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January Declutter

Posted on 26 January 2018 by Steven Whyte

Now that the holiday period is over and everyone is back at work, it is also a good time to get to work getting rid of items cluttering up your cupboards, shelves, fridges etc. Most people like the idea of a good declutter but don’t really know where to begin, so this blog is here to help with that. I will be going through what items you might want to get rid of and where to get rid of them.

 

Kitchen cupboards

Kitchen cupboards can get messy in a hurry. I know myself that I often throw something in the cupboard and think ‘I will tidy that up later on’, but then never get around to it. You might have things like cups, mugs, tumblers, pots and pans stored away, with some of them not been touched in a while. Here are some steps you can go through for a quick declutter of your kitchen cupboards

  1. Take everything out
  2. Dust down all the cupboards
  3. Go through everything you removed and sort into different piles – items you want to keep, items you want to donate to charity, and items for recycling
  4. Put the items you want to keep back in the cupboards
  5. Donate or recycle the other items fairly quickly so they don’t start cluttering up another space

 

Shoe closet

For some, decluttering the shoe closet might take longer than other decluttering tasks. But no worries though, as once the declutter is over, you will know what shoes go with what outfit and you will be able to find them a lot easier.

  1. Take all of your shoes out of the closet
  2. Give the closet a clean
  3. Try on shoes to see if they still fit
  4. If you don’t wish to keep any shoes, but they are still in good condition, donate them to charity or see if a family member or friend could take them
  5. Wash any dirty shoes
  6. Put the shoes you wish to keep back in the closet
  7. Recycle or donate the shoes you wish to get rid of quickly to avoid cluttering up again

 

Clothes and accessories

It is up to you how far you want to go, but some items you could declutter are t-shirts, shirts, jackets, jeans, trousers, jumpers, socks, ties, hats, scarves, belts, watches, jewellery, purses, wallets and bags. If you are busy then just pick one or two of the above items and do what you feel is manageable.

 

  1. Take all your clothes and accessories out of your wardrobe and drawers
  2. Clean the storage area thoroughly
  3. Go through your clothes and try them on to see what fits you
  4. Any clothes that don’t fit you can be donated to charity or given to a friend or family member
  5. For clothes with wear and tear, you could get them repaired, recycle them in a rag bag, or use them for a different purpose
  6. Any accessories that you don’t wish to use anymore could be sold, donated to charity or given to a friend or family member
  7. Put the clothes and accessories you want to keep back into wardrobes and drawers
  8. Donate or recycle other clothes and accessories so they don’t clutter up other parts of your house

In regards to your clothes, it could be an idea to keep clothes that are in season towards the front of your wardrobe and store away out of season clothes, changing them around when the seasons change.

 

Fridge/Freezer

Fridges and freezers often end up a mess. A lot of food gets stuck at the back and forgotten about.

 

  1. Take everything out of the fridge/freezer
  2. Get a dry, lint-free cloth and dust out all the compartments to remove any crumbs
  3. Go through all the food you have taken out and check the use by dates – if there is food that you have no intention of using, then recycle it in your food waste container
  4. Group your food together e.g. fruits, vegetables etc.
  5. Put the food back in the fridge/freezer in groups
  6. Put the oldest food towards the front so you remember to use them up first
  7. Consider making a list of food items that might be close or just over their use by date

 

Bookshelf

If you still like a good old-fashioned book and have collected a good amount over the years then it might be a good idea to look out what books you would like to keep and what books you don’t need anymore.

  1. Take all the books out of your bookshelf
  2. Dust down with a cloth the shelves
  3. Go through all your books and decide what ones you would like to keep and which ones you would like to get rid of
  4. If there are books you would like to get rid of and they are still in a reasonable condition, then donate them to your local library or to charity
  5. If a book is in bad condition then make sure to put it in your paper bin to recycle it
  6. Put all the books you wish to keep back on the bookshelf
  7. Donate or recycle the books you want to quickly so they don’t clutter up another area of the house

 

Shed

The shed is often overlooked when people decide to declutter. Over the course of the year, people throw items in the shed and before you know it there isn’t much room to move. Items like your gardening tools, garden furniture, tools, bikes and junk could be organised in a better way so you can navigate your way around.

  1. Empty your shed
  2. Give your shed a clean – there might be the likes of sawdust and grass that might need to be cleaned (grass could be put into a compost heap instead of going into the bin)
  3. Go through all the items you have in your shed and decide what you want to keep and what you want to get rid of
  4. If tools have become rusted then they can be repaired with some vinegar – soak your tool in a mixture of vinegar and water and then with some steel wool rub the rust off in a circular motion -Greener Kirkcaldy are also running a Tool Repair Drop-in session on 24th February – you can bring tools in need of repair along to get them repaired for free
  5. If you have any garden or DIY tools that are still in good condition, but don’t use anymore then you can donate them to a charity shop, the Ecology Centre’s Tool Shed project or our Library of Things
  6. Put the items you want to keep back in your shed

 

I hope some of the tips in this blog will help you declutter and also reduce some of the waste you might have lying around the house. For even more information on how to declutter and how to plan it out then visit Penny GoLightly.

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