Stuff makes me ill! How to get rid of all the stuff that’s everywhere!
“Stuff makes me ill,” Bristol mother of two Emma Langton says. “I only have two children but the stuff seems to flow from room to room like an ever flowing river. We are drowning in stuff and I don’t buy any stuff!”
Emma’s stuff problem is not unique, if Connie Drayton is also to be believed. “Since I had my baby eight months ago, well-meaning people keep popping around with bags of clothing and items they think I may need,” Connie says. “It’s lovely and generally the things are lovely. But I now have so many lovely things I don’t know what to do with them all. The baby owns more than I do.”
With mothers across the UK drowning in stuff and tripping over lovely things, there must be a way of controlling the growing menace of clutter.
Clutter is a silent hell that creeps up on families, often occurring in cupboards and bedrooms, before one day, you realise you can’t cross the living room because it is coming to get you.
De-clutter expert, Kevin Pratt, from Access Self Storage has wise words for UK mothers who find they are under attack from stuff. Kevin advises:
Identify the place or places in your home that cause you and your partner/flatmate/family the most stress. Really think about how you would like to see your space and write it down before visualising that space organised and mess free.
If you are de-cluttering an entire room, start from the corner and work your way in. Don’t start at random points and get confused. Take each step slowly- throw out all the rubbish, make a pile of clothes you may not want to keep, sort papers into organised piles before deciding what you can shred.
Create a “maybe” pile and if the words “I may need it one day” goes through your mind- lend it to a friend or family member. If you have forgotten about it after six months, chances are…you don’t need it!
While de-cluttering- TAKE A BREAK! Every hour, sit down and make a cuppa and de-wind. Belongings you threw out half an hour ago might suddenly be your favourite possession and after de-winding for 15 minutes, you may have fresh ideas on how you see the space.
Follow the fortnight rule- if something has been out for a fortnight and not used, put it away or throw it out!
Organise any clothes by season and pack summer or winter clothes away now. Invest in clear plastic boxes to help store you possessions that are seasonal. If you have room under the bed or sofa- this is the ideal storage solution. If your space simply won’t hold your favourite clothes, self storage can mean your very own walk in wardrobe!
Don’t be too ruthless and throw away items that you may regret. Keep a “maybe” pile for a certain time so you can salvage any rash decisions.
In future, opt for a dual-purpose furniture that doubles up as storage, a trunk makes an idea coffee table, and a bed with draws underneath is great for storing linen.
Look at what items you can donate to charity instead of them being thrown in the bin. It can create a calm mind and body
De-cluttering doesn’t have to be a chore! Get your friends over for a de-clutter session and a chinwag. It also helps to have another mind on the job to make you see sense!