Tackling decluttering will help to give your home a facelift. That’s because having too much stuff simply makes your rooms look untidy and smaller. Creating more space is as much about what the eye sees as it is about the physical dimensions of your property. Here are a few great ways to make a start.
Go walkabout
First of all, try taking a walk through the house to judge how easy it is to get from one place to another with the minimum number of obstacles in your way. For example, sometimes you only have to move a piece of furniture a few centimetres to stop it partially blocking a doorway, or shift a table against a wall so you don’t have to walk around it to get to a cupboard. During your walkabout, you should be able to see what might be preventing you and other household members from gaining easy access to every room.
Be strict about your belongings
Goods and chattels tend to accumulate over the years, so the longer you’ve been in one place, the more you’re likely to have gathered. Also, a natural hoarder is often someone who hates to get rid of things in case they might come in useful. For many people, it’s an agonising decision-making process when deciding what to store tidily, what to pass on to others and what to recycle. If this is you, try to be ruthless about those things you really don’t need and find good homes for them elsewhere.
- To make the most of the things you want to keep, engage your DIY skills and consider the option to upcycle items – making them fit for a new purpose. For instance, tin cans can be recovered and used for storing small items, such as kitchen cutlery or pens and pencils. Glass jars can have a new life as storage jars in your kitchen, allowing you to recycle food packaging.
- Declutter your home by building in additional shelves and cupboards to help keep kitchen countertops and living rooms clear of unnecessary clutter. You’ll also enhance the streamlined, clutter-free look if you get rid of bulky curtains and replace them with custom made window shutters to help you to control light and external noise. Shutters will also improve the security of windows and suitable doors.
- Keep on top of untidy garden tools by installing new wall storage units and racks in your garage. You can easily store hosepipes, rakes, spades and scythes off the floor in a rack built specially for them, and use shelves of a small cupboard for handheld tools, such as trowels and forks.
- Ottomans and wooden chests are useful for storing sheets, pillowcases and duvet covers if you don’t have space for a dedicated linen cupboard. Add padding and upholstery on top of chests so they can double as extra seating.
Now that you have made a start, you can move forward with confidence and find ingenious new ways to rid your home of that jumbled look. Think creatively and enjoy the freedom and sense of wellbeing this will bring.