Household clutter can be defeated

• Published date: 14 July 2021
• Publication title: Courier, The

How to tidy up

Turn off your phone. Messy people often escape chaos by doing something fun like trawling through Facebook or watching a movie. But however much you may want to play that computer game, resist the urge. Tell yourself that’s the reward that comes after your tidy-up. Then put some music on and get cracking.

First big clean-up

Look at what’s cluttering up the floor. Is it mostly clothes? Deal with that first. Clean clothes get folded away or hung up. If your drawers and wardrobe are full, empty them out, divide them into piles that you’ve worn in the past year and those you haven’t and get rid of unwanted items. Remember, you’re probably going to have more of a mess to get everything tidy. Try to arrange things in a way that lets you see everything at a glance, even clothes. If you have to dig through a drawer to find things it’ll mess up all your hard work.

Once all your clothes are sorted, choose the next category. Maybe books. Put all of your books, even the ones on shelves, in one pile. Go through them one by one and decide which you want to keep.

Be ruthless. Have a rubbish bag in the room where you can throw any trash and a basket for washing. Whatever you do, don’t stop until you’re done.

Go through the whole house in this way, emptying out all cupboards and storage areas and only keeping items you want, love or use. Aim for clear surfaces on tables and benchtops. Clear shelves so there’s space for new items.

Keeping things tidy

Being tidy is a matter of learning to clear as you go and sticking to...