Spring clean: The pros' secrets to organising and decluttering your space 

We consult home organisers Terri O'Callaghan of Decluttered by Terri, Ann Teehan of Neatly.ie, and Jenny Douglas of A Good Moment

Wooden containers by iDesign are an attractive option for storing on open shelving; from €15, Organised Store.

It's a vain effort searching for missing socks to match loners in the drawer, although occasionally a forage behind the washing machine locates a cobweb-covered oddment, and even the drain trap has been known to offer up a stray.

By and large, you’re better off just purging rather than holding onto singletons whose partners are long gone, never to return.