Who’s excited about finally decluttering this year? We are!

You’ve heard about the January Detox, right? Fancy doing one for your home?

We’ve put together a few techniques, challenges and, of course, a few simple products to help you kickstart the decluttering process.

Take a look at some of these trending challenges and hacks. You never know… one of these tried and tested ideas could give you the impetus to make a dent in that clutter pile.

Some techniques are to get you started, and others to help you maintain your decluttered space. For everything else, well, our handy home storage catalogue will help you find the right accessory.

The Four-Way Method

This is a simple, trendy method for helping you make decisions at the beginning of your decluttering process. Perfect for wardrobe, toy or book clearouts. You just need four boxes for sorting items into the following groups:

1. Keep
2. Throw away
3. Donate/Sell
4. Storage

Items to help you do a 4-Way tidy:

Get some large baskets or boxes with handles that can be quickly loaded for transport, emptied or transported from room to room. Large plastic or clear bins on wheels and handles are perfect for this.

The Gamification Method

Some of us need the dopamine hit to motivate us to take on a dreaded project like this. There are clever, game-y ways to incentivise decluttering projects, especially among younger family members.

It’s all about breaking down the process into smaller manageable chunks, getting the motivation from smaller wins, and even having fun.

It’s also a great way to delegate. Of course, it is even more fun to turn it into a #cleantok challenge and document your #Declutteringjourney!

The Minimalist Decluttering Game

Encourage your household to eliminate one item on the first day, two on the second, and so on.

The 12-12-12 Decluttering Challenge

This is a variation of the 4-way Challenge by breaking down your massive hoard:

• 12 Items to Throw Away: Identify 12 items in your home that are no longer needed or useful and can be discarded. These might be broken, worn out, or items you no longer use.
• 12 Items to Donate: Choose 12 items that are in good condition but no longer serve a purpose for you. Donate them to charity, give relevant items to friends or family, or sell them. Anything that could be of value to someone else.
• 12 Items to Be Returned to Their Proper Place Find 12 items out of place in your home and return them to where they belong to help you organise and tidy up your existing space.

The KonMari Method

Marie Kondo was the most-talked-about phenomenon in the decluttering pantheon this decade. We suspect the pandemic had its part to play in focusing our attention on making our homes a more ‘joyful’ space.

So, let’s break it down on some key ideas in her approach

Category-by-Category Decluttering

This novel approach breaks from the traditional method of focusing on going room-by-room. Try decluttering by category in this order: clothes, books, papers, miscellaneous items, and sentimental items.

Unique Folding Techniques

Her unique technique is folding clothes and storing them in small rectangles for vertical storage in drawers. This allows for better visibility and space optimisation. 

Joy and Gratitude as a Criterion

Try to only hold on to those items that “spark joy.” This means you can hold on to random kitsch items as long as you know there is meaning and joy in owning them. Conversely, let go of things that do not spark ‘joy’. What you keep and discard is purely based on your individual intuition, not hard and fast rules.

This is a perfect segway to a …

A Spiritual and Holistic Approach

the Konmari method – it’s Deep. It brings an element of zen by encouraging a mindful and reflective process in your attitude towards things. She advises us to touch each item and sense whether it sparks joy. We are also encouraged to feel gratitude for items we dispose of,  promoting a more profound respect and understanding of our possessions.

A Once-off Event

Kondo suggests decluttering should be a unique, considered and transformative event, not a daily chore.  If you do it right once, maintaining the order is easy. Investing in the proper storage solutions will help.

The Kon Mari Dividend

In short, the process should feel transformative not just aesthetically or visually but also internally if you reassess your relationship with your belongings.

Items to help you do a Konmari tidy:

• Shallow, clear storage boxes help you organise and compartmentalise your clothing in deep drawers on high shelving
• For more external drawers, you can apply DIY skills to create Drawer dividers with thick Cardboard or thin Plywood
• Use multi-compartment organisers or stackable boxes for categorising and storing items that bring joy

Maintaining Your Decluttered Bliss

The 1 for 1 Garbage-in, Garbage-out Rule

Once you’ve decluttered, you must ensure you don’t go back to accumulating more stuff, as your storage space isn’t likely to expand as fast. So, the simple rule of removing one thing in exchange for every new item you purchase makes perfect sense.

The 20-20-20 Rule

If you are a fan of the ‘clean-as-you-go’ method, it is an ideal way to keep you straight and narrow! The 20/20/20 Rule states that if you can replace an item for less than €20 in less than 20 minutes, and it’s not been used in the last 20 days, you should consider getting rid of it.

It will help those who are susceptible to hoarding and the fear of letting go of items we might need “someday.” It serves as a practical guideline for overcoming the “just in case” mentality, which often leads to the accumulation of unnecessary items.

The 10-Minute Tidy Up

This daily routine requires a 10-minute tidy-up in a specific area each day.

The One-Touch Rule

This is the perfect technique for procrastinators and busy, home-juggling parents alike.

When you pick up something, try to put it in its final destination immediately rather than temporarily moving it from one spot to another. Minimise the number of times you must touch or handle an item, reducing the likelihood of creating piles or clutter.

For this to work, you will need a home with a place for everything, a system.

The Homevalue. ie Storage Solution

• Use wall-mounted shelves or hanging organisers to balance displayed and stored items.
• Handy storage baskets or bins can be used to store items during short daily tidy-up sessions. The Home Collection 5 Piece Storage Hamper Set is a perfect investment. From sorting small essentials to storing bulkier items, these baskets are perfect for organising closets, shelves, or any room. The woven design adds a touch of rustic charm to your decor while providing a sturdy and long-lasting storage solution.

• Use transparent storage to help visualise and limit the number of items kept. This forces you to know what you possess and where to look for it when you need it.

• When it comes to long-term storage or seasonal items that need to be stowed away but are also easy to find, clear vacuum-pack bags are ideal. Use them to keep things water-tight as well as air-tight. Working just as well with either the mini Vac Pack Go. Pump or most hoovers, these vacuum storage bags will allow you to store more than usual because they let you remove all the air from around and within your clothes. Also, blankets, coats, and duvets. These bags will allow you to store delicate or sensitive documents and other items you need to protect from dampness, water and mould.

• It makes perfect sense to have Clear jars on display in your kitchen to help you prevent food wastage by duplicating purchases or letting food expire unnoticed. Glass Storage Jars or Kilner jars are perfect for bathrooms and kitchens and have an aesthetically pleasing look if arranged collectively as a display.

The Common Thread in Decluttering Techniques

All decluttering techniques aim to provide a specific place for everything in an orderly way, making it easier to maintain order daily.

The result is more than an aesthetically pleasing arrangement of items in your home and fewer things. It would give you more space to enjoy what you do have.