Decluttering at home

Like many families, Christmas saw us overwhelmed with new toys for the kids. Since then, we have been steadily going through their old toys to see which they no longer play with – these are slowly being given away to charity, or passed on to friends. 

As we decluttered, a friend recommended a book called ‘The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying’ by Marie Kondo. I was dubious – a book about tidying?! But she raved about it, and so I decided to give it a read and see what all the fuss was about. 

Life changed.

It’s not just a book about tidying. It’s much more than that. It eases decluttering – if items spark joy for you, then keep them, cherish them, display them, use them. If they don’t, then pass them on. The book tackles your home in the correct order, using an incredibly easy method which will transform your space, and help you to feel more motivated and confident. 

I know this all sounds a bit far fetched, but you really do need to read the book. Simple things such as folding your clothes in a different way create space and order, so you are never fumbling for clothes on a work morning. Because everything has its place, you don’t lose things. Because you regularly audit things like paperwork, you don’t end up with a massive file stuffed full of 3 year old water bills and insurance documents for cars you don’t have anymore. It helps you to make the most of your storage – instead of buying new storage to house more and more things, you can easily utilise what you have, and keep only the items that you love, that you use and that work for you and your home. 

This has left us with piles of ‘stuff’ to get rid of. Some bags are going to the charity shop, some items to family and friends, but some is just rubbish. This can be a sticking point, because the book advises you to clear out the rubbish as soon as you can – let’s be honest here, black bags don’t spark joy! I have booked a rubbish removal service to come and get rid of this, so it will be out of my hair for good.

My house now feels like mine again. There are no boxes full of ‘stuff’ in the loft, the garage isn’t rammed full of tools we never use, and the house isn’t cluttered with unloved toys. It feels like our own space, full of the things we love.