How to de-clutter your home

The idea of de-cluttering your home might seem quite daunting at first; however the benefits of this task more than make up for the work that it involves. Clearing out unnecessary items will free up floor, counter and storage space and will also enable you to create a more organised and aesthetically-pleasing home environment. Read on for some tips on how to begin the de-cluttering process.

Prepare for your clear-out

A little bit of prep work before you start clearing out your home can make the experience much faster and a lot less stressful. Set up a de-clutter station, which will include three sections; the first will be for items that need to be put into storage (i.e. seasonal clothing and decorations), the second will be for items that are to be donated or sold and the third will be for anything that is to be thrown out. If your home is extremely cluttered and you're fairly certain that there will be a large volume of rubbish, it may be worth hiring a skip bin for a day or two. You should be able to find cheap bin hire services online or in your local business directory.

Begin with decorative items

If you have a lot of stuff to sort through, you might not know where to start. Decorative objects are often one of the easiest forms of belongings to part with, and, as such, it can be helpful to start the clearing-out process with these items. Over the course of several decades, a household will usually build up an excessive amounts of things like throw cushions, mantelpiece ornaments, framed pictures and other knick-knacks, many of which don't serve any aesthetic or functional purpose and simply end up sitting on a shelf, collecting dust for years on end. Too many of these types of items scattered around a house can make it appear overcrowded and messy. Spend a couple of hours going around your home, collecting any decorative bits and bobs which are not in keeping with the aesthetic you want your property to have. You might be surprised at what a difference this simple task makes in the appearance of each room.

Clear out the garage and the attic

The garage and the attic are two areas of a house that are most likely to be brimming over with forgotten stuff; these are the places where people tend to stow away possessions that they tell themselves they will need someday, like old clothing, half-finished craft projects, children's toys and books, sporting equipment and kitchen gadgets. Try to be as ruthless as you can when de-cluttering these parts of your home. Remember, if you haven't used or even thought about a particular item in over a year, the likelihood is that you won't use it again and it can safely be donated, sold or thrown away.