You’ve decided you’re going to move. If you don’t want to take everything with you when you go, then you are going to need to have a good sort out! Now is the perfect time to consider a declutter.
Tip: Decluttering your home will also make it more appealing to buyers!
But where do you start? Check out this short video decluttering guide, it should help you to get started!
While it can seem like a huge task, particularly if you have lots of stuff, breaking it down into manageable chunks can make clearing out your house a lot easier.
Here’s our quick guide to decluttering your home:
Set Your Declutter Goals
The first thing you need to do is decide what you are going to achieve by your decluttering. You might have a whole bunch of children’s toys that need a new home. Perhaps your personal wardrobe is so full now that you don’t have room for anything new. Our advice is to go from room to room and set some simple goals, listing all the issues you want to tackle.
It’s useful to set dates by which you want to have decluttered each room. Some areas like spare rooms and garages or the loft may need more time than others, so be realistic about what can be achieved.
Sorting Clutter
Before you begin, you should consider what you are going to do with all the clutter. You don’t simply want to throw everything out so it’s time to create a sorting system. Split items into those that you are going to send to recycling or give to the charity shop or friends and family. There may be certain things that you can sell either at the local car boot sale or online.
What you want to avoid as much as possible is sending anything to landfill. You’ll be amazed how easy this is to avoid once you get the hang of things. Have an area where labelled bags for types of clutter that you can keep together and get rid of all at once. It’s better to give stuff away for free rather than putting it in the bin.
Do One Room at a Time
You will want to focus your decluttering in a systematic way. The idea is to concentrate on each room before you move onto the next. You might want to choose the biggest or most clutter filled areas to start with and get these out of the way or you may like to leave that until last. Whichever you decide, make a plan and stick to it.
3 Mantras to Sort By
- If it doesn’t work, it’s clutter.
- If it’s never used, it’s clutter.
- Once you’ve sorted a room, collect the clutter and get it out of the house.
Things like clothes are particularly difficult to sort, especially if you have an emotional attachment to them. Those jeans you no longer wear or that dress which doesn’t fit quite as well as it used to, can all be given to the local charity shop.
You should think about the 80/20 rule. This states that we wear or use 20% of what we have for 80% of the time – that means you have a lot of scope for getting rid of things. When it comes to clothes ask yourself three important questions: Does it still fit? Does it have damage? When was the last time you wore it?
The Satisfaction Element
Once you have completed your decluttering exercise, the additional space and the organisation is most satisfying. Rather than feeling mildly annoyed or frustrated when you spot the overstuffed areas, you will feel satisfied with a good job done. More importantly the more space that is perceived when selling your home the easier it is for potential buyers to imagine their own belongings in your property and of course you now have less you will need to move to your new home.
