The year 2020 began on a high note – as with all New Years we had dreams and hopes that this year would be a good one.
As we settle into the 8th month of this year the realisation is that we seemingly have no control over what is coming next. By taking control of your environment and doing small things regularly you can declutter and organise your home and space.
Here are my 5 small tips to decluttering your home –
• Don’t try and do it all. Take one drawer or cupboard or shelf at a time.
• Set time aside to complete your task.
• Have 3 bags/boxes ready. One for recycling, 1 for donating and 1 for trash.
• Remove everything from the drawer, cupboard or shelf. Decide what you want to keep and allocate the rest of the goods to one of the boxes/bags.
• Be ruthless about getting rid of what you no longer need or use. You have probably had enough time over the past few months to realise what you can live without and what you cannot.
Easy Declutters –
The spice rack – check the sell by date on the packaging and toss if it has expired. Spices and condiment lose their flavour over time.
That drawer – you know the one I mean. The drawer that has old, loose coins, used batteries, appliance pamphlets, keys that have to home and the list goes on. Empty the drawer and go through the paraphernalia that has collected in there over time. Put the old coins into a jar to be donated to a charity or dropped off at your nearest bank. Batteries need to go into special recycling depot usually available at a dump that takes e-waste. Old keys and hardware bits can go to metal recycling centre. Old papers can be put into recycling.
Bookshelves – consider donating your books to a charity for resale or to your local library.
Cheap and nasty plastic containers – either donate then to soup kitchens so that they can use them to serve their beneficiaries or recycle them.
Old and expired medicines – most pharmacies take old and expired medications to dispose of safely. Make a list of any that you like to keep available in emergencies so that you can restock when you next go shopping.
Things to keep in mind –
If you are donating to a charity do check with them that they are accepting donations. If not just create a space where you can store your donations until you are able.
Make sure that all clothing items are in a clean and wearable condition.