Everyone loves a spacious home, and that’s why we rave about the beautiful homes we see on our favourite real estate magazines and TV shows. But each time we come home and face a cluttered house, we lose hope of ever having a home that is free from clutter.
You might not notice it because it’s your home, but clutter often makes an otherwise beautiful house look a little unkempt. The presence of several unnecessary objects takes your guest’s attention away from the room decor and right towards the stack of mail precariously balanced on top of the microwave.
If you fall into the category of people who have tried and failed to maintain a clutter-free zone, this guide is for you.
Here are a few steps on how to eliminate clutter in your home and keep it forever. Stay tuned for our GOLDEN TIP!
Beware the junk drawer
We all have one, we never let anyone see it, we’re a little ashamed of it, and if we’re honestly asked… we’re not too sure what purpose it serves.
Yes, we’re talking about the junk drawer.
That drawer tucked away in your home that stores all the sticky tape, old Nokia charging cords, pens that don’t work, a card from your birthday six years ago and mounds of miscellaneous papers that you’re sure are probably important.
The first place to start when decluttering your space is to tackle this bad boy. Pull the drawer out, pull all it’s scary contents out, sort them into ‘categories’ (i.e. papers, stationery, electronics, etc.). After you’ve categorised, throw away anything you haven’t used in the past year. Be ruthless.
Done? Good job! Now onto step two.
A place for everything and everything in its place
The easiest way for clutter to accumulate is by not allotting specific spaces for certain objects. No nook to keep mail? It’ll wind up strewn across your kitchen counter or in the junk drawer. No place to keep pens and pencils? They’ll also end up in the junk drawer. No place to store your shoes? They’ll be scattered across your bedroom floor ready to trip you up on your midnight dash to the loo.
The solution? Storage, storage, storage. Find bedside tables, tallboys, bookcases, and units with plenty of storage as a starter. Then add trays, files, desktop organisers, etc. as you need. Give everything a place to land. Let’s eliminate that junk drawer mentality.
Develop a habit of putting things away IMMEDIATELY
Putting away things that you have used can be a difficult habit to learn. Do you know why? It’s easy to drop it just there. Dropping things randomly wherever you’re done with them is one habit that most people can’t let go. However, if you want that clutter-free home, you’d bream this habit.
When you’re done with an item, make an effort to put it back. Finished with that magazine? Pop it back into the magazine rack. Done with the toaster? Let it cool down and then put it back in the cupboard.
There Is Such Thing as over Organizing
In your quest to organize your home, you might end up falling into the trap of cluttering it further. How does this happen? Easy. All the boxes and containers you use to “pack” your belongings most often end up making more clutter.
When adding a new storage system to your space, ask yourself this: Is this going to help me eliminate clutter, or will it likely add to it.
Know how to let go and how
Knowing how and when to let go of things is a necessary skill everyone needs to have. Most often than not, your attachment to certain items such as your child’s first doll or his safety blanket ends up holding you down. Memories don’t live in those materials; they live in your mind and experiences. Go through your closet today and deal with those clothes.
Separate the clothes into three groups, one for the clothes you’d keep, the ones you’d give away/donate and the ones that you need to throw away.
It is important to carry out this big “purge” regularly to avoid the buildup of more clothes.
Keeping that clutter out for real can be difficult to manage, but we have faith in you. It IS possible!
Have your furniture work double-time as storage
Sometimes, a bed doesn’t just have to be a bed. Sometimes, it can be an ultra-handy storage solution too! Same with coffee tables. And lounges. And vanities. The list goes on!
If you experience an onslaught of clutter on the daily, it might do you a world of good to update your furniture to feature hidden storage. This is especially helpful for people in smaller spaces that can’t afford to introduce entirely new cupboards, shelving units, etc.
When it comes to your living room, ditch that trendy minimalist coffee table for one with discreetly hidden storage like this Hawaii one pictured below!
Not enough storage for the living room? Consider a lounge with bonus storage like this Santana Lounge below! With handy in-arm storage compartments for remotes, magazines, charging cords, etc. your living room will have a hard time NOT staying spic-and span.
Get your hands on a bed with handy under-bed drawers like this trendy little design below!
These drawers are great for storing shoes, linen, throw blankets, extra pillows, and maybe some bedtime snacks.
Store your guests away neatly too
Well, sort of.
Do you have school friends of your little ones’ coming over for sleepovers regularly? Do you have family from out of town staying overnight? Forget about that clunky, squeaky trundle bed you keep stashed in the laundry and incorporate extra sleep space into your furniture!
Check out this stylish single bed, complete with a pull-out trundle for sleepovers OR converts to comfortably sleep two people side by side. Now those last-minute pleads to have Jessica from school sleepover this weekend are a lot less stressful!
For the bigger kids (also known as “adults”), we have solutions for you too: sofa beds!
Sofa beds are a great way to add extra sleep space for guests without compromising on style or adding clutter to your living room. Browse our full range of trendy sofa beds here.
Our GOLDEN TIP
Here’s our golden tip for keeping a clutter-free space that is tried and true by many. When you’re leaving a room, take a quick scan of your space and see if there is anything that needs to be put away into the room you’re moving to.
Leaving the bedroom on your way to the kitchen? Take a quick scan for any cups that need to go in the sink or any dirty laundry strewn on the floor that needs to be thrown in the laundry hamper on your way to the kitchen.
Having this “Oh I’ll put it away while I’m on my way” mentality makes tidying up less of a chore and more of a routine. Eventually, this will just become a habit – imagine that! A habit that keeps your house clean! Score!
