IF YOU’RE LIKE most people, than you dream of a clutter-free home. That being said, if you’re also like most people, a clutter-free home remains just that, a dream. Throughout our lives we accumulate stuff, it’s unavoidable. You can have the best intentions in the world to live in a minimalistic, magazine-worthy home, but the reality is – we all have stuff – and it has to go somewhere. 

Don’t get this article twisted, we’re not advocating for a Kim Kardashian, hotel-inspired, ‘we only own three things,’ type of home, not at all. But, if you hope to clear some of your clutter before the season of overconsumption is upon us, then we’ve gathered a few tips to lighten the clutter load.

Make a list

This may seem like an obvious point, but making a list before tackling clutter will set you up for success. Clearing clutter in itself can feel like a daunting task, but if you have a decluttering checklist ready to go, the burden will feel lighter. Examples of what to put on the list could include clothes you haven’t worn in six months, books you know you’ll never read again, expired makeup etc. These items can then be divided into donate, toss or recycle. A list will be your best friend during the decluttering process. 

Shutterstock / Kostikova Natalia Shutterstock / Kostikova Natalia / Kostikova Natalia

Go room by room

Creating a declutter timeline is a useful tool so that you don’t feel overwhelmed by the task at hand. Attempting to declutter your entire home in one day is a fool’s errand and will leave you with more anxiety than when you began. Dividing up your time and dividing the spaces up into room by room allocations will give the project space to breathe, it will take the pressure off, and you’ll have an allocated list for each room ready to go, break down the spaces you need to declutter and estimate how long each will take. Remember to also give yourself some grace when it comes to tomings, it’s just clutter, not the end of the world, step away and take a break if you need to. 

File fold your clothes

We can’t talk about decluttering and not mention the legendary Marie Kondo and her folding methods. Marie sparked joy with millions of people across the world with her simple approach to maintaining a clutter-free home, and one tip in particular is incredibly easy to achieve with massive pay off. The KonMari method of how to tidy and organise your clothes is sometimes referred to as file folding and involves standing them up vertically, rather than stacking them or piling them in a chair. The method prevent wrinkles, saves space and expresses gratitude for every item that sparks joy.

12-12-12 challenge

The 12-12-12 challenge originates from Joshua Becker of Becoming Minimalist and consists of identifying twelve items to throw away, twelve items to donate and twelve items to return to their proper place. The majority of reviews for this technique is favourable saying it’s not only an effective way of getting through the clutter, but it’s said to be an enjoyable endeavor that leaves you wanting more. Anything that speeds the process along and is described as fun when it comes to decluttering, we’re here for. 

Shutterstock / Andrey_Popov Shutterstock / Andrey_Popov / Andrey_Popov

Call in the professionals 

If all else fails, and you need reinforcements there are people whose livelihoods is sorting out the chaos of your home, and not a person in this world would judge you if you call them, on the contrary, they’ll probably be hounding you for the contact details. A couple of Irish home organisation services that deserve a shout out here are Ann Teehan of Neatly.ie, Ann promises to give you your time back, is a whizz with wardrobe resets, and promises to declutter, organise and simplify your life. Another one of our favourite professional organisers is Hazel Burton of thehomereset.ie, the Queen of Decluttering, Hazel is a CPD Certified Professional Organiser and her job is to create a hassle free home for you. 

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