20 expert tips for decluttering your home
No matter the time of year, it's always a good time to declutter, and while it might not be the most glamorous task on your to-do list, your reward is a streamlined home with everything in its place.
So where to start when it feels like a mammoth job? Take advantage of any short bursts of free time you have, and if helpful, create priority lists so you know what to tackle first. Remember, every little helps, so try not to underestimate how much a quick purge can bring some structure to your living space. To get you started, we've spoken to the experts about their top tips for decluttering the home, room by room.
HALLWAY
1. Your hallway is the first space you see as you walk through the front door, and it can become a dumping ground for coats and wet-weather gear. 'Does it all need to be there?' asks Liz Aitken, APDO's operations director and founder of Carefully Sorted. ‘Can some go in wardrobes or be donated to charity shops?’
2. Apply the same sorting principle to boots and shoes,’ Liz recommends, ‘then put the ones that really need to be there in a neat line or, if you have a shoe rack, tuck them away.’
3. Don’t leave the never-ending stream of flyers to buildup in your letterbox or, worse, on the floor with the intention of sorting them out later. ‘Pick up and deal with menus and leaflets immediately,’ says Liz. Better still, go paperless.
4. Rather than leaving keys in a pile on the side, save time – and your stress levels – by hanging them neatly on hooks (out of sight and reach of the door for security). ‘That way, they’re easy to grab when you need them,’ adds Liz.
Read more > HOW TO DECLUTTER YOUR HALLWAY
KITCHEN
5. Check your fridge for out-of-date food, suggests Jaime Frow, APDO’s professional development director and owner of Thoughtfully Organised Homes. Don’t do it when you’re about to cook though, as you can get caught out when you discover ingredients you need for a recipe have already become unusable.
6. Repeat the process for dried foods. ‘Check the dates, give things a sniff, and if they’re no longer suitable for consumption, let them go,’ Jaime says.
7. When was the last time you cleared out your cutlery drawer? Tip out the tray, get rid of all the crumbs and wipe the drawer down with antibacterial spray. Now sort your cutlery, get rid of bent or broken items and replace everything in the right compartment.
8. A kitchen can quickly look cluttered if worktops are crowded with storage jars and dust-gathering kitchen appliances. A good rule to live by? If you don’t use an item daily, into a cupboard it goes.
Read more > How to declutter your kitchen cupboards
LIVING ROOM
9. Cull the cushions. We all love a few cushions to snuggle up to, but Liz reckons a lot of people have far too many. So check yours and boot out any frayed, misshapen or generally worse-for-wear examples.
10. There are only so many newspapers and supplements you’ll ever get around to reading, so have a purge of the out-of-date ones. Invest in a handy magazine rack for any that you’re Still working through.
11. Don’t let the wastepaper bin overflow – make it part of your morning routine to empty it and recycle the rubbish. If you do it more often, it won’t be such a chore.
12. Sort out your gadgets and corral remote controls and games consoles, including loose plugs and adaptors. Get rid of anything that is broken and sell or trade old gadgets if you're able to. Once you've sorted out what you're keeping, invest in discreet storage to keep your gadgets safe and out of sight.
Read more > How to declutter your living room
BATHROOM
13. ‘The number of half-empty bottles can build up when new lotions and potions are cracked open before the last one is completely finished,’ Jaime observes. To save space and storage, decant like-for-like items into one and ditch the empty containers.
14. We all love a freebie, but those sachets and hotel toiletries can pile up. Jaime recommends: 'If you’re not likely to use them, donate to a hygiene bank and free up space for items you do use.'
15. Just like your jar of jam or block of cheese, skincare items have a limited shelf-life. So take 10 minutes to scan your bottles and clear out the old ones.
16. How long have you had your towels? Are they threadbare, drab and generally more flat than fluffy? Or do they have that damp smell, no matter how many times you wash them? Then it’s time to replace them with splendidly super-soft options in pretty colours and designs.
Read more > How to declutter your bathroom cabinet
BEDROOM
17. Set aside time for a wardrobe declutter. ‘Get a friend round or pop the radio on for company and have a try-on session with your clothes,’ Jaime suggests. ‘If they don’t fit, are in really bad condition or you just don’t love them anymore, let them go. It’s amazing how much space can be saved when we commit time to checking whether we really need, want or wear them.’
18. Get packing and store out-of-season clothes in storage bags. This will help ensure you have enough space for what you’ll actually be wearing.
19. C is for calm. ‘If it’s not a functional bedroom item or it doesn’t help to create a calming atmosphere, find a new place for it elsewhere in the home or discard it,’ Jaime says. Your bedroom is for catching some ZZZs and filling it with too much stuff or using it as a dumping ground won’t help to create a sleep sanctuary.
20. Bye-bye bedding. Holes, rips, fraying, bobbling – and those coffee stains from slow mornings in bed – are just some of the signs that your bedlinen needs to be replaced. So get rid of anything that’s past its best.
Read more > How to declutter your bedroom
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