It’s very grey and cold here in Sheffield so I’ve mostly been working from home over the last couple of weeks. I’m prepping a re-brand of Prettygreentea and Dairy Free Daisy which I can’t wait to share with you.
In my free time, I’ve been working on our house, particularly getting decluttered, organised and implementing new routines. This is my chance to really switch things up before the baby comes.
I’m not an unorganised person but it certainly doesn’t come naturally to me. I’ve had to work hard at getting organised over the years and I’m always learning new tips and tricks to refine my strategy.
I’m aiming to have everything, and I mean everything, decluttered and organised before Christmas. I’m still working on getting rid of things I don’t use and passing them onto people who will get more enjoyment from them.
I hope to roll into the new year knowing that everything has a place in our home and that we don’t have clutter knocking about or hidden away in cupboards. I also find this is a good way to enjoy and appreciate the things you do have.
I think I’m finally in a much more organised and set routine. Although I have to be honest, it’s only felt more natural as of the last few months. I think there are two key reasons for this; getting rid of a lot of what we own and creating set routines.
Today I want to share some of my tips for decluttering and cleaning your home. The next week I’ll share some of my favourite organisation tips and strategies.
Today’s tips will be most useful for those of you who like me, are not naturally tidy. My list is filled with little tips to declutter your home, ways in which you can make tidying quicker and a few cleaning tips.
When it comes to cleaning, tidying and staying organised it’s all about getting into good routines.
11 Simple Ways To Declutter & Clean Your Home
Make your bed
As soon as you get out of bed turn around and make it.
Give the bedcover a good shake, straighten it and then pop the scatter cushions and throw back on top. It takes seconds. You can then leave the house knowing your bed is ready and cosy for when you return at the end of the day.
Purge clothes and shoes
Take all of your clothes out and put them onto your bed. Then take some time to go through everything and have a pile for charity/friends, anything that can go into a rag bag (most charity shops take these too) and put the clothes you want to keep back into your wardrobe.
Get rid of anything that doesn’t fit, everything with holes in and clothes which simply do not make you feel good. This will free up space in your wardrobe and in your mind.
Be brutal, it’s the only way to truly declutter.
Deep clean
If like me, deep cleaning doesn’t come naturally to you then you always have the option of hiring a cleaning company to give you a hand. This will save you time and stress and you can focus your efforts where you excel.
When you move house it’s nice to get the carpets cleaned professionally. As I’m sure you’re aware, carpets can absorb dirt, dust and grime which is not only unhygienic but also leaves them looking worn out and dull.
Freshly cleaned carpets will give a whole new look to a room.
Check expired skincare
This point is good to go for your skincare and makeup collections, It’s not something you need to do on a regular basis but if you’re new to the decluttering game you’ll be surprised at how many out-of-date products you find.
I suggest filling a box with all of your makeup and skincare products, popping on a YT video or your favourite TV show and making your way through it.
If possible, sit at the kitchen table or lay out a towel to ensure you don’t spill anything. Have a bin bag at the ready for anything which is out of date and another box for products you’re happy to keep and continue using.
Easy to access bins
I imagine a lot of people already have this sorted but when we moved we realised we didn’t have a bin in each room. That meant we were often hanging bags on the handles of doors to chuck anything in that needed to be taken down to the bin. As you can imagine, those bags stayed there for a while.
By simply grabbing some basic but cute bins you can keep the rubbish and recycling neatly contained. It’s also useful for any guests you have staying.
Assess kitchen gadgets
If you’re a keen cook or baker you’ll probably have lots of kitchen gadgets. Keep them out on the surface can take up a lot of space so they often end up shoved into a cupboard.
Take everything out and figure out what you really need and what hasn’t been used for a few years. These gadgets are often big and bulky so getting rid of unused items can free up a lot of space.
Mug life
I really don’t know how but mugs and glasses can build up into a massive collection pretty quickly. Empty your cupboards (always wipe it down when it’s empty too) and see if there’s any you can donate or pop on Ebay.
Check expired food
Just like we got rid of skincare and makeup products further up in the list we’re going to do exactly the same for the food. Pull out your spices, baking products, tins etc and get rid of any out of date products. While the cupboard is empty it’s also the perfect time to wipe it down before putting everything back in.
Clean as you go
When it comes to cooking and baking it will make your life so much easier if you clean as you go. When you’ve finished using a spoon or bowl pop it straight into the dishwasher or sink instead of leaving it on the side. Wipe down the surface after you’ve popped your cupcakes in the oven.
This is a tip or perhaps a habit I picked up from my dad and it’s one that has stuck with me over the years. He’s super organised and tidy so it’s a shame I haven’t taken on more of those traits.
Baskets
Incorporating baskets into as many aspects of my life as possible has been a real game changer when it comes to getting organised. I’ll go into detail in my organisation post but to start, make sure you have a basket or cardboard box under your sink with all your cleaning products in. This keeps that cupboard tidy and you can easily grab the box when you need to clean something in another room.
Bookshelf purge
Empty the bookshelf, wipe it down and then go through everything that was on there. It’s likely that there weren’t just books lurking on there either.
Get rid of books, games and magazines that you no longer need. Allow them to go to other people who will get fresh enjoyment out of them.
When we moved I had a lot of cookery magazines which I once thought were too pretty to get rid of or cut up. I’ve now realised that I’m more likely to use my cookbooks, scrapbook or Google to find a recipe. I rarely went to the magazines to find a recipe. I now chop any foodie magazines up as soon as I get them. I’ll read it and cut out the recipes I really want to try and stick them into my foodie scrapbook.
Something I’ll often do before a charity run is take a photo of anything I’m in two minds about. That way I can always look back to jog a memory of a certain book I once enjoyed but will never read again.
I hope you’ve found these tips helpful and be sure to stick around for similar posts in the coming weeks.
Thanks to London Cleaning System for sponsoring this post.