How to declutter your home, room by room!

When we moved house from Northumberland to near Scunthorpe in 2019 we had a massive declutter. It was good for us and just what we needed. Ellie was growing out of playing with proper toys and Becky was a hoarder, much like me.

Last year we had another declutter. How can we collect so much junk in just a short time. Being home during lockdown made me feel suffocated from clutter. 

Decluttering can seem daunting and I have always found it better to do one room at a time. Just remember not to move things from one room to the next. hehehe

The Living Room!

At the centre of the home there is the living room which can often turn into a dumping ground for clutter and mess. That happens here. The kids walk through the living room and always leave something where it shouldn't be. Mugs, phone chargers, books and goodness knows what else.

Go through all the items in your living room and decide whether you want to throw, donate or keep. It is easy to get into the habit of wanting to keep everything as all items hold memories but as decluttering expert Marie Kondo says, if it’s not bringing you joy then donate, recycle or throw it away. 

Make sure any newspapers or magazines don’t get left out, they easily dominate space and make the room look immediately messy. If you’re done with them, recycle them, don’t keep them for the sake of it which I sometimes do.  

If you’re working from home try not to turn your living room into a workspace. It’s understandable that you might have to use the space for home working during the day, but make sure you clear up any laptops and paperwork at the end of the day, to keep a clear distinction between work and home life. 

The Kitchen!

The heart of the home the kitchen is probably the hardest room in the house to keep clean and clutter free. Kitchens, especially smaller kitchens, get easily cluttered with food, cookbooks, cooking supplies, not to mention the clutter than kitchen cupboards can accumulate. 

The key in decluttering kitchens is to ask yourself, Do I really need this? Over the years, it’s easy to suddenly find yourself with five wooden spoons, four mixing bowls and 20 tea towels. If you honestly don’t need that many, donate to a neighbour. 

With the cupboards throw away any spices that you tell yourself you’re going to use but never do and just stock your basics. You can always buy a smaller sachet of a certain spice if you need it for a future recipe in the future. With tupperware, do you really need so many? Donate any that you no longer use or any mismatched items that have lost their lids over the years. Same with mugs and glasses, ask yourself how many you really need. Keep it simple!

 Similar to the living room, put away any items that don’t live in the kitchen. Car keys, letters, hats and gloves, they all seem to gather on kitchen countertops make sure you put them in their correct spot to avoid the clutter.

Bathroom! 

The bathroom is another room that can easily look cluttered. Usually small and sometimes shared between the whole family it's easy for bathrooms to feel chaotic.  

Similar to the kitchen, get rid of anything extra. Do you need old products that are way past their use by date? Remember that most bathroom products last around 6-18 months so throw away anything that has seen better days. I need to do this and also make sure the bottles of shampoo and shower gel with only a tiny bit in get used up. 

With your towels if you have any that are looking a bit overused rip them up and use them as dusters or donate to a local animal shelter. Figure out how many you actually need per your household, keep a few extras for guests, but donate any extras that you don’t need.

Bedroom!

Maybe the biggest room to tackle, bedrooms usually hold our favourite items which can sometimes be hard to let go of.  

The best place to start is with your wardrobe, usually the biggest clutter culprit. Ask yourself some basic questions, do you really need this? Do you currently wear this? Will you wear this? If the answer is no, donate it. It’s easy for us to hold onto clothes which bring us good memories, but don’t get into the habit of keeping something for the sake of keeping it. If it is still in good condition you could even sell it and make room for more items and new memories in the years to come. 

Invest in furniture that has a double purpose. Adding a storage bench to the end of your bed works as a place to sit and put on your shoes whilst also storing bedding or anything lying around. Also, consider the area under your bed. A storage bed can hold plenty of extra shoes or clothes which won’t fit in your cupboard that you currently have lying around. 

Do you need to declutter or have you recently? How did you get on?