Free your home from all clutter
Clutter is basically that which does not belong in a space, so decluttering means getting rid of items that you no longer need. PHOTO | NATION
What you need to know:
- Start with the easiest room in the house. This gives you motivation to declutter all the other rooms in the house.
- Schedule: organising one room at a time makes sure you don’t get overwhelmed.
- Visualise the room: Have a clear picture of how you want to re-organise it and the end result.
It’s a new year and you might be one of those who need to “come clean” and admit to having a clutter problem.
Clutter is basically that which does not belong in a space, so decluttering means getting rid of items that you no longer need.
“Decluttering is the first step to reorganising and redesigning your house. It gives you a clearer idea of what you want to do with your living space. Besides, you can move around more easily and find your stuff much faster. It allows you to know what to buy in terms of organising items such as containers, baskets and boxes.” says Sally Nyawira, an interior designer and the managing director at Housemark Company Ltd in Nairobi.
Below are a few tips to help you declutter your living space:
1. Start with the easiest room in the house. This gives you motivation to declutter all the other rooms in the house.
2. Schedule: organising one room at a time makes sure you don’t get overwhelmed.
3. Visualise the room: Have a clear picture of how you want to re-organise it and the end result.
4. Look up organisational ideas on the Internet, in magazines and phone applications. This broadens your imagination and gives you an opportunity to try out something new. Applications like Pinterest and Houzz are really helpful. Look up DIY ideas as well on YouTube and Pinterest to help you be creative and cost-effective.
5. Clothes that you do not wear, are torn, or have become too small are simply clutter that should be got rid of. Broken utensils in the kitchen should be thrown out. Expired items in the store, fridge, bathroom and bedrooms should be trashed. Books and toys should be organised. Adopt a filing system for all your bills, newsletters and other papers lying around out all over again. Place them in labelled containers with labels indicating those to be trashed, those to be given away and those to be relocated.
6. Involve family members: not only does it make the work fun and easier, but also allows family members to know where to keep things around the house.
