Tips for decluttering your home

You’ve heard of spring cleaning but giving your home a good clear out can be done at any time of the year, especially before you’re planning a big move. It’s also a good way to destress and helps focus your mind on one activity.

At first, a task like this can seem overwhelming, but with the help of s1homes and our handy tips, it’s easy to declutter your home and your mind.

Tackle one room at a time

The first step when you’re feeling overwhelmed with a big task is to break it down into more manageable pieces, so start by making a list of each room you need to tackle and work through them. If you have a deadline looming like a home move, then you might want to set yourself some timescales too, like a date you need to complete by and work your way backwards.

It can also be helpful to start with the bigger rooms first or the rooms with the most stuff. Like the kid’s rooms or the loft. Once you’ve tackled these, then the smaller ones won’t seem so bad.

Sort your items into categories

Sometimes it not as easy as simply throwing things away, we can hold onto items for sentimental reasons or just to save for a later time, like Christmas decorations. When sorting through your belongings it’s a good idea to select some categories, like ‘toss’, ‘keep’, ‘store’, ‘donate’ or even ‘upcycle/restore’. We all have items that have either become worn out or even broken but instead of throwing them away, we keep hold of them. It can be tempting to simply throw them away during a clear out but is it possible to restore or fix these items? Upcycling old pieces of furniture is a huge trend at the moment, not only saving you money not having to replace the item completely but giving you a DIY project at a time when you might not be as busy as you used to be.

Donate to charity

At this time of year in the lead up to Christmas, and even birthdays, when you know that your kids are going to be getting an influx of new toys, it’s a perfect time to give their stash a good clear out. It’ll not only save you some storage space, even if it is for a short time, but will also remind you of the toys they’ve already been given and possibly forgotten about.

Remember, if the toys are in good working condition, please donate to local charity shops or even schools and playgroups instead of throwing them away. In the lead up to Christmas, toy donations are very welcome to charities aimed at helping children and families in need.

Make some extra money

Is there anything you could sell to make some extra cash? We all have items that we’ve bought with the greatest intentions but have ended up in the back of a drawer or cupboard instead. Maybe clothing that still has the tags on or that exercise machine you bought back in January but is used as a clothes hanger instead? If it’s hardly been used and in good condition, consider selling it and making some extra cash. There are a variety of sites available to sell your stuff, from Facebook Marketplace, eBay, Gumtree and Depop. Of course, we’d always recommend donating where you can.

Reconsider your storage solutions

Once you’ve had time to go through your belongings you may realise that it’s not the amount of stuff you own that’s the problem, it’s your storage solutions. Poor storage can give you the feeling that you own more than you do. Instead, go through each room and consider how to make the most of the space in that room and how to integrate some smart storage solutions. Think under beds, above wardrobes and behind doors.

If you’re giving your home a clear out before moving to a new home, do this for your new rooms and think about the storage in your new home and where your belongings will fit. If you can, move with fewer belongings and give yourself room to grow into your new home.

Has giving your home a clear out made you realise it’s time to find somewhere bigger? If you’re looking to make your next move, then search the best properties in Scotland at s1homes.com