Feel like your home needs a good clear out? In this guide, we’ll explore how to declutter your home effectively and efficiently. Let’s go!
Make a Plan with Your Limits Considered
First things first, you need a solid plan before you can declutter your home. Consider what rooms need decluttering and how much work will likely be required in each room. You should also make a schedule as part of your plans, setting aside a day or weekend (two days may be needed) for a good clear out.
In your schedule, be sure to consider approximately how long each room/space will take to declutter and be sure to schedule in breaks. You don’t want to work non-stop throughout the day until you burn out. Throughout the day(s) of decluttering, make sure to keep well hydrated and eat well to keep your energy levels strong.
Also be wary of your physical well-being. For instance, do not be in the same position for too long or else you risk causing aches and pain. You’ll probably be tired at the end either way, but you want to minimize the risk of aches and pain.
Last but not least, you need to consider your limits. This may mean scheduling your clear out over two days if you’re unsure whether you can pull it off in a day. You should also take on one day at a time and consider whether you’ll need a second person to help out.
Getting the Necessary Equipment
As part of your plan, you’ll want to ensure you have all the equipment required. Equipment you’ll require may include but is not necessarily limited to bin bags or garden sacks, rubber gloves, spray cleaner, cloth, vacuum cleaner and cardboard boxes.
If you have any doubts of what you need in terms of equipment or your overall plan, hire a professional cleaner to aid you in your plans or cleaning or to perform the clear out entirely if you’d prefer.
Sort Items into Separate Piles
When decluttering and placing items into bin bags/garden bags, you’ll want to separate the items into ‘piles’. This may mean labeling different bags since you’ll need many bags for each pile.
These piles should be:
- Items to keep
- Items to sell or donate
- Items to discard
You might want to simply use good old sticky labels (i.e., self-adhesive labels) to put on each bag and use a marker to identify the pile.
Just ensure to be very careful when labeling the bags and placing items in the correct bag as you don’t want to mix them up so maybe them place the bags in different parts of the room or even use some sort of colour labels to very clearly identify them. You may even want to opt for different coloured bin bags to ensure you can’t easily get mixed up.
Think About How to Sell/Donate and Dispose of Items
Last but not least, once you’ve completed decluttering your home, it’s time to sell/donate and dispose of items. Obviously for items you want to keep, you can put them back in place when suitable.
If you want to sell some items, consider using a site like eBay. Just be sure that the items are in good condition and that you are totally upfront in the seller description about its current state and function.
Alternatively, or additionally, you may want to donate some of the items you’ve put in a bags pile. Find a suitable charity organization where you can drop off your bags of items. If you wanted to give some to a charity shop, you can’t just drop off entire bags, but you may want to drop off some smaller bags of items or single items. However, for donating entire bags of items, find an appropriate organization and location (e.g., donation banks) to do so.
You’ll probably want to dispose of many items too and more than likely, a skip or man and a van will be required. Skip hire prices generally land between £60 and £300 in terms of the skip sizes suited for items being thrown out as part of a house clear out. You could probably hire a man and a van for around £35 to £100.
