Get organised like a boss
Do you have an out of control junk drawer in your kitchen, or a hallway cupboard of doom? I reckon that’s the best place to start decluttering - take a small but annoying space, and tackle it from start to finish.
This is one of my top home organising tips, which I shared in a recent conversation as expert contributor to the Soulful Home Makers Collective. Check out their website here if you’re interested in practical advice for transforming the interior design of your home.
Read more below for my tips on decluttering and organising tricky spaces. And as always, check out my website or drop me a line if you need a hand.
Cheryl
Q&As
As a professional organiser, what do you do, and what is your approach to organising?
Organising and decluttering has become quite a movement, and many of us will have seen the shows and read the books. All of this information can add to the stress if you're wanting to get more organised. Often people will try something and then give up, or find that the method they’re following doesn’t work for them.
In my experience, what needs to be done really boils down to three steps, and this is what I work through with my clients. I recommend focusing on a single area at a time - be it a wardrobe, a cupboard, an overflowing junk drawer, or a garage or shed.
1. First, categorise. Pull everything out and collate like items together on an open floor or table.
So, if you’re tackling a home office, for example, you might put all the books together, all the paperwork together, all the stationery etc. For a larger room like a kitchen, break the room down into sections - work through the pantry, then all the saucepans, baking items and crockery as a section and so on.
This can feel like you’re creating more mess, but it is important to look at everything so you really consider what you have. It also really helps to see the space empty, so you can re-imagine how to use it.
2. Second, edit down what you have.
Look for duplicates or multiples of items, and whether some can be donated or sold. Consider what you actually use, and whether there are things that seemed like a good idea, but haven’t really worked for you. Perhaps they can be passed to someone who will love them. Is anything broken and needing to be safely disposed of, including e-waste like old phones and batteries.
Sort out the things that you no longer need or love and pack them up for donation or recycling.
3. Finally, organise what you have back into the space.
This is the fun part! Consider how you use a space, what you need to access most regularly and things that can be put in harder to reach spaces or higher shelves. Keep like with like - think about sections in cupboards, or dedicated drawers for each item. Labelling can be good here then it’s really clear what goes where, and the space is easier to maintain.
For storage containers, my approach is to start by using what you already have. This is where your own style and personality can shine through - store baking items in that beautiful old tin that your grandma handed down; put all your teas together on that wooden tray that you love but don’t use often. Other household items can be used - like excess plastic food containers to help sort items like stationery in drawers or old pickle jars for pasta and rice. Make it your own.
Do you really need to love everything in your home? What about things you just need?
You have to be practical, we’ll never really love absolutely everything in our homes for its beauty or style, there are some things we have (and love in their own way) because they’re practical and make our lives easier. We all need saucepans, laundry baskets, rubbish bags, and all those things that make our homes work.
The trick is to aim for a point where you have everything you need, and nothing you don’t. I always advise considering your own personal circumstances rather than any “rules” - for example, you might read suggestions like having just two towels per person. This might make good sense for a couple or small family. It makes less sense for families with little kids who swim a lot, or those needing extra towels to dry wet dogs. Work out what you need, and keep just enough.
What about storage in tricky (often small) areas, like laundry cupboards for cleaning products …?
Areas like laundries need to be functional and easy to use, so that you can easily grab what you need when you need it.
Start by looking at what you have, and what you actually use regularly. Pass on any cleaning products that you don’t use, or bought for a one-off job that is now done.
Think about removing products from bulky packaging and putting similar items into smaller containers together to make space. In a room like a laundry, plastic storage containers work well as they keep everything dry. Rectangular or square containers that can be labelled and stacked up will make good use of cupboard space.
… or difficult-to-access deep cupboards...?
Deep cupboards can be really annoying, particularly if you really need to use every inch of storage space you have. You can buy all sorts of cupboard sliding trays and drawer systems, but I really like to keep it simple. Again, stacking containers that can be labelled and easily pulled out are good. Turntables can help in corner cupboards or for things like sauces and spices that you access regularly.
I’d suggest considering carefully what you’re putting into a deep cupboard. They’re best used for things used less frequently - perhaps a bread maker or rice cooker in the kitchen - with cans and food higher up and closer to hand. Swapping things around can make a big difference - make the space work for you and your needs.
… and what about other people’s stuff?
This is a hard one, and it depends whose stuff it is. With young children, you can take a bit more control, and pass on toys or clothes you no longer need. As they get older, it’ll be more effective to work together, so that kids can help decide what they love most or might be prepared to pass on.
It’s really important to me to respect other people’s possessions and what is important to them. What might seem like rubbish to one person is a treasure to someone else. My job is about asking the questions, but never forcing people to part with things they don’t want to part with.
What common mistakes do you see people making?
Creating piles! I see this a lot - something doesn’t have a home, so it gets put into a pile on the dining table or bench. It might be kids’ artwork or homework, or a pile of clothing that needs to be mended, a stack of paperwork or filing. What tends to happen is that the pile becomes a dumping ground that everyone in the household adds to and it spirals from there.
The trick here is to get in early - designate a home for art work, or a box where filing can be stored. A simple habit of clearing the kitchen bench each night can go a long way to stop things piling up.
Another common issue for people getting organised is trying to do too much at once. Doing a bit here and a bit there can actually make things worse, as items are pulled out of cupboards but not put away, or a box of things to be donated sits by the door but isn’t taken away.
I suggest tackling one space at a time - however small - and doing the job from start to finish, including taking away unwanted items to be recycled or donated. This gives you an instant feeling of space and satisfaction.
You also get the bonus of passing on items you no longer love to someone who will, and there are so many places that are grateful for donations. Places like the Sustainability Trust for re-homing unwanted curtains to keep someone else’s home warm, or the SPCA for blankets and towels. Some charities will collect larger items, or look out for community noticeboards where you might find someone local who really needs the exact thing you are wanting to pass on.
