Just in time for National Old Stuff Day on 2 March we bring you the YES Team’s top tips for clearing the clutter and giving your home a spring clean!
First things first, it’s hard to clean if there is mess everywhere so here are some top tips for a quick de-clutter!
Ready, steady, de-clutter!
- Use the four-box method. Grab four large bags or boxes and label them: ‘throw away’, ‘sell’, ‘recycle’ and ‘charity’. This makes it a whole lot easier to remove items without creating more mess – just don’t forget to deal with the bags or boxes immediately!
- Sort through your wardrobe. De-cluttering and creating more space can be as simple as putting some time aside to go through your wardrobe and removing items that you’ve fallen out of love with or no longer fit. You can adopt the four bag rule (tip 1) to achieve this. Find out more about how to recycle your clothes (if they can’t be sold or repaired) on the Love Your Clothes website.
- Get some clutter baskets. In the rooms or areas that tend to get most cluttered have a basket or area that you stick clutter or stray items at the end of each day. Then once a week sort it by returning those items to their rightful place! If you get into the habit of clearing the clutter each day, it’ll be easier to keep a tidy home.
- Storage is key. It’s a lot easier to keep a clutter-free home if you’ve got your storage sorted. Think about what is creating clutter. Shoes in the hallway or coats on the back of chairs, dog (or cat, or kid!) toys littering the floors? Maybe you need some coat hooks or a shoe rack? A basket to pop toys in at the end of the day?
- Quality over quantity! This is more of a lifestyle change and not always achievable for everything, but it is easy to create a messy home by buying things you don’t need just because they’re cheap or you want it! When you feel that temptation really think about whether you need it, do you already have something similar at home? If you do need it, can it replace something?
- Recycle old electricals. You may already have a small collection of broken items that you’ve been storing up to take to a Household Waste Recycling Site (‘tip’) or a bag full of old cables that you’re not sure what to do with. If you can’t fix or sell these items you may be able to recycle them from your home. Anything with a plug, cable or battery can be recycled. Simply place it into a small carrier bag and leave it on top of your recycling or waste bin (or next to your recycling bags) on collection day. Please note this collection service is not available in areas covered by Lewes and Eastbourne councils.
Okay we lied, they aren’t all quick! Once you’ve de-cluttered you can make a start of spring cleaning. Here are our top tips:
Spring clean your home!
- Schedule your time to keep on track! Give yourself a set amount of time for each room and list out what you need to do in there to stay focussed.
- Clean those plug holes! Pour some soda crystals down the plug hole followed by some white vinegar, leave to fizz for a few minutes and then follow with some boiled water to wash away the soda crystals. If like Mrs Hinch you’re a fan of Zoflora then you might want to add a cap full of your favourite fragrance while you’re leaving it to fizz!
- Fill a spray bottle with a small amount of your favourite fabric softener and top up with water then spray away! We like to spray fresh bed linen, doormats, sofas, pet beds, curtains! You could be thrifty and reuse an empty spray bottle or you can buy spray bottles from most supermarkets, Poundland or on Amazon! Top tip: spray your curtains and then open your windows for a few minutes to blast the fresh scent throughout your house. Find some DIY eco cleaning recipes here.
- Toss rugs and throws in the washing machine for a quick freshen up – if the weather is on your side you might even be able to shove them on the washing line to dry. While they’re out there why not give them a spritz with your diluted fabric softener.
- Treat your home to a deep clean. Steam clean your carpets, clean the fridge, wipe the inside of your windows and dust the hard to reach places such as bookshelves. Check out these other great spring cleaning tips room by room.
What are your top tips for a de-cluttering and spring cleaning your home?
Written by Hollie Farley.
