There are several reasons why you might decide to declutter your home – moving to a new city, getting married, making way for a new addition to the family. Whatever your reasons, once you begin decluttering, it can suddenly seem like a mammoth task and many of us give up trying to sort through all our belongings before we’ve got started.
Fill your rooms only with the things you use and love
To help you get your house organised, Hannah Wilson, Head of Insights at Gumtree, has shared her top ten tips on how to declutter effectively to make more space and earn extra money from your home:
Baby steps first: Begin with small steps and sort through different categories one at a time, as trying to tackle your whole home at once can be daunting. Very few of us have the time and energy to dedicate a whole day to organising our home, so instead spend an hour or two each day to maintain motivation.
Sorting system: As you move through the rooms in your house, make sure to implement a sorting system for items you want to keep, give away/sell and put into storage, so you don’t end up with a bigger mess than the one you started with.
The hanger challenge: Many of us are often unable to part with our clothes, promising ourselves that we will wear them again someday. To solve this, start by having all your hangers facing in the same direction in your wardrobe. Then invert the hangers holding garments that you never wear. If you still haven’t moved the hanger around six months later, then it’s time to ditch the dress.
Seal the deal: Once you’ve sorted out which possessions you no longer need, make sure you decide straight away where they’ll go (e.g. recycle, donate, sell, put in storage), otherwise they’ll just start collecting dust somewhere else in your home.
Location, location, location: If you want to get rid of larger items, such as furniture or domestic appliances, don’t be put off just because you’re not sure what to do with them. Think locally and ask friends, family or colleagues if they would like them, so you can clear out quicker. Also, sites like Gumtree help you connect with local buyers, which comes in handy when you’re trying to shift large items, without the hefty transport costs usually attached.
Sentimental scrapbook: Sometimes there’s a possession you just can’t get rid of for sentimental reasons, even if it’s taking up lots of unnecessary space. Yet there’s no reason why you can’t take photos of the item and keep it digitally instead, filling up your phone’s storage instead of your home’s.
Earn some pocket money: Whilst it can be tempting to send unwanted items to your local landfill, it’s worth bearing in mind that our homes can often turn out to be a small goldmine – in fact, nine in 10 of us have up to £1,000 worth of unused items in our home. Gumtree is a good place to start, as it’s easy to set up an account and start selling straight away.
Happy hump day: If you want to make a quick sale on your preloved items, insights show that household goods such as home appliances, baby and kids’ products, clothes and technology receive the most views and replies on a Wednesday than any other day of the week.
Minimalist Motivation: At times, decluttering will feel like a very laborious task and you may feel inclined to stop if you’re struggling to see the end goal. However, remember that with less clutter, you’ll get to enjoy the freedom of all the space you’ve reclaimed, so have a reason to keep going. For example, plan a gathering with friends and family for when you’re finished to celebrate and show off your home.
Make a habit of it: Unfortunately, once you have finished decluttering, that doesn’t mean that it’s done and dusted forever. Mess can start to creep back up on you, but don’t wait until the whole house is overtaken again and instead develop daily decluttering habits, like sorting through junk mail as soon as you receive it rather than filing it away.
Written by Hannah Wilson, Head of Insights at Gumtree
Tagged in Minimalism