Declutter

Untidiness can cause problems in the home, so now is the time, says Carol O’Callaghan, to clear it up and ship it out.

IT’S the season of decluttering as the primitive urge to clear out the nest kicks in. But it’s not just about getting rid of things, it’s equally about resisting the temptation to buy more of the same and undo all the hard work of decluttering in the process.

Mess, clutter, untidiness or whatever you want to call it, is the bug-bear of many relationships, and can harm the best of friendships with house- and flat-mates. A little consideration is all that’s required, and if everyone above a particular age cleaned and tidied up after themselves, maybe clutter and the corresponding household nagging quota could be significantly reduced.

Clearing clutter may seem achievable if you live alone or with people who are as enthusiastic about the project as you are, but if you are constantly picking up after others, your aspirations towards a decluttered environment may seem futile. Lead by example with four simple rules: if you take it out, put it back; if you open it, close it; if you throw it down, pick it up; if you take it off, hang it up.

Get cracking with a roll of bin liners, dividing the job into stages over a weekend or a week, but don’t do too much too soon or you may be overwhelmed and give up. Go through each room and gather up obvious rubbish like dead flowers and houseplants, old newspapers and magazines. Remove chipped crockery, broken utensils, and cups that have lost their saucers. Add empty bottles, containers, shampoo bottles, and broken hair brushes. Open the windows for a blast of fresh air to blow the cobwebs away, and then reward yourself with a nice cup of tea and a chocolate biscuit.

As you proceed, apply the Rule of One which means having just one of an item like one mobile phone and one moisturiser, for example. Ask yourself just how many corkscrews do you need, or blunt knives? Invest in one good kitchen knife that will last for years and is far better than a collection of knives that wouldn’t cut your finger let alone a potato.

Tackle items you no longer use, or are connected with past interests, by putting them in a box labelled with the date. In six months if you haven’t thought of the contents, get rid of the box. This is a tough one so you may want to up the chocolate biscuit reward.

The next step is to focus on the detail of individual rooms. The bedroom is a good place to start so choose a chest of drawers and clear one at a time, working from left to right. If you

do nothing else that day, remember you’ve made a start and do the second drawer next day. If you decide to clear the chest or a wardrobe in one go, make sure you stop for a break and reward.

By the time you’ve worked through each room, it’s extremely gratifying to see bags lined up in the hall ready for the charity shop, and if you’ve been ruthless in your decluttering, you may have enough to set up a stall at the car boot sale to earn a few euro to put towards some new storage.

* Next week we’re checking out the new interiors trends for 2012