5 Ways to declutter your home

One of our biggest tips before putting a house on the market is to declutter. This helps make the right first impression to any prospective buyer or tenant. Even if you aren’t planning to move, by decluttering you will be surrounded by things you need and love and not by clutter.  So whether you are thinking about selling or letting, or just want a good clear out, here are 5 ways to declutter your home and stay on top of things!

5 Ways to declutter your home

Create a ‘waste station’

One of the best ways to declutter your home is by creating a ‘waste station’. A little area to go to and place anything you don’t need or want anymore (e.g a couple of washing baskets in the utility or storage boxes in the garage). At any point, if you really need something or really miss something you can simply go and take it out of the waste station. But most of the time, the things you put into the waste station you will never think about again. Once the waste station is full, donate the contents by taking them straight to your local charity.

Check for out-of-date products

When was the last time you checked for out-of-date cosmetics and food products? I haven’t done this for a while either. However by letting out-of-date products build up in our bathrooms and kitchens, we’re easily cluttering up valuable storage space. So, to keep this source of clutter at bay, start by setting aside a couple of hours a month (or more regularly to really keep on top of things) to go through your kitchen units and throw away anything that is out-of-date or has been open longer than recommended. Now do the same with your cosmetics and bathroom products. Not only does this help declutter your home, it also helps you keep track of the things you already have so you don’t mistakenly buy duplicates!

Get rid of unnecessary papers and magazines

One thing I’m really guilty of is buying the weekend newspapers and only managing to have a flick through the magazine supplements. I keep hold of the papers with every intention of coming back to when I have a quiet moment, but the problem is…there is never a quiet moment! The magazine-rack ends up bursting at the seams with piles of unread newspapers. Are you the same? You’re not alone, this is a common way to clutter up a home. The to avoid this, make a rule that if the papers haven’t been read by Monday morning they go straight into the recycling. Perhaps it’s also time to consider giving up this spending habit!

Out with the old and in with the new

Receiving gifts or buying special offers means we end up duplicates and triplicates of things. Duplicates and triplicates are a very quick way to build up clutter. To keep on top of this, replace any old items with the new ones.

Stay on top of the junk/utility drawer

By junk drawer we mean a drawer that ends up full of bits and pieces like screws, light bulbs, batteries etc…This quickly attracts lots of duplicates and triplicates and whilst useful all these things build up making the drawer feel ‘junky’. Go through the drawer and take out all the duplicate/triplicate items to make sure it is slimmed down and as functional as it is intended to be.

Sell things online

The problem with decluttering is that we sometimes find it hard to give things away, things we may want to use in the future. The thing is though, as a rule, if we haven’t used something in over a year we’ll probably never use it again. So instead on clinging onto stuff why not make some money from it. It is easier than ever to resell things you no longer use. Online is a great place to post your things up for sale, simply try using sites like Gumtree, Facebook or Ebay. 

We hope you’ve found the 5 ways to declutter your home blog useful. For further advice on all things home, check out the JG Blog. And of course, if you are considering putting your house on the market and would like to chat, feel free to get in touch with your local John German team, by booking a free valuation.