about the amount of space that could be saved by a good clear out – which researchers believe could free floor space equivalent to an entire room.

The average Briton owns 53 items of unworn clothing, 36 CDs and DVDs that are never played, and seven pairs of unwanted shoes. Our neglected footwear would cover 29,430 miles – far more than the 24,901 miles around the equator.

The study revealed that clothes are most likely to be cluttering up our homes, followed by CDs, books and toys, totalling 143 unused items stashed away in a typical household. Oxfam commissioned the study to launch its campaign asking the public to donate unwanted stuff to its shops. Andrew Horton, Oxfam trading director, said: ‘There are about 27million households in the UK, and if each one has 143 unused items, we’re talking about more than three billion CDs, DVDs, homewares, accessories and clothes cluttering up space.

‘Donating clutter to charity is a great solution for everyone. It’s satisfying to unburden yourself of clutter other people will love.’