As we inch closer towards the end of the year, we start to think about our goals for the next. When it comes to the home, the most common new year’s resolution is to declutter and organise. Our homes can build up with clutter over time, especially after the festive season, so there is no time like the new year to get organised! Today we are sharing with you our top tips for creating and maintaining a clutter-free home.
1. Start By Having a Big Sort-Out
Decluttering your home is not our idea of the perfect weekend, but in order to put systems in place that will save you time and relieve stress in the future, it has to be done. We recommend dedicating some time to each room or zone in your house and focusing solely on decluttering one space at a time. The biggest reason that people avoid organising their homes is that it appears very daunting and overwhelming when looking at the house as a whole. Start small and work up the courage to go through each space. Start with the junk drawer in the kitchen or the linen cupboard, then work your way up to the garage or the kid’s playroom.
2. Take An Inventory
Once you have worked your way through and de-cluttered a space in your home, it is time to take inventory of what remains. We recommend sorting ‘like items’ into piles so that you know exactly how many you have of a specific item and what size storage solutions you will need to buy. You can take inventory by simply snapping some photos on your phone and adding them to an ‘organisation’ folder or put pen to paper and write a list.
3. Put systems in place
One of the key reasons we see home organisation fail over time is that systems are not put into place that works for you and your family. We love the idea of creating ‘zones’ throughout the home that allow for easy organisation and avoid any build-up of clutter over time. For example, if you enter your home through the garage door, we recommend having a dedicated shoe rack where shoes can be taken off at the end of the day, a space where handbags and school bags can be dropped and an in-tray for any mail or documents that need to be looked at. The same applies for the kitchen; for example, make sure coffee, tea bags, sugar and mugs are all stored in a cupboard near the kettle and your pantry is grouped into zones such as baking, kid’s snacks, dry goods and dinner related items.
4. Storage Solutions
Now comes the fun part! It is absolutely essential that the purchasing of storage solutions is done after a declutter and inventory has taken place. You need to know what items you are working with and what size storage solutions you require before purchasing. We love using clear containers in the pantry, kitchen, bathroom, and laundry to organise and group like-minded items together. In the linen cupboard try adding rectangle baskets from stores such as Freedom that allow you to group specific linen items per family member or bed size. Baskets are the perfect storage solution for most rooms in the house as they not only look great but come in a variety of sizes that can be used for a number of different applications. Small baskets can be placed in areas such as the entryway or kitchen to group smaller everyday items whereas large baskets can be used in kid’s playrooms to sort toys or the living room to store blankets and cushions. Head into Pillow Talk, Provincial Home Living and Freedom to view their beautiful range of baskets next time you’re visiting.
5. The One-In-One-Out Rule
The ‘One-In-One-Out’ rule is a popular system that can be put into place in your home to ensure there is no clutter build-up and you can maintain organised spaces moving forward. It essentially refers to when you purchase a new item such as a clothing piece, kid’s toy, bed linen or homewares item that you eliminate an existing similar piece. These items can either be sold, donated, or thrown out depending on their value. This not only avoids clutter build-up, but helps you reduce impulse purchasing as you need to think twice about whether you are willing to part with a similar item in order to have the new piece. Give it a try next time you are shopping!
6. Seasonal Sort-Outs
Once you have decluttered your home and put organisational systems in place, you will find that you need to have large clear outs a lot less often. We recommend having a small de-clutter and organise of your home with each season to ensure you are staying on top of any clutter build-up and can evaluate whether the systems you have put into place are working or could be improved upon.
Just remember, decluttering and organising your home allows you to have more time and brain capacity to spend doing what you love. Once you have an organised home with functional systems in place, it means you can focus on spending time with loved ones and spend less time worrying about the state of your home. If you need assistance with storage solutions, pop into one of our retailers at Aspley Homemaker City and the friendly staff will be able to help you on your journey to an organised home. We look forward to seeing you soon!
