Want to clean your home but not sure where to start? Don’t worry – you’ll be ready in no time with our top tips for decluttering your house.
By spending just a few minutes each day on a set task, you can refresh your home in as little as one week, so stay motivated and keep your decluttering on track with our top tips.
Want to clean your home but not sure where to start? Don’t worry – you’ll be ready in no time with our top tips for decluttering your house.
By spending just a few minutes each day on a set task, you can refresh your home in as little as one week, so stay motivated and keep your decluttering on track with our top tips.
Top Tips For Decluttering Your House
The hardest part of the decluttering process is getting started, which is why it’s important to make sure that you have everything you need before you begin.
This includes:
- Bin bags
- Donation boxes
- Storage boxes
- Cleaning supplies
- A good playlist to keep your energy up
And this day-by-day checklist.
Day 1: Remove All Seasonal Items
Whilst you’ve likely taken your Christmas tree down by now, there may still be plenty of seasonal items cluttering up your home.
Cast your eye over the living room for anything that looks out of place, such as window stickers that you forgot to remove or festive ornaments that have become permanent fixtures on the mantlepiece. If any Christmas gifts have been put in the corner and forgotten about then it’s time to find a permanent home for them, and all other items should either be put back into storage or thrown away.
If you’ve put all your ornaments away but the boxes have been taking up space on the landing since January 1st, then finish the day off by putting those boxes back in the attic.
Day 2: Sort Old Mail
No sooner have you recycled all your Christmas cards than the January post starts to flood through your letterbox. New Year sales, discounts, and subscription offers never seem to stop, and if you don’t deal with them in the moment then they will quickly start to pile up.
On the second day, dedicate a good half hour to going through all the mail cluttering up your entryway and sort it into three categories:
- Useful right now: New Year dental checkup reminders, for example.
- Will be useful later: Offers that you are genuinely interested in, and would like to save for a later date – not ones that will go back on the sideboard for the next few months.
- Are not useful: Promotions that don’t apply to you or have expired, as well as newsletters and magazines from several months ago.
Day 3: Throw Out Expired Foods
It may seem like herbs, spices and canned foods last forever, but they all have expiry dates. Once they are out of date they are only wasting space, so get a big binbag and get rid of all expired products before wiping down the surfaces and reorganising your kitchen cupboards.
If you still have some motivation left once you’ve finished, then take this opportunity to throw out any unnecessary utensils that are cluttering up your cupboards, such as:
- Reusable water bottles
- Takeaway containers
- Paper cups and plates
- Plastic forks and chopsticks
Day 4. Wash Dish Towels
When was the last time you washed your dish towels? If you can’t remember, but they look particularly grimy strewn around the kitchen, dining room, and utility room, then now is the time to gather them up and put them in the washing machine for a good soak.
But don’t stop there; table covers, napkins, utility cloths and even dusters all need to be washed after every use, so refresh all your kitchen linens in one go and see the difference that this will make for your home.
Day 5. Categorise Chargers
Everyone has more charging cables than they know what to do with, but can never find the right one when it is needed! If your households’ cables are kept in odd drawers all over the house, then set a timer for just 30 minutes and commit to organising them all.
Everyone’s phone charger (including their spare) should be kept in their bedside drawer, ideally wound up and secured with a binder clip. Any additional cords, wires and chargers can be stored in a small plastic box with a clear label, whilst miscellaneous wires (for laptops, games consoles, and the TV) can be kept out of sight in a storage box.
Say goodbye to having to sort through a tangled mess every time you need to plug in your laptop!
Day 6. Remove Unwanted Toiletries
From beautifully-packaged bath bombs, to the traditional Lynx set, everyone will have received toiletries for Christmas; and if they are all still in their packaging then it’s about time that you unwrap them.
There is no point in a shower gel being kept in a box, no matter how decorative it is, so get everyone together to sort through their toiletries and put them in the right place. If you have two of the same item then store one of them away until it is needed, and bin all of the packaging immediately.
It’s also important to get rid of any expired toiletries before anyone can accidentally use them, along with any unwanted samples that are simply taking up space.
Day 7: Declutter Your Wardrobe
Finally, it’s time to finish off your week-long decluttering mission with a full wardrobe refresh. This includes:
- Trousers that no longer fit
- Socks without a pair
- Uncomfortable tops or jumpers
- Damaged pieces
As well as items that you no longer wear but have not yet had a reason to get rid of. It’s also the perfect time to switch out your winter wear for lighter, more comfortable spring outfits, so think of this final task as a nice ‘well done’ for completing a full house declutter!
How To Declutter Your House With Domestique
We hope you’ve found our tips for decluttering your house useful, especially since it’s nearly time for the annual spring clean!
We’ll be delivering our spring cleaning services to homes all over the country, so click here to arrange yours and don’t forget to declutter ahead of our visit for the best results.