Tips for decluttering your home before your spring clean

After a long winter the signs of spring popping up around us are always welcome.

Naturally we spend more time in our homes in winter, hiding from the cold and staying cosy, so it’s no surprise many of us have the urge to take on a big spring clean ready for the season changing.

One way to make your life easier when it comes to the spruce up and see even better results is a decluttering session beforehand. There can be no better feeling than your home being in order, so it’s worth giving up a Saturday for or roping in the family to lend a hand instead of your usual lazy Sunday afternoon.

From what method to take, the best way to tackle it and how to make it fun, here’s our guide to decluttering…

1. Choose your method

That’s right, there’s actual methods to decluttering! Find the most efficient one for you and you’re more likely to see it through and find it less of a chore. You may have heard of the KonMari method which Marie Kondo swears by. It recommends you sort through things category by category rather than room by room. There are six basic rules to get started and five categories to tackle.

2. Set yourself goals

It may sound dramatic, but having a goal for each area of your home and a plan will make you more likely to get the job done and in good time. Write a quick list of the areas you want to declutter in order of importance, and zones within them to tackle. Set time limits for each area too, that way you won’t lose track and not get around to completing everything on your list.

3. Do one area at a time

Tidying things from one room to another can make it tricky to focus on the task at hand and you can get lost in something else which isn’t as important. Our advice is to stick to decluttering one area at a time and work your way through your plan. Decide on a sorting system that works for you so you can easily identify items to keep, clean, recycle, donate, bin etc. A box for each is an easy system.

4. Make it fun

It’s no surprise that for most of us, organising, decluttering and tidying aren’t our first choice when it comes to choosing how to spend our free time! That doesn’t mean you can’t have some fun with it though. Take before and after photos so you can feel proud of your efforts, create a playlist to help you power through, get your favourite snacks to keep you going, do it with a friend or family member for company and you can even plan something for the end of the day that you’ll really look forward to as a reward.

5. Do some good

Items you no longer need could go to a new home, school, workplace etc. and start a new life there. Drop them into a charity shop, consider anything your friends and family might like, or post larger items on freecycling websites for people to browse and come and collect. Recycle as much as possible too, even if it means a trip to your local recycling bank.

Happy decluttering! Spring is just around the corner…