After another year of Christmas presents, your home may be looking a little messy as you welcome in 2016. Nobody relishes the prospect of sorting out the spare room or clearing out a cupboard in their free time. However, to achieve a tidy, clutter-free home, it’s essential to tackle mess head on rather than simply brushing the issue under the carpet (or into a corner)!
January is the perfect time to combat clutter. To help you find a lasting solution to your storage woes, we’ve got some tips on how to clear out and organise your home.
The big clear out
Set aside an afternoon to blitz your bedroom, spare room or storage cupboard, and if possible enlist your partner or another family member to get a second opinion and pair of hands. Sort your belongings into three piles: keep, rubbish, and a maybe pile that you can decide on later depending on how much space you have left.
Use the 6-month rule to identify whether items are worth keeping. Have you used the item in the past 6 months, or will you need it in the near future? If not, it may be time to throw it on the rubbish pile or visit your local charity shop.
Find a home
We’re all guilty of having one drawer or cupboard full of miscellaneous items. Over time, clutter can accumulate if belongings don’t have a designated ‘home’ in your house where they can be stored.
To prevent this from happening, find homes for items that tend to get thrown in a pile. If you can’t find a logical place to keep them within your existing storage, it may be time to explore new solutions that will combat clutter.
Maximise available space
One of the greatest obstacles to organisation is space, so think outside the box when finding homes for your belongings. Shelving could create an attractive display for books or photos, whilst adding drawers into cupboards can make use of dead space where clothes aren’t hanging. Play around with the layout of your room, and consider investing in furniture that will help you achieve a mess-free space.
Bespoke storage solutions
Some items are trickier to organise than others. Shoes, for example, can quickly descend into a messy pile when not stacked in dedicated shelving. Meanwhile, filing cabinets can be an eyesore when placed in a tidy home office. Bespoke storage solutions can help you find discreet but effective ways to organise clutter, making it easy to tidy up and even easier on the eye.
As the cold, wet weather continues and our bank balances feel the pinch, the next few weeks present an ideal opportunity to have a good sort out of your house. Whether you’re planning a home improvement project later in the year or you’re simply tired of tripping over clutter, follow these tips to make the most of available space in your home.
