3 easy decluttering tips and an introduction to Swedish Death Cleaning
In these times when the whole family is working from home, it is more important than ever to create functional surroundings.
Whether it is your home office, children’s workspace or an area for the family to relax, being able to use the designated area for what you want to, is key to being happy and productive.
Decluttering is simply a systematic way of clearing out things you no longer have use for. Creating a designated space for all the things you want to keep and to set up organising systems for active, continuous clearing. This prevents the surroundings from becoming cluttered again.
When your home becomes overwhelming because you can't find things, it is time to declutter.
1. The 3 Sort method
For easiest result, do the decluttering one room at the time with the 3 sort method.
Go through all the items and sort them in areas of:
Keep – Donate – Bin
Once all items have been sorted, go through the “keep” pile one more time and purge further.
2. A home for everything
For all the items that you want to keep, sort them by how often you use them.
For example, if you are decluttering the kitchen, only keep the items that you use daily on display. Allocate each item a designated place, as we tend to keep items organised when they have a home. Purchase suitable storage for all the items you don’t use on a regular basis, so they can be stored away out of sight.
1. Keeping the clutter at bay
· Set regular allocated times for tasks such as filing papers and taking unwanted items to the recycling station and the tip.
· Go through closets every season and store away winter clothes in the summer and summer clothes in the winter. A wardrobe where you can easily have an overview of your clothes and shoes, is so much more inspiring!
· Outgrown children’s clothing can easily be taken to recycling stations
Swedish Death Cleaning
A particular method of decluttering is Swedish “Death Cleaning”. The ethos is to clear your home of unnecessary items, give away certain items to relatives that value them and live a decluttered life. In doing so you relieve your family from the burden of having to sift through all your old and unwanted items once you have passed on. This method doesn’t just start when you are on “death’s door” as the title suggests, but a system you use on a regular basis to get rid of unnecessary items methodically throughout your life.
Margareta Magnusson, who is a big advocate for Death Cleaning says when asked if Death cleaning is sad: “No, it is more like a relief!”
She categorises her possessions in order of how useful they might be to others.
Margareta has a big box and on the lid it simply says "THROW AWAY".
In the box are old letters, photos, pressed flowers and things that hold no meaning and memory for anyone else but me, she says. “This box can simply be thrown away without being opened, once I am gone.”
See the interview with Margareta Magnusson here:
How do I declutter my home?
As an experienced and certified declutterer and home stager, I can help you declutter your home. I offer home-visit services across Dorset, Hampshire and Devon as well as virtual sessions across the UK and internationally.
For more decluttering help, book a free consultation!