Our top tips to organise and declutter your home.
A well organised home is not only better to live in, potential buyers will appreciate the benefits too.
Have you ever watched those cleaning programmes on TV?
The ones where the presenter comes into a home that's got way out of hand and they whip it into shape with a whole team of cleaners.
Sure the cleaning part is important, but most of us don't live in a dirty home as such. You just can't see dirt as clearly as you can 'stuff'. Most homes would look a million times better, bigger and more spacious if they were more organised.
One way these programmes make the property look so good at the end is actually the storage solutions.
There are videos on social media of people just putting things away. It makes people happy to see things neat and tidy. If you have ever heard of Mrs Hinch, she has made her fortune by cleaning her home and showing people on Instagram!
Photo Credit: Sandersons UK
Living in a world of organisation can actually improve our mental wellbeing. It can actually make us feel happier.
Many of us have a tendency to 'stuff' things away, into drawers and cupboards?
But 'professional' organisers have storage solutions that are not stuffed to the brim or overflowing. Everything FITS. There is actually not much to it.
If you have ever heard of Marie Kondo, you may know that she believes that all items in your home should spark joy. She gets a little woo woo when talking about socks (she says that you shouldn’t store them in a ball, folded together, because it causes the sock stress!) but on the whole, she means that everything in your home should be useful or you should absolutely love it.
I am sure that you will not feel any joy about clutter and things being crammed into cupboards.
Or perhaps your cupboards are so full that you don't even really know what is in there anymore!
So, decluttering is simply getting rid of things that no longer belong in your home. And then you can store the things that you want to keep properly.
They can then be sold and upcycled or re-used by someone else or donated to others who will find joy with it.
So what are the secrets to keeping a tidy, well-presented home?
Get things to put things in! - Storage solutions, boxes, baskets, tubs. But, if you have to cram, or the lid doesn't close, it is too full!
All doors, drawers and cupboards should be able to close correctly without having to stuff things in before closing. This will make your home look untidy.
Only have things out that are beautiful or sentimental - otherwise, store them away, or donate them to charity.
Photo Credit: Sandersons UK
Try to have a little open space - not every surface needs something on it! Bookshelves should have at least one area that has no books on! Dressing tables should not be covered etc. This creates a sense that you are not overcrowded in your home and you have room to spare!
Get rid of anything that is broken! We all hang on to bits and pieces, thinking that we will get round to fixing it. You won't - throw it away (or recycle if you can)!
Storage solutions with lids on, stacked neatly inside cupboards/lofts/sheds/garages will make your home appear cleaner and neater than if everything was just piled up.
You can opt for a prettier, more aesthetic option if you would prefer to, but remember to label them so that you know what you have put inside! Otherwise, you are just making an organised pile of stuff, that you will still have to rummage through to find anything.
Trinkets or clutter? If you really love it, then keep it. If not, it is clutter, and you can store it away or donate/sell it.
Photo Credit: Sandersons UK
Ornaments - one way for a home to feel cluttered is to have lots and lots of ornaments. It is also harder to keep the home dust-free if you have tonnes of small items to dust. Consider clearing away ornaments into storage if you really love them whilst your home is on the market.
Think Marie Kondo - does it spark joy? If not, then consider getting rid to free your home of clutter.
Your home will be easier to style for sale if there is not so much STUFF. It will appear more organised if the items you have were carefully curated, rather than just years of accumulated things. You don't even need to throw things away- they can be sold (try eBay, Facebook Marketplace, Gumtree, Freecycle) or donated and given another life.
The quieter winter months are the perfect time to make a start as we look forward to spring. Take on one cupboard at a time and see what you can organise!
