We’ve all been there. We open our wardrobes or look in the kitchen cupboards and realise just how much clutter we have. Some things we use regularly, but a majority of the time we tend to keep a lot of items ‘just in case’ we might need them in the future.
You eventually decide to declutter, but it’s hard to know where to begin…. So you soon close the cupboard and decide to do it another day.
With spring only just around the corner, now is the perfect time to start organising how you’ll declutter your home and sort out your hoard of belongings. Whether it’s your kitchen, bedroom or bathroom; follow these handy decluttering tips from Preloved to make your house a more organised, happier home!
First things first, you need a system. There’s obviously going to be the pile of things you’ll want to keep, but for the other items you need to decide from a number of options:
- Sell: If you’re a bit strapped for cash and the items are good quality, you might want to consider selling them. You can do this one easily by listing them on Preloved! Choose your price and pop an advert up, not forgetting a picture to really attract attention to your ad. In a few quick and easy steps you can find your belongings a loving new home.
- Donate: Do your bit for charity by donating your belongings to your local charity shop or shelter. We believe in the power of good karma, and giving your unwanted items to people who really need it is one of the easiest ways to support your favourite good cause or give back to your local community.
- Recycle or Upcycle: Take ‘make do and mend’ to the next level by completely revamping those old belongings in to something new. We have lots of craft tutorials and DIY inspiration coming up on the Preloved blog in the near future, so there’ll be plenty of ideas to get your crafty teeth stuck in to!
- Bin: Are you ever going to wear that pair of pants you’ve had for 6 years which actually have holes in? No. So think sensibly about what you’re going to keep or donate, and what would have a happier home in the bin (for that example the bin is definitely the best place for them, trust us).
Buying masses of storage boxes may make your house look tidier, but when you’re hoarding box upon box of things you might never use again, it turns out to be a fruitless task.
Decluttering Tips from Preloved:
- Not worn or used something for over 12 months? As mentioned, there’s plenty of options for things we no longer use. We’ve all bought that dress 2 sizes too small from the sale section, which we hope to one day fit in to. If it’s not been off the hanger by now, it was probably never meant to be *sniff*. But someone, somewhere, will appreciate your bargain, find that’s for sure. Either sell your items here on Preloved or pop them in that donation pile for someone else to enjoy!
- Slow and steady wins the race: Don’t go in to decluttering mode expecting to get it all done in a day. Choose one section to concentrate on at a time. Tackling your clothing? Do it drawer by drawer. Sorting out the kitchen? Do it cupboard by cupboard. The last thing you want to do is get bored halfway through, or create more of a mess than you began with! Little chunks each day will be more productive than aiming to get it all done in one go.
- Look on Pinterest for storage ideas: Whether you want to organise the children’s toys or sort your sock drawer, Pinterest is the perfect place for inspiration. Sign up to an account and create boards to gather your favourite storage ideas. Make a board for each room to even keep your online life organised efficiently too! There’s so many storage hacks to choose from, that it might be an idea to stick to just 20 minutes a day for your storage research – otherwise Pinterest may just become your place for procrastination!
- Keep it Simple: Don’t make the organisation process too complex. Try and keep storage solutions to declutter your home simple by arranging things by colour or alphabetically. There’s no need to complicate things by creating your own Dewey Decimal System on your bookshelf. As long as you can find what you’re looking for as quickly as possible and it has its own place, you don’t have to overthink where you will put what in your new organised home.
- Make it Fun: Come up with a way to make your decluttering and organising fun. If something feels like it’s going to be a laborious and boring task, then you’re not going to be as enthusiastic about it as you could be. Get your friends involved (perhaps by tempting them over with a glass of wine as payment) or make a fun game with the kids, where their reward is a bigger area to play in!
And finally: Once you have decluttered your home, come up with a personal checklist to prevent you hoarding unnecessary items in the future. Next time you’re out shopping try not to impulse buy. If you see something you like, go to a few other shops first before you go back to buy it. Half the time you’ll forget to return and that means you didn’t really need to make that purchase to begin with!
If you have any more decluttering tips to share, why not pop over to the Preloved Facebook Page and leave us a comment telling us your best one!
Looking for more inspiration? Check out the Preloved decluttering Pinterest board here.
