From Clutter to Clear
5 of our Top Tips to help you on your way!
Every home has those spaces that have slipped into the “one day” category of life. That awkward cupboard under the stairs that you think might be hiding your homemade Christmas baubles from fifteen years ago, the umbrella stand that houses the cricket bat, the children's sized golf putter, the shoe horn and a grand total of zero umbrellas; or the top junk drawer that you throw all those “useful” things into. Measuring tapes, headphones and glitter stickers all go together, right?
At Made Home we see these situations on the daily, and can guarantee that you’re not alone in hoping that one day these spaces will be straightened into a beautifully organised system. Rather than become overwhelmed with the size of the job, let’s take a step back and plan how to eat the metaphorical elephant one bite at a time. A few minutes of dedicated headspace can kick start these spaces, leaving your home a little fresher and more organised than before.
Tip 1: Start in the Kitchen: Clear Those Benches!
All the enviable homes that you see on Grand Designs, Selling Homes or even your favourite Instagram accounts all seem to have one thing in common; beautifully clear kitchens. So let’s start by completely clearing your benches. You don’t need to have a fancy butlers pantry or even a large kitchen in order to have a clear space. But you DO need to make some decisions.
The best start is to take everything from your benches and put it all onto the dining table. Wipe down your kitchen surfaces, then put back any appliances that are used on the daily (think kettle and toaster). If it’s not a regularly used appliance, find a space for it in a cupboard. Take that fruit bowl and give it a good wipe out, and try it in a new spot for a bit of a change. And those piles of old brochures that you read over a coffee last week? Straight into the recycling bin! Anything that’s still on your dining table after the essentials have been returned to your benches, need to find another home, or be put back where they belong.
Having a clear kitchen will give you an immediate lift and can be as quick as a fifteen minute job.
Tip 2. Let’s revisit those Piles of Paper!
One of the trickiest spaces to stay on top of, are those in/out trays of paperwork beside your computer or on your desk. It’s with the best of intentions that files are put there, to deal with at a later point - but chances are they’re probably getting a bit out of hand and stopping your creative or work flow.
Make yourself a cup of tea, put on some tunes, grab a pile and start sorting through. Be ruthless, and if you have copies of your files in a digital format (most companies now provide the option to receive correspondence via email), make sure you’re recycling those physical statements. You could even take it one step further and digitise your files to get rid of that filing cabinet once and for all.
Sure, it may not be the *most* fun you’ll ever have in a day, but you’ll feel a million times better once you’ve filed/recycled/thrown that looming pile of papers out of sight. And once you’ve tackled the mountain, make sure you stay on top of it. A paper a day, keeps the blues away!
Tip 3. Give everything a Home
We can’t emphasise this one enough! When establishing new patterns and ways of life (which includes living a clutter free life), repetition is key in making them part of normal practice. Giving your items a specific Home may not be your natural way of doing life, but it means that everyone knows exactly where to find things. And as a cheeky bonus, everyone knows where to put them away! So, go and get yourself that beautiful handmade bowl for your keys by the front door. Install a hook on the back of bedroom doors for each child’s towel. Label your linen cupboard so you know which sheets are Queen, King and Single Flat/Fitted, or take it one step further and label your hand towels, floor mats and face washers. Give each child a shelf or basket for their shoes, and pop a coloured pom-pom on the front so they always know where to put their things. There is no shortage of organisational suggestions available on platforms such as Pinterest, so go and take a browse for some inspiration. Implementing this strategy will not only simplify life a great deal, but also empowers the rest of your household to not have to come and ask you, “Muuuuum… where’s my school hat?”, because they will already know the answer.
Tip 4. Organise your Bathroom Vanity
There are two predominant spaces that sell homes: Kitchens and Bathrooms. This doesn’t mean that you need to renovate these areas, but it shouldn’t stop you from putting your best foot forward with the existing space you have. If you’ve already implemented our tip for clearing your Kitchen benches, then an additional step is to ensure your Bathroom is in order.
We are all guilty of having too much on our vanity surfaces from time to time, so why not take a moment to remove everything (pop it all into a laundry tub while you clear), and give all your surfaces a wipe down with a clean cloth. Then, select items that are essential for that space. Hand soap is a definite. Possibly even your toothbrush/toothpaste items. But do you really need your straightener/ entire makeup case/ the kids bath toys/ deodorant/ three kinds of moisturiser? Probably not. These are items that can find a new home under the bench or on the shelf, and might we suggest getting some baskets for inside your bathroom vanity space to house these items.
A simple and clearly labelled system may look like:
“Hair” - hair dryers, straightener, hairspray, treatments etc.
“Face” - cleaning regime, make up etc
“Body” - body wash, deodorant, moisturiser, soaps
“Cleaning” - for any cleaning products that you liked to keep on hand.
If it can be kept in a cupboard/drawer out of sight, your bathroom will always feel fresh and calm, and your belongings will have a quick home to be popped straight into, on those busy school-run mornings.
Tip 5. Kids Art… It Never Ends! Let’s Digitise it.
Every parent in the world has been proudly presented the favourite creations of the day, with a gusto that rivals Tigger from Winnie the Pooh. Try as we might, the fridge can only hold so many pieces of paper - or perhaps the hanging clips on your Display Wall are starting to droop under the weight of their overload.
Despite items mysteriously falling into the recycling bin on occasion (has anyone seen “The Dump” episode of Bluey?), or repurposed as gift wrapping paper, there are most certainly going to be a few keepers that are worth holding onto. But what do you do with them once your folders are bulging? There are a few companies around that will take a bundle of artworks, digitise them and print them into a hard cover book for your kids to reminisce. Snapfish and OnceUpon are a couple of great options.
Alternatively, there are apps available that store and share these treasures in a digital online gallery, meaning you can easily show pieces to proud grandparents or family, without the clutter. Some of our favourites are Artkive, Art My Kid Made, Canvsly and Keepy, and are a mix of paid and free platforms so please make sure you do your research before signing up.
Once you’ve got an easily accessible digital version of your homemade art gallery, feel free to clear out your storage tubs and folders - ready for next years creations!
Well there you have it, just a few of our top tips on how to keep the clutter at bay. If you have any other brilliant ideas that you’d like to share with us, pop on over to our Instagram account and give this post a comment, or send us an email! We’re all about The Village approach to life, and helping others, help others.
x MH
