Positive Steps To Release Yourself from Clutter
“We are a culture drowning in our possessions.” says Josuha Becker on his blog piece for Becoming Minimalist, he goes on to say “We take in more and more (holiday, birthdays, sales, needs), but rarely find opportunity to discard of it. As a result, our homes fill up with more and more stuff.”
He’s got a point and we all know how that feels. We end up endlessly organising things, or ignoring it until we come to a breaking point and have a flourish of de-cluttering.
We know that your house is more than bricks and mortar, it is your home and surrounding yourself with the things you love is important to make it a sanctuary away from the hubbub of the outside world. Here you can be yourself, enjoy time with your family and recharge with positive energy.
We sometimes find that people don’t want to invite friends over or contact us to help you clean because you are worried about the ‘state of your house’ - we must say now that it doesn’t phase us at all. We are here to help you and can often be part of the solution if you are feeling overwhelmed with your own surroundings.
Here are some simple tips to help you find a balance between mementos and clutter and it involves patience, time and an acceptance that you don’t have to do it all at once. So read on and let us know if you have any other tips!
1/ Make a List
We know you want to get started and often you only have a burst of time to work within, but take it slow. Sit down with a cup of tea and write a list of what you want to do. Go through each room in the house and list what you want to do, what bits in the bedroom need attention (Wardrobe, bedside table), what do you need to tackle in the kitchen, or bathroom. Be specific and this will help you focus attention and can act as a very satisfying tick list in time.
2/ Take it One Step at a Time
You may want to do a quick once over on the whole house, but after that focus in on the areas that need attention and do it one step at a time. Be mindful of the time you have and don’t dedicate all of it to de-cluttering - you could do once cupboard a night or say that Saturday mornings for the next 4 weeks are going to be de-cluttering mornings with a pumpin’ soundtrack. There is no need to rush and you will do a better job if you also allow yourself to LIVE!
3/ Do a Little Bit Every Day
This can be as simple as making sure you wash up your dinner plates before you go to bed, or plump the cushions and sweep the floor before you go off to work. Give yourself a little task every day and soon it will become a habit and help you work towards your overall goal.
4/ Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
Think about what you are bringing into the home, see if you can always remember a bag for life for your shopping or file your bills and letters away on the day you get them. Think about what you can get rid of, we are passionate about recycling in every way, so make use of your local charity shops, or put some items on Freecycle or Facebook Marketplace. - insert a list of links and contacts of people who will take things or who can come to take things away
5/ Take time to think about why you are keeping items
We all get attached to ‘things’ - they may remind us of something, someone, some time in our life and that can feel really powerful. Take time with the objects you find and ask yourself why you are keeping it, see if you can distance yourself from it. If you need to write a short list of reasons why you don’t need it in your life any more. This may help you decide to keep it, but at least you’ve thought of its purpose in your life.
6/ Make time for paperwork
We know that paperwork can pile up. Give yourself some time every day or week to have a good sort our - file the important bits and recycle the rest. Don’t let piles of paper mount up and ask yourself every time you open a letter or receive a flyer ‘do I need this’. Create a space for things you may need, a box or draw can work well for this. The most important bit is keeping on top of it as you go. Or get a letter tray and go through it every time it gets full- then you know where all your recent papers are to.
7/ Clothes, Clothes, Clothes
Make sure you tackle your wardrobe during this process. It is time to get rid of some of those clothes you haven’t worn in years and to see if you can store away anything that is not right for this season. If you need it, you can go and find it but it doesn’t need to be in your living space right now. Try to give as much away as you can, why not host a clothes swap gathering of your friends or find a new use for your clothes - we LOVE turning clothes into rags for our cleaning!
8/ Use Positive Affirmations
Affirmations (meaning a statement said with confidence about a perceived truth) have helped thousands of people make significant changes in their lives. They can help restructure our thinking so that we embody the affirmation. Stop telling yourself you are getting it wrong, or you can’t do it, or you may as well not bother. Stop right now. Time for some positive thinking, use good, reinforcing thoughts to help support you during this process. Here are some ones that may be useful, or come up with your own.
I am starting to notice how good it feels to have a clean house
I can find the things I need so much easier
I like to tidy up after myself
My home is my sanctuary, I enjoy keeping it tidy
Keeping my home tidy comes naturally to me
Give it a go :)
At Eco Cleaning Fairies we are here to help. We know you lead busy lives and for many we offer a chance for them to focus on spending time with their families, or simply returning to a fresh, clean, home ready for an evening of recharging after a long day in the office. We believe it supports your mind as well as the practical benefits of clean air and using natural products.
One of the biggest benefits of having a regular Eco Cleaning Fairy is that is helps you keep on top of your clutter as many of our clients find themselves tidying the house for before we arrive to allow us to put our all into the cleaning work. The more tidying they can do the more we can get it hygienic, fresh and reset for the new week ahead.
If you would like to find out more about what we offer at Eco Cleaning Fairies, please take a look at our Domestic Cleaning or Commercial Cleaning pages and get in touch - we’d love to talk.
With lots of love
Jules & The Fairies
xx
