You’ve heard it before: mess causes stress. Thanks to books like bestselling The Life-changing Magic of Tidying by Marie Kondo and TV programmes like The Hoarder Next Door, we’ve seen how cluttered homes can get and the stress-relieving, cathartic effect a tidy, clean and organised home can have.
So here are some top tips for decluttering your home and like many things good planning and preparation are top of the list:
1. Make a plan
Don’t try and tackle everything at once. Decide which room or space is your priority and start there. Don’t move on to the next room until the first one is complete, otherwise you could end up in total chaos.
2.Hire a skip
Before you start, make sure you have everything you’ll need, such as boxes, cleaning materials and bin bags. To really maximise the time you spend decluttering, hire a skip that you can fill up and that someone else collects and takes away, saving you numerous time-wasting trips to the tip. Mini skips are ideal for home declutters, but speak to the experts at Rabbit about what size will suit you and will help organise any permit required.
3. Pull everything out first
On D-clutter day, work according to your plan and start in the first room or space by taking everything out of cupboards and drawers so you can see what you are dealing with. This is a good opportunity to thoroughly clean inside units too.
4. The systematic sort-out
Now that you’re faced with a potentially overwhelming pile of stuff and to avoid going around in circles, you need a system. Label three large boxes:
- Keep
- Skip
- Donate/Sell
This is your chance to be ruthless – if you haven’t used an item for at least a year, or if it’s damaged, consider if you really need to keep it. Then decide whether it’s good enough to donate or sell, or if it’s destined for the skip. Don’t worry about what can and can’t be recycled – when you hire a skip from Rabbit, your waste is sorted for you, recycling everything possible before incinerating what’s left to produce green energy.
5. Start a to-do list
Chances are, as you go, you’ll notice odd jobs that need doing – lightbulbs that need replacing, small holes that need filling and repairing and other small DIY tasks. Try not to get distracted from the decluttering and cleaning at hand. Instead, keep a running to-do list so you don’t forget the tasks you need to come back to.
6. Tidy and organise
Once the sorting is done, it’s time to find new homes for all the items youplan to keep. Tidy drawers, perhaps using small boxes or organisers within them to keep similar items together. Make sure the items you use most regularly are the easiest to get to. Seasonal and lesser-used items should be stored further away. In the kitchen, think about where items should be to make life as easy as possible – using space near the hob for pots and pans and keeping mugs in a cupboard near the kettle.
At when you’ve completed your declutter, sit back in your clean, tidy home and enjoy your surroundings.
Find out how you can skip the tip with skip hire from Rabbit – contact us on 01903 762020 or info@rabbitgroup.co.uk
