Why not clear the house and store unwanted clutter?
While we are all stuck inside, it is easy to feel like the walls are closing in. This is definitely more prevalent if the house is full of years of clutter, easily ignorable while we are running to and from work. Now, while most of us have nothing but time on our hands, is a perfect excuse to figure out what needs to stay and what could go into storage. To declutter isn’t always as easy as it sounds, but there are a few simple tricks you can use to decide what is clutter and what’s essential.
1. Do you use it?
When sorting through the piles of stuff you’ve amassed over the years, start by asking yourself “When was the last time I used this?” If you can’t think of an example within the last year, you know you don’t need it close at hand. This exercise can be tricky because you have to be honest with yourself. None of that ‘Oh an old record player, I could order some records and play them’. If you haven’t bothered to use it since you brought it home, you’re not going to during lockdown. Store it.
2. Don’t rush
One of the main reasons people stop halfway through a de-clutter is that they run out of steam. If you try and force yourself to do the whole house in one day, you’ll tire yourself out and you won’t want to get going again. This tends to happen at the stage where you’ve pulled everything out of a cupboard and have just made a mess of your hallway. Take it slow, put on some music or a tv show, have a drink and make it fun.
3. Go room by room
If you get all gung-ho about gutting the whole house at once, it’ll get confusing. Take it one room at a time, keep it nice and neat, and then you have great stopping places already built into the operation.
4. Look at your house with fresh eyes
Try to imagine you’re a visitor coming into your house, what would your first impression be? Would it be ‘oh what a lovely clean home’ or ‘it looks like a dragon lives here’? Trying this exercise can highlight unnecessary items that you may have attachments to but really don’t need to be taking up space in your living room. We are talking about putting it into storage here, not throwing it away. You don’t have to say goodbye to everything.
5. Reward yourself
Once you have cleared your house you can embark on a fun DIY project. Maybe paint a room, reorganise the furniture, anything you like. It’ll be easy without all that clutter in the way. It can be hard to experience anything new and refreshing at a time like this, but redecorating makes your home a brand new place to enjoy!
Visit us for more information on storing your unwanted clutter during lockdown. It might just help you hold on to your sanity as well as your in-the-way treasures.