As we leave winter and start seeing the first rays of sunshine, there’s no better time to start thinking about how to declutter your home. Clutter can be an issue for most people and by making simple lifestyle changes, it’s an easy issue to fix. Below we explore how to declutter your home ready for spring, giving you the space to start the next big spring trend or DIY project you’ve been planning.
Why think about decluttering your home?
It’s important to know what clutter is, where the common clutter hotspots might be in your home and how they impact you. It’s something that always starts small but can spiral quickly if it’s not left unchecked. Think about the ‘mess draw’ that everyone has or the cupboard that just never seems to have any space.
Research has shown that these ‘clutter hotspots’ can increase stress, stifle creativity and even impact mental health.
We’ve all heard the saying ‘tidy desk, tidy mind’ right? The same applies to your home.
Having a clean space, whether you’re working from home or just going about your day, can improve efficiency, happiness and well-being.
When you invest some time into spring cleaning, you’re not only improving the presentation of your home but you’re also maintaining a great foundation for something new. The next time that you see a beautiful piece of design inspiration online, you’ll be in a better place to make it a reality immediately if you don’t have to spend time decluttering and tidying your home.
Finding the clutter hotspots and how to declutter your home
When you’re starting to declutter your home, the best thing to do is look at each room and see if there are any stand-out clutter offenders. Here are some of the most common:
Kitchen counters, drawers and cupboards
The kitchen is one of the most commonly used rooms in the home and also features the most items, so it’s not surprising it’s usually the main hotspot for clutter. The thing is, the kitchen is also the centre of any home, so it’s where the clutter may have the worst impact!
When you’re decluttering a kitchen, it’s important to be as organised and efficient as possible with the space you have available.
• Kitchen counters are usually a hotspot for clutter as they’re large areas and flat. Think about what’s on display, what needs to be out and what you regularly use. If you don’t use an appliance daily, consider packing it somewhere. Keep your utensils together in a single stand or mount them to the wall to free up space.
• Make sure that your cupboards are organised based on contents and accessibility. You’ll want your cutlery draw to be easy to reach and used solely for that purpose. Keep your pots, pans and other cooking utensils separate from your plates, bowls and other crockery.
• Think about investing in a spice rack if you find yourself building up a huge collection of ingredients. These can act as decorative pieces on window sills or kitchen counters and free up cupboard space.
• Tidy as you go in the kitchen and throw away your post! It’s much easier to be a tidy cook than it is to clean the entire kitchen after you’ve finished cooking and you’ll save yourself time in the long run. While we’re talking about tidiness, don’t forget to throw away those leaflets, old post-it notes and letters that you don’t need, they’re a gateway to further clutter!
Bedside tables, drawers and under the bed
As the room we spend most of our time in, whether we’re awake or not, the effects a clean bedroom can have cannot be understated.
Bedside tables are the first port of call, as they’re usually the most prone to clutter. Aside from holding your phone, tablet or other daily items, they’ll usually also feature mugs, moisturisers and other random bits that you take to bed with you:
• An easy fix is to be strict and relegate your non-essentials to a bedside drawer or different room, making sure that you only have exactly what you need.
• Consider buying a small tray that holds your most important items. They’ll be exactly where you need them but in a place that looks like it was designed for things, rather than randomly scattered.
Shoving stuff under the bed that you don’t regularly use is something we’re all guilty of but this can build up clutter and reinforce bad habits:
• Take the time to get rid of anything that’s under there - whether intentionally or not - and invest in some storage if you don’t have any. Long, flat boxes that fit under the bed are ideal for holding out-of-season clothes, towels or bedding, freeing up space elsewhere in the bedroom.
Your wardrobe and drawers are the final spots that may suffer from clutter, especially if you’re like us and have far too many coats. Fortunately, there are ways around it:
• Firstly, you have to be ruthless with your clothes. If you don’t wear something in a year, you’re never going to wear it. Consider donating it to charity or selling it online. If you can, buy quality and buy infrequently. It’s much easier to manage clutter if you have a smaller, core wardrobe of high-quality, long-lasting items that can combine to make hundreds of outfits.
• Use storage elsewhere for out-of-season items. It can be a great idea to keep your wardrobe organised seasonally. If you have lots of chunky knitwear, summer dresses or shorts that you’re not going to wear immediately, consider storing them in boxes under your bed or somewhere else in the home, giving you more room for your everyday clothing.
• Use the file folding method for thinner items such as t-shirts. Aside from helping you see all of your clothing at a glance and looking great, it also takes up much less space in a drawer.
Bathroom sinks and baths
Much like a kitchen counter, it’s easy to start filling up a bathroom surface with clutter such as shampoos, conditioners, toothbrushes and if your experience is anything like this author, kid's toys:
• Consider investing in bathroom storage such as a bathroom cabinet, sink caddy, tray for your bathroom counter, smaller drawers or bath trays. These items tend to look great, can help you establish a design scheme in a room and also offer a practical purpose, especially if you have regular items you use every day.
• If you want more decoration in your bathroom, consider placing these items in common clutter hotspots. Aside from tying the room together, they’ll stop you from putting random items down and contributing to the clutter.
