What some people consider to be clutter may be valuable to someone else. That is why, if everyone living in a house is not in tune with each other, keeping it neat and tidy can be a very difficult thing to achieve.

Often, clutter is something that is used every day, but has no place to be kept neatly. These things tend to increase over time, and when people are living in the middle of all the stuff, they tend not to notice how bad the situation is getting since it is such a gradual process. Before you know it, the beautiful sofa you purchased from Multi York, or another shop, will be buried under a mountain of magazines.

There are those who live a minimalist lifestyle that is at the opposite end of the spectrum to the ‘clutterers’; wars have been fought over less.

Here are five ideas you may find useful in decluttering your home.

The Three Box Method

Work through every drawer and cupboard by first emptying it and then place everything into one of three boxes. The boxes are labelled Discard, Keep, and Store. The discard and keep boxes are self explanatory. The store box is for items that you wish to keep but are not used every day. Therefore, they could be stored in the loft, shed, or garage; packed neatly out of sight. The other problem you will face is placing items in the discard box. You need a steely determination to be ruthless here; there is no room for sentimentality.

Find a Place For Everything

Now you have sorted the drawers and cupboards; there is room for the things you want to keep. Now, try and put the items into a place close to where they are used if possible.

Enlist Help

Often someone will find that throwing things away is just too difficult. These people may have the beginnings of a hoarding disorder, that if it gets worse, they will be well advised to seek help for. A good and trusted friend can help you to throw things away if you need to. Leave them in the room and let them set to work bagging the clutter for you. Often, when the clutter has gone, you will not be able to remember half of the stuff that was there in the first place.

Add More Storage

If you can’t bear to part with a lot of stuff but have nowhere for it, think about adding more furniture so it can be neatly stored. Start thinking vertically by adding taller cupboards or even wall cupboards. There is a massive space under the double bed that is often not taken advantage of. By cutting the base with a knife, the cavernous space can be used for storing spare duvets, etc.

Maintain The Tidiness

Keeping the home clutter-free, after it has been cleansed, is often the most difficult thing to do. People usually have all of the stuff they need so, by working on the one-in one-out principle, it should be possible to maintain the tidiness of the home.

Statistics show that the biggest majority of people by far slip back into their old ways. If you are one of these people, don’t beat yourself up over it. If that is your way of life then so be it. Maybe you just need to have a major attack on the clutter by cleaning once a year. So relax and enjoy it.