Hello everyone! Happy New Year! I hope you enjoyed the festive period. Spending time at home can make us notice things we want to change but don't have the time or know-how. Start by decluttering room by room or unit by unit. It's therapeutic and satisfying, and once you're organized, you can think about further improvements. Remember, every little helps!
Bags at the Ready!...
To start with, have three bags ready - the first for charity, the second for recycling and the third for the bin. You may need to book in a tip run if it is likely one bin will not be enough and you want to get rid of everything in one trip! You may also want to have a bag at the ready for items you'd like to sell, to put a bit of cash in your back pocket!
Do you have a shed / outside storage?...
Start by decluttering your outside storage, if you have any. Remove the items that you don't need and create space for what you still use. This will help you organize your belongings and make room for the things you want to keep.
Let's Get Cooking!...
The kitchen is the main hub of our home and a constant hive of activity. It needs to be functional and practical, with the things we use on a constant within easy reach, but organised too! As much as we try, it isn't easy to keep those worktops from becoming cluttered. But there are ways to try and help prevent this!...
1. Decide which appliances we need to be left out. These should be the ones which we use most often and don't fit in a drawer or cupboard. If we don't use them very frequently, we can store them away until we need them.
2. Keep similar items together to prevent the frustration of having to rummage through when we need to find something.
3. Draw dividers help to keep everything separate and organised.
4. Labelled and lidded see-through containers are perfect for storing our dry foods away in cupboards and make monitoring stock and knowing when to replace much easier.
The Hallway...
5. Shoes and coats can cause clutter in your hallway. Consider using a chest or wardrobe for storage. Built-in storage is even better if you can afford it.
6. Be sure to go through all shoes and coats to make sure they all still fit and are in good condition. Be honest with yourself! Any items you don't wear frequently can either be stored elsewhere (your bedroom, or even loft for seasonal wear that won't come out for the next 6 months) or given to charity. The coats and shoes you keep in your hallway should be those which you will wear frequently over the coming months.
7. During these cold winter months, assign a fabric bag for each family member's winter woollies and hang them from coat hooks.
The Lounge - A Place to Relax & Unwind...
8. shelving - use box organisers to organise and hide away non-decorative items, so they are not on display.
9. Ensure the things left on display are still the things you want on display.
Le Boudoir!...
10. Make your own drawer organisers by upcycling unlidded cardboard boxes to store underwear and socks.
11. Add hooks to walls for hanging necklaces, hair bands and bracelets, preventing them from getting tangled so you never have to spend hours un-knotting your favourite necklaces again!
12. Just finished a book? Do you think you'll read it again?? If the answer is no - add it to your charity shop pile for the next reader to enjoy!
13. Go through your wardrobes and drawers - be strict with yourself - if you have not worn that item in the last 6 months - or a year if you can't manage that, or if it does not fit now, it is time to put it in the charity pile.
(The same goes for bedding!)
Rub-a-dub-dub!...
14. Go through your toiletries. If there are any unopened that have collected dust - add them to your charity bag.
15. Go through your bath towels - do you use them all? Getting rid of older towels and those which tend to stay at the bottom of the pile, never to be used can create drawer space for toiletries, etc and help keep clutter out of sight. Maybe these could be stored in the shed and used as dust sheets ready for your next up-cycling or decorating project?...
De-cluttering is a strangely satisfying task and will not only leave you feeling rather virtuous, but will go a long way in reducing stress and adding more function and organisation in the home.
I am currently offering a 10% discount to anybody who books my interior design services before the end of this month, along with a free initial consultation. If you'd like some help with your home interior, please do get in touch - my website and phone number are mentioned in the header image of this post.
Right, I had better get back to the shed! I'll be back soon with some more space-saving ideas! Until next time!
Nicola x
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