Do you admire those homes you walk into with clear bench tops, open spaces and the total absence of things that should not be there? Zero clutter! You look at your space instead and wonder how they can ever maintain such a miraculous feat! They must not have kids right. Then they do. They must not have pets right. Then they do. They must not have the hectic work life schedule that you do right. However, they could

The main difference between the people with the open plan, sparsely decorated insanely neat home and yourself may actually have something to do with your genetics. Some people are more compelled to gather than others do. ‘I might just keep that bottle opener, I know I’ve already got 6….but you never can find one when you need…and this one does such a great job/ looks great!’

If that sounds like something you would do, there are techniques to keep your clutter in control and avoid hoarding and creating that unnecessary build-up of mess in your home.

If you have trouble letting things that add no value or worth other than taking up space in your house you wants back for aesthetic and liveability purposes, here are a few steps to help you get started.

  1. Don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater

It can be easy to go on a spring clean frenzy only to regret it later. Work through one small project at a time, say your kitchen bench, then your pantry and move along one project at a time. This way you can be sure you are not carried away and achieve a result that is functional as well as pleasing.

  1. Reduce the load

Sometimes it’s not realistic to go from well lived in home to grand designs perfect in one step. Regular de-cluttering can get you there in a gradual way over time. The first time you de-clutter your kitchen you may reduce the number of mugs you have overflowing your cupboard by half. The next time you may only leave 4 – 6 because that is the maximum you ever need before washing and re-using.

  1. Be decisive

It can be easy to not get far with decluttering when we keep returning indecisively to the same items repeatedly. Understandably items can have emotional ties, leave these items in their own category so not as to distract you from the main task. Do not let every item you have become an emotional tie….those glasses you got from Aunt Agnes 20 years ago that you have never used because they 1) are ugly 2) are no use to you probably doesn’t need to be in the keep category. If you feel guilty, find them a worthy home with someone that will truly appreciate them. If you do not like it, do not need it, you do not want it in your home. Make the decision and follow through with action.

  1. Deciding if an item truly has worth for you

If you really are stuck on if you should keep an item or not, put it away in storage for 6 months. If you have not given it a thought or use in that time, you do not need it and should get rid of it.

  1. Be honest with yourself

You have a 1983 version of linguistics in action from your university studies. You have never once looked back at it since and life took you in directions away from your scholarly linguistics loving ways. Yet you hoard that and so many other items in bookcases and around because it reminds you of who you were and what you dreamt life of being at that moment in life. It says something about you? Having a intellectually engaging 30 year old book that has remained unopened for most of those years clogging up your bookcase does not make you a scholar now. Resist aspirational clutter.

  1. Get Professional Help

It is not an easy task to change your mindset, or find the motivation to follow through on de-cluttering spaces. It is easy to give up, go easy on yourself or not achieve the results you were after. Goddess Cleaning Group is an expert service that can boost your results and deliver the home of your dreams.

Tagged with →