Top Ten Tips for De-cluttering before a new interior design!
Eleni Fantis, 27/06/2021
When I set up my Interior Designer business, I hadn’t anticipated the number of times I would be casually asked by friends and acquaintances ‘Ooh, what can I do with this room?’ (I imagine it’s a bit like doctors being asked at every party ‘What do you make of this mole/wart/rash then?!’)
Usually, I’m being asked for colour or decorating advice, however, my first tip will often be to de-clutter, so they have more of a blank canvas and can see what needs to be done.
Generally, our long, dreary winters often mean we are bored and frustrated with our homes by the spring – sparking the need to spring-clean and a sharp upturn in DIY sales. Given how much time most of us have spent in our homes in the last 15 months, it’s no wonder we might be feeling a bit stir-crazy and in need of a change right now…before you dash off to the nearest DIY or furniture store, however, take some time to do a really good de-clutter, re-organise and deep clean. Here are my Top 10 Tips to help make it as painless as possible!
1. Don’t Bite Off More Than You Can Chew!
Break up your decluttering into manageable chunks – one day, or one room/area at a time. This will stop you feeling overwhelmed, and each task completed will spur you on to complete the next.
2. How Do I Love Thee?
If your hand is wavering over the ‘must keep’ pile, ask yourself these pearls of wisdom from Emily Ley, William Morris and Marie Kondo:
· Is it the best, the favourite or necessary?
· Is it useful or beautiful?
· Does it spark joy?
If the answer isn’t a definte yes, it needs to go!
3. No More, No More, No More, No More!
Define a storage limit for each category of item you are sorting – one drawer only for t-shirts, one box or basket for craft items, etc.
4. Boxing Clever!
Keep a box handy and place one item in it every day – that’s 365 less bits of clutter in a year!
5. Touch It Once!
Follow a simple ‘touch it once’ rule for all paperwork, bills, junk-mail and flyers. As soon as you receive it, deal with it using a shred/file/recycle bin system – you’ll be amazed how much less clutter there is without piles of paperwork waiting to be dealt with!
6. Charity Begins At Home
Keep a box in your wardrobe – every time you put something on that doesn’t make you feel fabulous, put it straight in the box ready to donate to your favourite charity shop (This works – if you don’t like something now, you’re not going to like it any more in 6 months’ time!).
7. Home & Away!
Remember that your home is just that – not a storage unit for a lifetime of purchases or worse still, a free facility for downsized relatives or flown-the-nest children! Keeping stuff costs you in time and money, so politely but firmly tell any relatives you are storing stuff for that the time has come to take their belongings to their own homes!
8. I’m Not Crying, You Are!
Recognise that it is usually one of two things that make us hoard; Sentimentality (‘but she made me that pasta necklace when she was 5!’) or ‘It might come in handy one day’ syndrome. Accept that the joy of a gift is in the giving and receiving (which you have done) and give yourself permission to buy that item again in the future (in the unlikely event that you need three odd curtain poles!)
9. Going, Going, Gone!
Understand that just because something is valuable or has been in the family for ever doesn’t mean you have to love it – but someone else will. Give yourself permission to sell, donate or even upcycle Auntie Mary’s chair if you don’t absolutely love it…but maybe just check it’s not a genuine Chippendale first!
10. The Detested Ex Test!
Think about your very least favourite ex and ask yourself ‘Would I be prepared to contact or visit him/her to get this item back?’ If the answer is a resounding ‘NO’, then you can definitely live without it!
