Eight pro tips to organise and declutter your home this spring
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It’s official: spring has (finally) sprung!
Each year a few things are certain when spring arrives—magpies will swoop, hayfever will pick up and finally, people will feel the urge to spring clean and declutter. Having an organised and decluttered home can have huge benefits, including reducing stress, saving time and cutting costs. But where to start if you’re feeling overwhelmed? We spoke to three organisation experts for their tips on how to make your home spark joy, Marie Condo style.
Plan ahead
Set aside at least 4-5 hours to measure, plan, shop, and implement one organised space, advise Sarah Hill and Georgie Britton of home organisation business Neat and Nourished. “If you’re inspired to do it yourself, the best way to start is to break down your home into achievable zones and organise one at a time – you might tackle the pantry one weekend, then the kitchen cupboards the next, and the fridge after that. Trying to do it all at once will likely lead to feeling overwhelmed and not making cohesive and sustainable changes.”
Be strict about decluttering
“If you haven’t used it in a year, move it along,” says time trainer and strategist Christie Flora of Florandorder. “A helpful way to do this regarding wardrobe decluttering is to turn all your clothes hangers the opposite way. At the end of the season, you’ll be able to clearly see the items you’ve not touched. Also, apply the one-in-one-out rule. If you’ve bought something new, something else has to go. And make the most of how easy it is to take and store photos nowadays, if you no longer use something but want to remember it, take a photo. This often helps with letting go.”
Yasmin Snow, of YSnow Organisation & Interiors, says an easy way to start the process is by going into each room with a rubbish bag and removing any obvious items taking up space that you won’t be too attached to, such as old newspapers, magazines and small toys that are no longer used.
A pantry makeover by Neat and Nourished
Start with the kitchen
“We find that the kitchen is the perfect place to start in your organisation journey,” Sarah and Georgie say. “An organised kitchen is a solid foundation that flows into meal planning, efficient grocery shopping, and following through with healthy eating habits. Because we use our kitchens every day, it has the potential to have a tangible daily impact when its organised. For pantry’s, this can be an important point of reflection on items you might have bought but not used often, or items that are expiring. Once we’ve cleared those items out by throwing away expired food and donating anything unopened you won’t use, we can get organising!”
Find the right products
Purchasing items such as dividers, labels, coat hanging connectors, turntables and storage containers will help you along the way to organisation bliss. Christie and Yasmin recommend checking out Kmart, IKEA and $2 stores, while Sarah and Georgie also suggest Howards Storage World for higher end storage solutions. For the pantry, along with turntables and storage tubs, a meal planner and shopping list are key. “Every time a core pantry item runs out, write it on the shopping list straight away,” Sarah and Georgie advise. “This saves so much time before going grocery shopping to already know the basics you need.”
Another valuable buy if you have little ones are storage boxes which can double as seats (handy to chuck toys in which can then be hidden from view) and art trolleys that can store pens, crayons and craft items neatly while being easy to move from one space to another.
For the wardrobe, Yasmin recommends throwing out any old, mismatched wire hangers and finding no-slip flocked coathangers instead, which will stop clothes slipping off and fit more items into wardrobes spaces.
Georgie and Sarah of Neat and Nourished
Categorise everything
Whether it’s the kitchen or the bathroom, categorising will save time and money. “In the bathroom, I have storage tubs that have clear categories, for example all the brushes go in one, and all the lipsticks go in another,” says Yasmin. “This means you can see everything and prevents overbuying. I do the same with the wardrobe – for example the kids’ uniforms are kept together to save time when tidying up. You can also find coathangers from IKEA that have four tiers to them, so all the similar items can hang together, for example work shirts. To take it one step further, you can colour code which is very satisfying!”
Find seasonal storage solutions
When summer arrives, move heavy coats and winter items into a spare wardrobe, cupboard or vacuum-seal storage bag, then swap them over when the cooler months return. “This is also a great opportunity to declutter more often, because every time you move these items you can check whether there’s anything you don’t think you’ll wear anymore,” Sarah and Georgie say.
Find sustainable solutions
To prevent adding to landfill, store unused or clothes that no longer fit in a large bag which can be kept in the laundry or a wardrobe, then when the bag fills up take it to charity, friends or cousins. “Any clothes that are stained or torn can be chopped up and used as rags for cleaning,” says Yasmin. “For kids’ art, consider sticking them on the inside of the pantry door in the kitchen – that way they can still be proudly shown when grandparents visit, but they aren’t cluttering up space on the fridge or in a pile on the kitchen bench. You can then refresh that space every few months and you can frame really special ones to be hung in kids’ rooms or playrooms.”
Maintain your hard work
Now for the final step – maintaining your hard work. Christie suggests using a calendar to get your cleaning and home maintenance scheduled into your life. Then, set a reward for when you follow through. “I also would add a yearly Spring Clean to the mix to go deeper than usual. Some clients set a target of decluttering a certain number of items at this time of year and that Gameifies it a bit more,” Christie says.
Don’t have the time to DIY? Each of the businesses listed above offer home organisation services!
