C&G’s Guide to Decluttering Your Home

Can’t find anywhere to fit your work-from-home desk in? Or perhaps you can never fully shut your wardrobe doors? It might be time to reassess your space, and determine which items are necessary and which items need to go. Decluttering often acts as a clean slate and has many benefits. Once it’s completed, you’ll have less to clean, less to reorganise and more time to focus on new endeavours. However, achieving this can be quite the task! Not sure where to start? This latest C&G guide has your back, with plenty of handy tips to decluttering your home.

Start small and slow.

If you find yourself in unfamiliar territory, there’s nothing wrong with starting small and slow. We suggest allocating a window of time each day and dedicating it towards your decluttering efforts. Your first session should include determining which rooms need attention, and identifying where each item belongs.

Divide and conquer.

Organise your belongings into categories: keep, throw away, donate and recycle. Adopting a mental criteria can be helpful. Ask yourself how often you are using each item – was it purchased for a purpose or on a whim? When it comes to clothing, many minimalists use the ‘hanger’ method. This is simply hanging all your clothes in the same direction in your closet, and turning them the opposite direction once they’ve been worn. Set yourself a timeframe and donate the pieces you haven’t touched.

Work through one room at a time.

Unfortunately, decluttering does not often happen overnight. It can be overwhelming, so we suggest tackling one room at a time. Bring your category boxes or bins into each room, and ensure every item is categorised and actioned before moving on. Check all the expiration dates on your medication, skincare products, pantry and fridge items. Give all your shelves a quick dust as you empty them and put back items that are still in use. Put away any books or magazines that don’t get read, as well as games and toys that are no longer played with. This is also the perfect time to invest in clever storage solutions that can hide clutter while adding aesthetic appeal.

We’re not going to lie – decluttering your home is a big task! However, the result is a rewarding fresh start and an opportunity to reinvigorate your space. Maintaining this minimalist approach also encourages smart spending choices and financial rewards in the long run.