I like to think of myself as reasonably neat and tidy. Not what you would describe as a clean-freak, but house-proud enough to keep things in a reasonable order. But I do have a degree of clutter these days. I’m not sure how it has happened, but somehow, there are some things that never seem to get put away.
Before my home starts to resemble one of a secret hoarder, I want to nip this clutter in the bud and reclaim my home. I don’t want to live in a museum with empty surfaces devoid of personality, and I certainly don’t want to live in a home that is a carbon copy of an Instagram-obsessed ‘celebrity’ – we made our feelings about that very clear in a previous blog. I do, however, need to get a grip of my clutter. My problem is I just don’t know where to start.
After a good look around me, I can identify a number of ‘clutter hot spots’. You’ll have them too – they are places that are all too easy to dump stuff down as you pass through a room like the hallway, bedside table, kitchen worktops/table and even the bathroom. Books, paperwork, shoes, coats and just general stuff slowly build up as you subconsciously add to the piles with the best of intentions. I need some inspiration to keep it under control – let’s see what the internet has to say about all of this!
Hallway
My hallway is a bit of a dumping ground. There is a growing pile of shoes where members of the family kick them off as they come in, but wear a different pair when they go out again. Various coats and jumpers play their own game of jenga on the newel post at the bottom of the stairs and the loser, usually me, is the one that takes all the clothes upstairs and puts them away. Then there is the growing pile of post, discarded envelopes and general recycling.
House Beautiful share 8 golden rules for a clutter-free hallway. My favourite tip they share is ‘never go upstairs empty handed’. Sounds like total common sense and certainly a rule I’ll be adopting as that will sort the growing pile of clothes on the newel post. I’m not a fan of coat hooks in general, but I do like their suggestion of combining hooks with a storage unit, which means I can put things away that probably do need to live in the hallway.
Kitchen
My kitchen really is the heart of my home. It’s a busy room that gets a lot of traffic, meaning it gets used, abused, bashed about and various things get dumped in there as people pass through. I’ve got a decent amount of work surfaces, but the clutter is making me unhappy.
Simple Lionheart Life not only share 20 things that you should get rid of to declutter the kitchen, they also help you work out how you are going to get the job done. They start off by listing 5 key questions you should ask yourself when trying to decide what to get rid of and what to keep. Then, depending on the amount of time you have, they give you 3 approaches to tackling the actual job. In addition, they also share some general decluttering tips and tricks. That article is well worth a read and has given me some great ideas.
Bedside Table
My bedside table is a bit of a mess. There is a pile of books (some finished, some midway through and some untouched), a lamp, a clock radio and some discarded ear plugs that are grabbed in desperation when the husband and dogs are snoring. To be honest, it’s not the nicest view to wake up to (the bedside table, not the husband or dogs) and apparently that’s a bad thing.
I’m not the only one who is not enjoying a cluttered bedside table, and The Organised Housewife has that very issue covered in her decluttering blog. Like me, the view of a messy bedside table sets her up in a grump. Not only does she keep very little on her bedside table top, she has cleared out the drawers too. Having just had a peek in mine, the top drawer is a bit of a dumping ground for random bits of junk and oddities. Another area to add to my tidy list!
Bathroom
On first glance my bathroom doesn’t look too bad. There are a few pretty bottle of lotions and potions for that all important relaxing soak in the bath. The issue in this room is the abused storage. I have a cupboard under the sink and a bathroom cabinet that are groaning under the weight of their contents, not to mention the items balanced on top of the cabinet itself.
Clean Mama is pretty ruthless when it comes to decluttering her bathrooms, and that seems like just the approach I need. She recommends going through everything you find and decide if you should Keep, Toss, Donate or Relocate. She even takes you through all the things I neglect, such as checking for old medicines, make up and worn towels. I’m feeling better about tackling the bathroom already!
Getting Started
I’m feeling a little more inspired now I’ve found some great tips online but I need some motivation to get going – I’m not sure where to start. The Tidy Company have got come great tips and even have a ‘Tidy Up Starter Kit‘ you can sign up for. It’s a freebie aimed at busy women so ticks two boxes for me right there. They have a thing about a 15-minute tidy … surely even I can manage that?
Wish me luck
SJB
So Just Be 