Did somebody say September clear out? If you have suddenly been struck by an insatiable urge to declutter, then today I’m delighted to have Katrina Hassan – Professional Organiser, Certified KonMari™ Consultant and the founder of Spark Joy London – to share their expert tips on how to declutter and reorganise your home.

Decluttering your home – where to start

I would always recommend starting with clothing. These are the items we utilise every day and reveal a great deal about our personality. When you gather all of your clothing in one place and decide what you would like to keep (what sparks joy for you), this process allows us to engage in an inner dialogue with ourselves about why we are holding on to items.

Once you have tidied your clothes, and have organised them in a way where you can see everything you own at a glance, you will feel motivated to embark on the other categories in your home.

The tidying method I use, called the KonMari Method (made famous by Marie Kondo, whom I trained with), encourages us to tidy our items in a very specific order, starting with clothes, before moving on to books, papers, komono (miscellaneous items including kitchenware, bathroom products and electricals etc.) and then finally sentimental items.

Things that make a home look cluttered

There are three main areas that tend to descend into clutter chaos and these are the kitchen, the living room and (for those with children) the playroom. When I work with clients, tidying comes down to two things: deciding what you want to keep and them assigning a home for every item, storing like with like.

When we finish our sessions, tidying comes down to one thing: putting things back in their home once you’ve used them. When they’re resetting their home after a busy day, many of my clients tell me they hear my voice in their head saying “don’t put it down, put it away” (this is one of my favourite tidying mantras!).

Top 10 things to declutter that won’t be missed

1. Clothes which no longer fit
2. Uncomfortable shoes
3. Wire hangers
4. Expired food (one of my clients had a jar of cinnamon from 1984!)
5. Chipped glasses, mugs and crockery
6. Extra shopping bags
7. Expired medicines and supplements
8. VHS tapes and cassettes
9. Redundant electrical cables
10. Manuals for products you no longer own

Valuable decluttering lessons

1. Set yourself a goal. The reason I wanted to declutter and organise my home was to help me change my mindset for preparing for a homebirth. I wanted to create a sanctuary where I felt relaxed and calm. Four years later, and after having had two beautiful babies at home, my sanctuary is still exactly the same.
2. Be open-minded about where your tidying journey my take you. Using KonMari to transform my home also led me to question other areas of my life and whether they were still continuing to bring me joy. I realised that my teaching career was no longer aligned to my values so I decided to resign from my post and train with Marie Kondo to become a Certified KonMari Consultant.
3. Conscious consumerism is a by-product of tidying your entire home. I am very protective about what is coming into my home because I am fully aware of its contents. I used to shop mindlessly and get swayed by the latest sales but now I see fast fashion for what it is: a moneymaking machine with no heart and consideration for the world’s valuable resources.
4. Sustainability is at the core of decluttering effectively. As well as passing on items in a meaningful way through donation or recycling, I always encourage my clients to use the items already in their home for storage solutions (shoeboxes as dividers in drawers, chocolate boxes and cosmetic boxes and their lids for organising stationery items etc.). Organising should be about doing the best with what we have in a creative manner.
5. Teach your children how to tidy and work together as a family to maintain it. Children as young as two can be taught how to fold clothes and put things back in their place. Maintaining a tidy home should not be a solo mission for one person in the household. Communicate with your family members (even the messiest ones!) about why a tidy home is essential for your wellbeing and ask for their support in helping you to keep it organised. Designate tidying tasks and ensure everyone knows where each item lives.

Golden rules of decluttering

• Start early in the morning when you are fresh to face the day. Make sure you have everything in place. If you have a big decluttering task ahead of you you may need to consider sourcing a 10 yard skip.
• Tackle one category at a time, instead of tidying drawer by drawer or room by room.
• Take a break if you feel overwhelmed or tired. Open a window, leave the room for a while or leave the house completely and go for a walk. If you don’t feel like continuing that day, return to the task another time. Tidying should be a positive experience.
• Keep only the items that bring you joy or are practical moving forward. Also consider duplicate items: for example, do you really need 60 pairs of socks? Or perhaps you need to dispose of a TV because you have an outdated TV not in use still lurking around but putting it off as you are not sure whether this kind of thing can be disposed of in skips?
• Express gratitude to the items you’re saying goodbye to. Each item, however small or insignificant it may seem, has played a part in supporting you in your life.
• Pass on your items in a meaningful way. Whether it’s donating your items to a local charity shop, hospital or school, or by recycling your items properly, passing on your things with intention will help you to part with them.
• Celebrate your success. Tidying by category means you’re able to see progress very quickly and this inspires you to continue your tidying journey. But don’t forget to take before and after photos, to reflect on just how far you come.

What not to do

• Don’t fall into the trap of tidying room by room. You will be tidying forever if you approach decluttering in this way. The key is to gather all of the items in one category and deal with them right there and then.
• Never declutter when you’re feeling tired or stressed out. If you do this, you will end up associating tidying with negativity.
• Don’t forget to take regular breaks.
• Never start with tidying photographs or other sentimental items. It’s best to leave these items until the very end once you have refined your decision-making ability about what you want to keep in your life.

Can you declutter an entire home in one week?

It is possible! However, it is dependent on a few factors:

• The volume of items in your home
• The pace of your ‘joy checks’ (how long it takes you decide whether or not you’d like to keep an item)
• The amount of time and effort you’re willing to put in.

Feeling overwhelmed with the idea of decluttering

Start with your vision of how you would like your home to look in its most perfect state. Your home should support your ideal lifestyle so it is important to take time before you dive into your decluttering journey to actually visualise what this ideal life and living environment looks like for you.

You can draw your vision, write it out or create a mood board using inspiration you collect from magazines. Some of my clients like to create a Pinterest board of their ideal living environment before they start their tidying journey with me. Having a clear vision in mind when you’re tidying can help you maintain focus and motivation at times when you’re feeling overwhelmed. Once you get started, you will find that tidying is therapeutic and fun! You can do this!

Happy decluttering everybody!