DE-CLUTTERING YOUR HOME
By Monika Tasonyi of Advantage Property Styling
If you look through real estate images, the beautifully presented homes are void of daily clutter and in order to present your home for sale you will need to start by de-cluttering. It is possible to achieve a clutter free home but it requires constant attention and a ‘clean-as-you-go’ mindset. This ‘clean-as-you-go’ mantra should become second nature and if this is the case you will find yourself clearing clutter subconsciously. The key is to have an easy to use system that everyone in the house is familiar with and commits to.
De-cluttering can be an overwhelming task and the best way to overcome this is to break up the workload over several days or weekends. Don’t expect to complete the entire house in one weekend otherwise you’ll be disappointed and disheartened. Tackle one room at a time and if you have children who are old enough try to delegate and get them involved.
Depending on the size of the room, allow yourself at least 3 hours to start your de-cluttering. For this exercise you will require at least five large cardboard boxes, a felt tip marker, butchers paper/bubble wrap, strong packaging tape and garbage bags.
Label five boxes as follows:
1. KEEPERS – these are items that you cannot part with. These items reflect your personality and inspire you and will help form the basis for decorating your next home. When assessing what to keep be ruthless, if the item does not fit into your future decorating plan give it away or store it. Ask yourself: Do I use it? Do I really need it? Will I miss it? If the answer is ‘yes’ wrap these items up in butchers paper or bubble wrap and put aside for accessorising.
2. GIVE-AWAY – these are items that are in good condition but you no longer want and can be donated to charity. Most charity outlets will pick up your unwanted goods for free.
3. STORE – these are items that do not fit into your future decorating plan but for sentimental or other reasons you cannot part with them. If you store them, at least you know they are safe and you can access them at some stage later if necessary. Wrap these items in butchers paper or bubble wrap for protection. It’s a good idea to write a list of the items you store and tape the list to the outside of the box so you can cross reference it later. Better still, take photos of the items and tape the photos on the box.
4. RUBBISH – these are items that are broken and you don’t want. Don’t think about it, toss it!
5. NOT SURE – these are items that you’re just not sure about. Re-assess the box after a day or two and you will probably find that you have a better way of dealing with these items once you’ve finished de-cluttering.
Once you have mastered this task, the job of future de-cluttering will be easier to manage. You will also feel a great sense of satisfaction once you see the end result being a clean, neat and tidy room.
Remember the ‘clean-as-you-go’ mantra, don’t let the clutter build up and you will always feel that you are living in an organised home.
If you feel the task of de-cluttering is so over whelming it is best to hire a professional de-cluttering consultant to get you started.
If you are think of seeling your property and feel you need to have it professionally presented then Advantage Property Styling can advise you the best way to go about this. Contact us today for a FREE consultation.
