We hide it, stack it and move it, but most of the time, it always remains – the clutter!
From the kitchen cupboards to the bathroom drawers, the spare room to the deepest darkest part of your wardrobe, clutter can be all-consuming and completely overwhelming.
Most of us generally prefer to block out the chaos of the clutter. Partly because we are all time-poor, and mostly, it just seems too incredibly difficult! But imagine how going into 2022 with a decluttered home, office, and life will feel! This is officially one for the to-do list this month.
So, if it is time-consuming and difficult, WHY should we declutter?
Preparing to sell?
One of the biggest reasons people decide to move home is because they need more space. If you are selling, your home needs to show the buyer that and more. Buyers like to be able to imagine themselves living there, and they won’t want to do that if it’s filled with too much clutter.
Make sure each room is being used for its purpose. If you have been using the spare bedroom as a junk room, it is time to get that organised before you put your home on the market.
Buyers will open every cupboard and every drawer in every room. They want to see how their family and life will fit – so make sure you clear it all out to give prospective buyers every opportunity to visualise this.
There are some additional bonuses of a pre-sale declutter too.
The emotional connection we have with our homes can be very powerful. De-cluttering can help us detach – seeing and feeling our home more like a house that is a step towards our next property adventure.
And imagine how much easier packing up to move will be if you’ve already done the hard, getting rid of everything you don’t need stuff?!
If it’s not that you want to declutter to sell … you simply wish to have more ‘zen’ in your life …
De-cluttering not only makes your home look tidy, but it can also be invigorating as it creates a “getting things done” positive attitude. And who doesn’t love ticking things off their to-do list?
A clean and organised home reduces anxiety and creates a calm family environment. Once you know where everything is, there are no more rising tempers looking for lost items or running late because something can’t be found!
So, how do we get this de-cluttering thing underway? First things first … clutter is anything you no longer use, love, or need.
Look at the piles of clutter around your home, and ask yourself these three questions:
DO I USE IT?
Be honest and think about the last time you used all those old pots and pans, plastic containers, or all those pens in the desk drawer. Do any of them actually work?
DO I LOVE IT?
Why doesn’t it have a home then? If you love all your things (equally), why are some of them stuffed in the back of a drawer where you can’t even get to them, much less enjoy them?
DO I NEED IT?
Be honest! Can you find it when you need it? What would happen if you didn’t keep it? How difficult or easy is it to replace it? Sometimes our struggle between want vs need gets blurred!
So, grab four boxes … each one has a purpose!
Recycle – donate what you no longer want or need.
Get your Marie Kondo on and be ruthless with your wardrobe! Anything you’ll never wear again is out. Be kind to the environment and re-purpose your old clothes. Donate to charity or sell to a new owner.
Rubbish – throw away anything that is broken, that you don’t really like, or no longer have any use for. Clear those kitchen cupboards … seriously. Those cans of food went out of date months ago! And throw away anything expired … medicines, make-up, and cleaning products. Go paperless and shred unnecessary documents. Don’t forget to recycle what you can!
Relocate – if it’s in the wrong room, take it back to where it belongs. If you are preparing to sell and there are items that would be better out of the way for open home inspections, you may want to hire a storage facility until after you sell.
Retain – Don’t feel like you have to throw away or recycle everything. Many of the things we have are what make our home a home!
Regardless of where you’re beginning, there’s nothing unachievable for you in creating a clutter-free home and life. With every piece of clutter, you remove this year, you’ll be making room for more love, laughter, and life.
Donna Etchells - McGrath Estate Agents 