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8 great tips for decluttering to improve your life!

Messy desk

From Marie Kondo to IKEA adverts, the practice of decluttering has long been touted as a great way to improve your life. But how can it really help you and improve your life – and how can you get it done?

What is clutter?

Most people think that clutter is just having ‘too much stuff’, and many people believe that the opposite extreme of minimalism is having ‘too little stuff’.

But it’s less to do with the quantity of possessions than how those possessions impact you. That is down to organisation. A better way to define clutter is ‘a disorganised heap’. If we can combine clarity of purpose with organised arrangement (and simple storage), we can make more sense of everything.

The benefits of decluttering

Remove clutter to open your space and help clear your mind.

There are some great and straightforward reasons to declutter your home and work environments:

 

Trip hazardSafety

Objects strewn around you are a hazard – especially in the dark when you have to pick your way carefully to the bathroom!

Efficiency

If things are left wherever they are last used, it’s hard to find them when you need them.

Focus

Tidy environment = tidy mind. Messy places can make it hard for us to process information – and as many of us spend more time at home for work, it’s a real advantage to keep your working environment ordered and tidy.

So, decluttering – easier said than done?

A recent Yale study found that for some people, the brain reacts the same way to the anticipated loss of valued possessions as it does to quitting an addiction. Many people keep things they no longer need, sometimes to the extent that they become a ‘hoarder’. It can help to use a few steps to make decluttering easier.

Steps to clearing

  1. Sell things
    It feels less like a loss if you can realise some value by selling things online or taking them to a car boot sale
  2. Don’t tackle too much at once
    Break it down into sections or rooms, make a plan for each room. Recommended to not do more than 3 hours clearing in a day
  3. Storage shelvesGet organised
    Prep 3 different areas or boxes for while you are decluttering. Label these Keep, Bin, Sell/Donate. Keep these simple and use them as tools to help you clear the clutter.
  4. Get sorted
    Buy a good storage system to ensure you have somewhere sensible to put the things you are going to keep. And make a ‘home’ for everything so you know where to find things every time you need them.
  5. Be decisive
    If in doubt, throw it out. Most organisers use the rule “if you haven’t used/worn/looked at it in a year then you don’t need it”. Don’t keep knick-knaks just for sentimentality.
  6. Avoid the sunk cost fallacy
    When you’ve paid a lot for an item, and then find you have no use for it, you tend to keep it simply because of the money you spent. Selling it might not get you much of that money back, but keeping it and not using it gives you nothing!
  7. Share and celebrate your progress
    When you hit a certain milestone, (clearing and tidying a room) reward yourself with by going out and sharing what you’ve done with family and friends. Before and after photographs are a great way to document it.
  8. If necessary, get help!
    If the job overwhelms you, don’t be afraid to ask friends and family to give you a hand. There are even professional organisers out there who can come in and help you get to where you need to be! Once you’re there, a regular cleaner can help you keep it that way.

If you’re fighting clutter, We hope this helps you declutter and improves your life.

Let us know how you get on – do send us updates on Twitter at @CleanhomeYork

Cleanhome South Derbyshire – Bespoke Service.

We are not happy until you are! Your cleaner will usually tailor their services to fit exactly with your requirements, including spring cleaning and ironing.

Bespoke Service

We are not happy until you are! Your cleaner will usually tailor their services to fit exactly with your requirements, including spring cleaning and ironing.

Peace of Mind

Only 1 in 50 applicants makes it on to our carefully screened database. We interview them twice, visit them in their own homes and take up at least two references. And if they still subsequently don't measure up to your standards, we will send you someone who does.

Personal Cleaner

We don't operate in teams, and therefore you get the same cleaner every week. This is good because you develop a relationship with your cleaner. We have some clients who have had the same cleaner for years and years - and that's what we want for you.

COVID-19 5th January Update

 

Just to let you know we are open for business as usual and you can continue to have your cleaner clean your house.

The government has made it clear that cleaners are still permitted to work inside peoples' homes as long as Government Guidelines on social distancing and staying safe are followed (see below). In summary:

You can be outside of your home for work purposes where your place of work remains open and where you cannot work from home, including if your job involves working in other people's homes.

The full text can be found here New National Restrictions from 5 January (in England; there are similar texts available for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland). Specifically relating to cleaners, the guidance continues: 'This guidance applies to those working in, visiting or delivering to home environments. These include, but are not limited to, people working in the following areas:

  • 'This can include work in other people's homes where necessary - for example, for nannies, cleaners, social care workers providing support to children and families, or tradespeople (this is not an exhaustive list)'

Note this guidance is for people who are fit and well, and is dependent on the following social distancing guidelines being followed:

  • No work should be carried out in a household where people are isolating or where an individual is being shielded.
  • The cleaners can continue work, providing that they are well and have no symptoms. No work should be carried out by a cleaner who has coronavirus symptoms, however mild, or when someone in their own household has symptoms.
  • No work should be carried out in a household where any occupants are clinically extremely vulnerable to coronavirus, or households with a possible or confirmed case of coronavirus.
  • Whilst in the house. a cleaner should maintain a safe distance of at least two metres from any household occupant at all times, and ensure good ventilation in the area where they are working, including opening the window.
  • Upon entering the home, cleaners should wash their hands using soap and water for 20 seconds.
  • Cleaners should wash their hands regularly, particularly after blowing their nose, sneezing or coughing, and when leaving the property.

The good news with regard to cleaning is that the cleaners can social distance from their clients very easily, and we would advise that, if you are at home when they are there, that you remain in a separate room to your cleaner.

If you are happy to adhere to the government guidelines - and if your cleaner has not been in touch already - then please just call the office and we will ensure that your cleaning continues.

Best regards

The Cleanhome Team