It is that time of the year again. It is not just birds building nests or the badgers having a bit of spring clean. (Yes they really do!) Us humans also seem to get the bug too. Now the thing is – to clean you need to declutter and you also need find a place for everything to live. That way the cleaning does not take so long – and you are not fighting your way through unwanted or unused stuff. So here goes with some tips to help you get your home organised and rid of any unnecessary clutter and to make the most of spring cleaning.
The thing to remember is that organising and decluttering your belongings is not something you do once every year – it is something which has to be a few minutes every day. That way the clutter never gets the chance to take over.
Busy Mums Organising your home Tip 1
For large decluttering projects allow a day per room. If you have just half an hour then just concentrate on one drawer or cupboard.
Sort everything into three piles.
The first pile for things you no longer need, like or use. Donate these to a charity shop, or sell them on Ebay. Don’t be sentimental or feel guilty. Hoarding stuff that you no longer need will be doing someone else a big favour. Rubbish should be removed from your home as soon as possible and recycled or taken straight to the tip.
The second pile should be for things you like but have not used for a while. These are things you think you might need and feel reluctant to part with. Store these items in a box, listing what is contained in the box along with the date that you packed these items in the box. If after six or twelve months you have not used anything from this box – you can then ship it off to the charity shop.
The third pile is for things you use regularly.
Busy Mums organising your home Tip 2
When working out how to store items. Think in terms of how often you use the item. Things that you only use now and then do not need to be quite as accessible as those things which are used on a daily basis.
Busy Mums organising your home Tip 3
Put things away as soon as you have finished with them. Make sure everything has a home to go to. Store like with like. For example store all light bulbs in one box. All batteries together. Keep things near to where you use them. Cookbooks in the kitchen, DVDs by the TV.
Busy mums organising your home Tip 4
Limit what comes into the house. If you don’t really need it, don’t buy it. Give books away or donate them to a charity shop once you have read them.
Busy Mums organising your home Tip 5
Don’t over furnish rooms. The more storage you have, the more stuff you will tend to keep.
Busy mums organising your home Tip 6
Get to grips with paperwork. Deal with mail as it comes into the house. For outstanding paperwork sort into piles and throw everything away any which has no value or use. Household bills should be kept in one lever arch or box file. Information which needs to be actioned should be kept in a box file along with stamps, envelopes and a pen. That way you pick up your actions box, you should have everything you need to action the item to hand.
Busy Mums organising your home Tip 7
If you have children’s toys in the living room, keep them in a storage box that fits within the room like a large basket box with a lid on it. Make sure that toys which are not played with, or are broken are thrown out or given to away to a charity shop on a regular basis to prevent toy creep.
Busy Mums organising your home Tip 8
Remember a house is there to serve you – not you to serve the house.
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