8 Easy Steps To Clutter-Free Heaven – Your Go-To Declutter Checklist
Let’s start with some questions…
Do you have spaces in your home that overwhelm you?
Is your garage a dumping ground for, well, everything?
Does your laundry give you even more angst than the piling dirty washing?
Does your wardrobe make you cringe every time you open it?
Have you downsized or moved, to find that years later you still have boxes that have never been unpacked?
Lastly, have you ever noticed how difficult it is to be truly present in a messy, disorganized room?
Are you nodding and saying yes yes yes… well this list goes on and on and on for so many of us. Life has so many priorities and it is hard to focus on our own spaces.
We believe that the first step in crafting the life you want to live is to get rid of the things that hold you back!
What if I told you that there were 8 easy steps to get you towards organised bliss?
Steps that will help you, save time, create space, keep the kid’s rooms organised (well as much as you can – kids will be kids), keep the partner happy, puppy entertained, but most of all, you stress-free and with bouts of inner joy… what would you say?
Don’t wait any longer to tackle your clutter, use our tried and tested eight decluttering tips;
1. A date in the diary
2. Start with a simple category
3. Get it out and spread it all about
4. Assess and edit
5. Be smart with storage
6. Treat yourself (now we all like that one)
7. If you don’t know, don’t throw
8. Donate
Yes, it is that easy.
Now you can see it is not half as scary as you thought (no folding undies here), so let’s get started with the ‘How To’;
1. Commit yourself – put a date in the diary
All you need to start is to allocate some time in the diary. See you are already one step towards a well-organised, productive home.
Put a half hour to an hour, totally undisrupted, once a week, whatever fits in your life, and make it a date with yourself. Grab a cuppa, wine, play some of your favourite tunes and just start.
When you get yourself mentally prepared with the right mindset and allocated time, you are 90% there.
2. Tidy by category, not necessarily location
I know this is controversial but hear me out. Often as time goes on certain things spread over the home in the attempt to quickly put it away. Paperwork in the third drawer, medicine in the bathroom/kitchen, tools in the laundry with the cleaning products, the spare room a catch-all for the antiques so you can hardly move, anything/everything that hasn’t a home finds its way to the garage or under the stairs… the list goes on etc.
When we talk about categories, we are talking about clothing, bookkeeping, photos, medicine, specific room furniture, toys, outdoor accessories… you get our gist.
It is all about selecting the category that annoys you the most (for me it is often the kitchen as I don’t know why this always ends up being the catch-all for everything) and make a plan.
For example, this weekend (Sunday mornings are my sort and get prepped for the week day) I am going to tackle my beauty products as my face moisturiser ran out and I think I have a space in my toiletry drawer in the bathroom or one in my other ‘extras’ drawer upstairs and somehow it is overflowing again. It needs a good sort.
If you are confused about where to start, here are 30 categories/places to tackle in 30 days. You don’t have to do them in 30 days, they are just ideas to get you started.
3. Get everything out and spread it all about
Go around the home, all the random spaces you might have that categories’ items stored and put it all on your bed (or the floor if we are tackling kitchen wear etc). Once it is all out you have committed to sorting what is there, and you can also see everything you have. You might even find some things you forgot you had.
This is why we don’t do location, imagine getting everything out of your garage, you would still be there tomorrow. Pick a category or section and start once small goal at a time.
Another fun and easy step!
4. Be smart with storage
Having a mix of box sizes, bins, baskets, draw dividers, labels, sticky notes, hooks, catchall trays and vessels, all make sorting easier.
Consider what kind of storage you need and make sure it works for your house and family. Hooks might be the solution for your everyday coats, bags, hats and dog leashes. Things don’t always have to be hidden away.
Also, make the most of underutilised storage spaces such as underbed (Ikea have cheap really good underbed container solutions – actually lots of storage options) for your seasonal clothing that you don’t wear in the warmer or colder months or season duvets.
Have a look at what you need to store where. You may have to adjust your shelves for those tall books or vases and if you need a place to store your family shoes (if you are a no shoe household), then a nice shoe cupboard in the hallway might be the solution.
This then leads me into step 5!
5. Treat yourself to stylish storage
Having nice storage encourages you to keep things well-organised and well… nice.
New storage items and organisers like the same hangers, stylish boxes, baskets, etc all help you enjoy the new and tidy aesthetic.
Storage doesn’t have to mean ugly plastic bins. There are plenty of stylish options (think rattan or leather baskets) that can double as décor and match your style.
Like I mentioned above, hooks or ladders are a great solution to contain your clutter. For example in the bathroom, hooks are great for hanging towels, robes, smaller items such as watches or jewellery for when you are showering or washing your face.
Here are just some of the websites we love to style up our storage:
– Design Stuff – not only is there storage selection stunning, you should check out their other items.
– The Décor House – Here are ideas for the bedroom but they have so much more.
– Temple and Webster – have a whole section broken down into spaces .
6. Assess and edit (Kondo’s spark joy moments)
Our advice is to do this in stages:
– First go through everything and discard anything that is a 100% sure thing to go. These are items that cannot be donated or given away. If it is broken, you have not worn it in 10 years, you need to change that wire or find that random battery… it is a go.
– Then go through what is left a second time and ask yourself have you used it recently, does it add to your life and if you would truly miss this item if it was gone.
– Once you have edited, you can relocate the extra items, occasional-use products, into labelled containers or the correct location.
Remember, you don’t have to do this all in one seating. If you know it will take longer, spread it all about in a way you can live with it for a week or until your next declutter date.
7. If you don’t know, don’t throw
While you are sorting, make a box with things you can’t make a decision on, write a date on this box and put it somewhere out of sight (garage or under the stairs).
Then if you haven’t used or looked into it for 6-12 months, get rid of it.
8. Repurpose, gift and donate
We love a good recycle, reuse or gift story. Try to donate as much as you can as the items you no longer use might spark joy into someone else’s life.
Donate or consign the rest and make sure to keep a box accessible for storing donations as they come up. When the bag is full, drop off the donations so you can maintain a streamlined wardrobe and house.
Here are some great options for you:
– You can drop off at Vinnes or the Salvation Army.
– The Generous and Grateful are an amazing service (they are paused at the moment as moving warehouses but check it out).
– There are also rubbish removal services that recycle so check them out too.
“Decluttering doesn’t happen overnight. It’s a process—and often, one that requires equal parts motivation and inspiration.”
While a one-time clean-out is an awesome start, consider editing your spaces at least once a quarter to keep on top of the clutter.
We all thrive better when we have the space to live and think. We set goals and lists with all other aspects of our lives, work, next trip, back to school preparation, why do we not give ourselves the space when it comes to our declutter goals?
Start today and put that date in the diary.
Our mission is to inspire you to take that first step and clear the physical and resulting mental clutter.
I will leave you on this one as it always makes me giggle as I look around my office at all the books I will re-read….
“Remember: you are not what you own. Storing all those books doesn’t make you any smarter; it just makes your life more cluttered.” Francine Jay.
If the whole process just overwhelms you… we are here to help.
If you just don’t have the time, and hell we know how chaotic life can be, we offer a ‘Home Declutter & Life Reclaimer Package’ where we roll up our sleeves and tackle those tricky spaces for you (or with you).
We effortlessly transform your home into a space that reflects and inspires the way you want to live. We like to think of ourselves as ‘lifestyle crafters,’ helping you fuel your best life starting in your home.
Book in our free half hour ‘How we can help’ sessions to chat through your decluttering needs. We work in pairs for maximum impact and sort in 2 hour blocks at $450. Does that sound like heaven to you?
No strings attached, only helpful tips to help with the styling overwhelm.
AISHA HILLARY- MORGAN – Creative Director & Head Stylist
Aisha creates balanced, harmonious spaces that are bound together by a carefully considered design narrative, enriching the way you live.