Clear House, Clear Mind

6 Sept

Calling all hoarders, professional and otherwise, it’s time for a little chat isn’t it? As a semi pro hoarder myself, I get it, it’s hard!

Ok, so this is an extreme example, but I think deep down we all know that we need to de-clutter, but don’t know where to start, and are completely overwhelmed by the task and so just leave it, and leave it, and leave it. Well people, Spring is here, and what better time than now to start de-cluttering your home. I promise you that you will feel so good about it when you get it done!

To help you get started on your journey to a clutter free life, there are lots of super tips available online:

I follow www.instagram.com/thehomeedit for their beautiful yet practical storage solutions. Another really smart woman brimming with advice on how to declutter is Melissa at www.simplelionheartlife.com/how-to-purge-your-house/

Thing is, once you get over the hurdle of actually getting started, you will probably feel more motivated to continue as the results of your hard work begin to have a positive effect on your state of mind.

Below are some tips I have gleaned from de-clutter experts:

Number 1 - Start Small!

Choose a small area to start with, that you can easily get done in a couple of hours at the most. For example, take one drawer out, tip the contents out onto a bed, and start sorting into piles:

Keep l Donate l Trash

Be ruthless with what you actually need to keep, think about the following:

Have I used it in the 2 years?

Is it a duplicate of something?

Could someone else make good use of this?

Or is it just worn out and ready to be binned/recycled?

The important thing to do now is to put the keepers back in the drawer, the worn out items in the recycling bin and the rest in a box that goes straight to the car to be donated or recycled. If you leave these pieces in the house too long, they are quite likely to make their way back into your drawer and be forgotten about again, taking up valuable space!

Number 2 - Let go of the guilt

Now this comes in several forms, this niggling guilt, here are a few that might resonate with you:

“It was expensive, I daren’t get rid of it, even though I never use it”.

Thing is, keeping it isn’t going to recoup the cost. So you need to think about what this item is adding in value to your life right now, and if it is not adding value but simply taking up valuable space, then let that item go, someone else might fit that coat, pair of shoes, jeans, what ever it is, so donate!

”But these are my old school reports, I can’t throw them out now”

The solution - digitise! The same with old gymnastic exam certificates and other such gems, get them scanned properly and then recycle. Apparently small photo quality scanners are really reasonable if you don’t already own a copying machine of some sort.

Once you have worked your way through the areas in your home that need de-cluttering, being methodical and as ruthless as you dare. You are allowed to start the grand task of organising what is left.

Number 3 - Get Organised

As I mentioned earlier, there is an amazing array of tips available online about how to organise your belongings efficiently and beautifully, once you have decluttered:

www.instagram.com/thehomeedit for their beautiful yet practical storage solutions.

Then Melissa at www.simplelionheartlife.com/how-to-purge-your-house/

As well as www.instagram.com/clutterlesshomesolutions and an up and coming UK Declutter service try hinstagram.com/spaceoveruk

May I suggest you check these guys out so that your decluttering experience is a successful and stress free one?

Finally, you may discover that you now need some new storage furniture, to keep your home looking and feeling organised after your big declutter. You can find ready made solutions, or maybe a custom built option is the one for you. But which to choose? Storage tends to be a pretty big purchase budget wise so you don’t want to get it wrong.

How Mabel Fox can help

At Mabel Fox, we can design custom storage for clients, just like this beautiful example from a home in sunny California. But even more importantly, our space planning service will help you decide what to purchase and where to put it.

We can produce 3D visuals of your home, including existing furniture that you want to keep, plus any new pieces, all arranged in a brand new layout, that works hard for you in your home. Thus creating space, flow and calm. (Image from Nest Kitchens)

A tidy house really does improve your mental well being, and that of anyone else living with you. If you would like to enlist our help, please get in touch, we absolutely love helping people get organised and therefore get happy! I have just ordered myself a copy of Happy Inside: How to harness the power of home for health and happiness by Michelle Ogundehin (Interior Design guru, past editor of Elle Decoration and chief judge on the recent TV series Interior Design Masters) and I cannot wait to get stuck in.

(Below are examples of the 3D illustrations we produce for your project, which really help when trying to visualise your home with it’s new layout, storage and colour scheme. All design and illustration by Mabel Fox)

#declutter #organiseyourhome #homeedit #interiordesign #spaceplanning #interiordesignercambridge #homeorganising #interiordesignmasters #michelleogundehin #happyinside

Image from Nest Kitchens

Katie Farrell