12 tips for keeping your home tidy
I have a guest post for you today which includes some items from John Lewis – I hope Anna and Morgan read it as they could learn something from it. Mind you, if I took action on the first of the 12 tips ‘tackle the source’ I’d evicting the pair of them from the house!
Ever feel like you’re trapped in a half-crazed universe of clutter? Don’t panic, we’ll save you. Pop the kettle on (if you can find it) and read our top 12 clutter-busting tips.
1. Tackle the source
Before you even consider having ‘a bit of a tidy’, think carefully. Where’s all the clutter coming from? It’s crucial you stem the flow of clutter before tackling the existing problem in your home. If you don’t, you could end up back at square one after all your hard, de-cluttering work.
2. Go paper-free
Give your paper-smothered office or kitchen table a treat, spend an hour online setting up paperless bills and banking; your home and the planet will thank you for it.
3. Liberate a storage space
The cupboard under the stairs, that shelf full of useless bits’n’bobs – these places are junk-magnets. Take an afternoon to deal with one space really effectively; get rid of absolutely everything you don’t need before making the area beautiful and functional. You’ll soon see how unnecessary all that clutter was. It could even give you extra room for essential items you actually need.
4. Get ruthless with your wardrobes
Haven’t worn it since the 90s? Bin it. In fact, take anything you or your darlings haven’t worn in two years straight to the charity shop. Start refusing any hand-me-downs which aren’t immediately useful too.
5. Work with the clutterers
It’s important to know when the battle is lost. If your hallway inevitably becomes a refuge for school books, old oranges from packed lunches and assorted worksheets every afternoon, make the best of a bad situation. Invest in cubby holes where messy creatures can stash their school stuff. Make sure there’s a recycling bin nearby for unwanted bits of paper and you’ll have a tidier hallway before you know it.
6. Be less sentimental – take a picture
Sometimes the past can seriously get in the way of the present. It’s lovely to hold onto a few precious items, but for anything less significant, take a quick snap for memory’s sake and get shot! A photo or scrap book will take up much less room than decades of sentimental odds and ends.
7. Give everything a ‘home’
Ensure every item has a place where it belongs. Next, make sure your nearest and dearest know where it belongs too and train them to return the pesky item to its dedicated spot.
8. Don’t have a car boot sale
Fight the temptation to take your unwanted junk to a car boot. You’re likely to return with half of what you took – which will inevitably end up where it started. You could even come back with someone else’s clutter. Beware!
9. Interrogate yourself
“Do I really need this?â€, “When did I last use this?â€, “Am I likely to every use this again?†– when tidying, ask these questions and be honest!
10. Invest in a tumble dryer
Hallways full of tights and pants and jumpers on radiators. Washing day (especially in winter) is no fun for clutter-besieged mums and dads. Invest in a tumble dryer to eliminate the cluttering effect of drying.
11. Take 15 minutes…
After the daily chores are complete take 15 extra minutes to do an additional ‘tidying task’. This could be organising a drawer or dealing with whatever mess is lurking behind the sofa. Reward yourself afterwards. We advise cake.
12. Relax
A busy home will always attract mess so don’t be too self-critical. Follow our tips when you can and you should see a difference in no time.
