How to declutter your house: January detox

There are a couple of times in the year when everyone’s home could benefit from a good clear out: Early April, for the annual Spring clean and September, marking the end of summer and back to school and post-Christmas after the influx of gifts, hampers and Christmas Decorations.

January is the ideal time of year  for taking stock and getting your home in order for the months ahead. 

Thankfully getting organized is as easy as investing in a few simple solutions that will keep your home as neat and clean as possible. Here are my tips on how to declutter your house by tackling the four main areas that tend to become overloaded with stuff and how to get on top of things to make sure that every corner of your house is spotless and all your belongings are easy to find when you need them.  

The hall

This is the first area of the home guests will see. It’s also the first place you see when you come home after a long day. So when planning how to declutter your house this is the first area that you shoudl aim to keep clutter free. Unfortunately, the hallway is the area where coats, shoes and bags tend to pile up along with a variety of post, junk mail and other bits and pieces that don’t have a fixed abode.

The key to getting this part of the house in order is to control what comes into your home in the first place.  Take note of everything that gets dumped in your hallway over the course of a week. This will help you to make a list of the items that need a storage solution. A typical inventory might include storage for bags, coats, shoes, post and keys.

Create a space by the front door where you can drop your belongings and sort your post as soon as you come home. A console table with a bowl for keys and tray for the post. Hooks for coats and hats. And most importantly a wastebasket, will help you to deal with the flow of items coming into the house, keeping the space clutter free. Baskets or boxes are a great idea for shoes. And a no junk mail sign is highly recommended if you don’t have one already.

The kitchen table, island or countertop

Kitchen surfaces tend to be a magnet for clutter that makes its way into the house. Everything from letters and bills to school correspondence and receipts slowly build up over time.

Take a few minutes to relocate what doesn’t belong in the kitchen. Assign a permanent home for items like mail or other things that get dumped on your counters or table and turn into clutter. The best way to deal with paper is to create an intake tray, basket or even drawer where it can be stored.

For those who like to have things on view to remember them, a magnetic whiteboard or pinboard is a great idea. Everything from kids artworks to school timetables can be pinned up. This will help you free up your surfaces by keeping them clutter free. It will also make it easy to locate things when you need them.

The spare room

I’ve visited countless homes over the years. Those who have the luxury of a spare room often refer to it as the junk room. This overlooked space is so often a victim of “out of sight, out of mind”. These rooms tend to become a general purpose dumping ground.

My advice when planning how to declutter your house, is to set aside some time and give this room a ruthless clear out. I know parting with things can often be a struggle for people. Keeping things because they may come in useful one day or for sentimental reasons can lead to a huge amount of surplus unused objects in your home that take up precious space. So it’s vital you take the plunge and start sorting.

Once you’ve identified the bits and pieces you don’t want, decide whether to dump, donate or give them away. You could also think about putting them up on a site such as Done Deal or eBay. Your unwanted things could be a way of making a few extra euro. You’ll be amazed at what people would love to get their hands on.

Then try to give the room a purpose, a home office, study space or even laundry/ironing room. You’ll be less inclined to think of the room as a storage area by defining what the room is to be used for. This will mean its less likely that you’ll allow things to pile up again.

The utility room

This is a really important room in any home, but it tends to be the place where things are stashed, especially when guests are coming over and you want to do a quick tidy. Over time you may find the room becomes a jumble of stuff and your precious space is rapidly running out.

Most utility rooms are not large rooms. So it’s vital you optimise the space you have to help you keep the room clutter free. Try to get as much stuff up off the floors as possible. Put unused vertical space to good use. Install some shelves or hooks that take advantage of those high walls and keep the floors clear. Hang things like ironing boards, brushes, mops and clothes-drying apparatus on the wall or on the back of doors. This will free up valuable floor space.

“Sheila maids” have become very popular in recent years – these are a mounted laundry airer. It’s fixed to the ceiling on a pulley system meaning it can be pulled up out of the way when not in use. Ideal if you have high ceilings.