Divide up drawers or wardrobe space into any combination with this multipack. Use for different categories of clothes to keep organised, keeping easy to see what you have and stopping them getting messed up. Hard wearing and made of 100% recycled polyester. Use with folded items like t-shirts or use with loose things like balled up socks., although anything works in them.
If space is limited in your wardrobe consider swapping to space saving hangers. Not only will you fit more in, it will look neater and I find things stay on the hangers better than plastic, metal or wooden ones. I prefer the black colour. which looks smarter and make clothes stand out.
I’d recommend these for keeping socks underwear or bras organised. It’s a really visual way of seeing what you have which is helpful and nothing gets mixed up.
Although the quality of these items can be variable they are really useful. See John Lewis for a study version for larger items like sports leggings or t-shirts.
If you have hanging rails and more clothes than you can fit in, then swap to some hanging shelves. You’ll fit so much more in and it will be easier to see what you have. I have limited wardrobe space myself and I use this method to maximize my storage. If you have very easily creased or delicate items you might want to hang these still. This also works well with the Skudd storage compartments to divide up clothes on these ‘shelves’.
If you have open shelves, keep items separate and tidy with shelve dividers. I’ve included photos of a study version from iDesign and The Home Edit at John Lewis, although others examples are available on amazon.
Great for storing loose items in an organised way. Works well for scarves, socks or underwear. The lining protects delicate items inside from snagging on the wicker and can be removed and washed when required over time.
Vacum Packs (for Seasonal Storage)
Swap over summer and winter items to make more space. Lots of good ones out there. This one is from John Lewis.
Make up storage
Divide up make-up to keep it tidy and organised. This extendable version is good to maximise space in drawers. Lots of versions of clear plastic storage is available, try Homesense, aplaceforeverything.com and this one at John Lewis.
Great story of how she worked her way to clear $30,000 of debit and the process learnt about her own patterns of unhelpful behaviour around food, shopping and money.
Personal and honest. Lots I felt I could relate to my own life and simple if challenging lessons for all. Also available free on the UK Library audio app’ Libby’, which is how I found it. See her on IG @caitflanders
Book
A Life Less Throwaway: The lost art of buying for life - Tara Button
Lifts the lid on the selling psychology we are exposed to everyday – includes the reasons why things don’t last the way they used to. Understand the history, science and reality of how we are persuaded to replace what we already own.
Informative and you cannot unlearn this stuff once you know it. Founder of Buymeonce – Selling items fit to last from umbrellas to cooking pots at www.buymeonce.com
You Tube TV
Living Big in a Tiny House - Bryce Langston
Inspiration and great ideas from amazing homes with incredibly small storage, beautiful places all around the world. Hear interesting stories of how, why people made the change to debt fee living.
Professional organiser’s Ingrid and Lesley based in the UK talk you through how to declutter and organise different parts of the house. A comprehensive resource with real-life examples from their work with clients. Find on IG @declutterhub
100+ 1 hour episodes from your podcast app
Podcast
NPR - Planet Money
A podcast I love from the US’s equilivent of the BBC. Economics to awe and explain the real world. The link between clutter and our money is maybe not talked about enough and this opened my mind to how finance defines the world and my own too. Amazing storytelling.
100+ 20min episodes
Netflicks
Get organised - The Home Edit
A social media success story @thehome edit and Professional Organisers Clea and Joanna.
Join them on Netflixs as they organise a room for clients, including celebrities like Reese Witherspoon, who also produces the show. Buy their organising products @thecontainerstore and @johnlewis
8 x 1-hour episodes
Book, Netflixs & You Tube
Spark Joy with Marie Kondo
Growing up in a 1 room apartment with her family in Japan instilled the art of making the most of any space. Read her book ‘The life-changing magic of tidying up’ or watch her programmes to understand her category based method of decluttering. Also, see her online training course.
Professional Organisers Amy Revell and Kirsty Farrugia are Professional Organisers based in Sydney, Australia. A chatty podcast where they talk in-depth about how they help their clients get homes organised and decluttered. Find on IG @theartofdecluttering
100+ 1 hour episodes from your podcast app
Book
Nudge - Thaler & Sunstein
Nobel Prize winner in Economics, Richard Thaler, and Cass Sunstein. Improving decisions about Health, Wealth, and Happiness. How small decisions you make every day can have big results. Eye opening.
Again I found it on the Library audio app’ Libby’, which is free in the UK. I find non fiction books easier to listen to than read.
Podcast
Happier with Gretchen Rubin
Author of the 4 tendencies theory of personality – explaining why we do what we do. Advice about happiness and good habits in this lively, thought-provoking podcast, often with guests and her sister.
Start by putting the kettle on. Make a tea/coffee and move a chair to your hallway, drink it here. Have a look at what’s there. You’ll probably see something straight away you can remove or re-home. Decide if everything there is used often and needs to live there. Consider storing seasonal items elsewhere. Making more space here will be really noticeable.
Do the well-used items have a designated location, which is easy to access and so easy to put away?
Consider:
Putting seasonal items else and swapping out
Do all the shoes need to live here, how many per person?
Do regularly used items have a place to sit/hang e.g purse, handbag, keys, shopping bags
If well-used items just sit on the floor then other items will magically build up around them
What do you do with your post? What would make it easiest to deal with it?
What’s the secret to keeping your kitchen organised and clutter-free for the long-term. A few carefully chosen organising products can really help keep your cupboards tidy and organised long after you’ve sorted them out. Here are some I’ve used myself which are still look like this months and years afterwards.
Here’s how using step 1, 2 & 3
Before
It is hard to find things, everything keeps getting jumbled up
Step 1.
Get everything out and do a really good edit.
Think carefully about who actually uses it and how often. Ideally, a kitchen only has items accessible which are used weekly, with maybe monthly use items in harder to reach cupboards. Decide if it’s worth taking up valuable space in your home.
Step 2.
Choose suitable organising products
Choose products which fit your cupboards, divide up the space with products to keep similar items together. Always look to see what you already have, go for the eco option and use your old lid-less Tupperware pots or takeaway containers. In this case, something a little different was needed and these fitted perfectly from Ikea. I was inspired by @Out_Of_Hoarder on Instagram.
Step 3. After
And finally
Add your product, try to use height of items to keep everything visible, larger items at the back. This helps everyone know where to find items and it makes it easier to put them back and keep it tidy. Use labels if it helps guide others to know where things go.
Top 5 tips for getting organised this Autumn that you might have forgotten…
Clean and put away your Garden Furniture, bag up the cushions and store well out of the way.
Put away your summer clothes, store in the attic in labelled clear boxes or bags if needs be, decide if any should be given to charity. Use vacuum bags to save space.
Make space by the front door for wet weather gear, again donating or recycling any that you don’t use.
Get cosy. Order your winter firewood, bring out your blankets, wash your slippers and get a door excluder.
Start your Christmas lists, order cards, wrapping paper, ask relatives for their present wish lists and start making space and declutter your home.
3 easy steps to follow, suggestions to have a positive impact on those you live with and their 'clutter'...
This is your home too and how other people share the space with you matters, to your physical, as well as mental health.
This definitely includes belongings, yours, theirs and shared stuff.
Spoiler alert. I don’t really believe you can change anyone else.
Can people’s behaviour change YES, but that can only come from them.
So what can you do?
You have influence & a voice.
Start considering these steps to have a positive influence with clutter and those you live with? Your partner, children, step-children, grandparents, in-laws…
Start with your own stuff
Be specific
Come back to subject after heated moment has gone, but do come back otherwise you’ll never address it.
After a fabulous declutter you just want to pass your pre-loved items to a new home but some places are still closed post lockdown So where do you go?
Here is a list of places that are open and ready to take your items right now. I’ve mentioned some in and around Tunbridge wells but I’ve also added some which should be applicable to wherever you are. Please let me know when and where you notice others.
Hospice in the Weald, 30 Camden Road, Mount Pleasant, Pembury High Street & Onsite at Hospice in Pembury (with well-organised containers for all donations)
Oxfam, Sevenoaks, Tunbridge Wells, Tonbridge – over 500 shops – find your local one here
Broken electrical items, batteries, wood can all be recycled and the raw materials used in other goods. Please don’t just put in the bin, this will just be added to landfill. Made the effort and book a slot at your local recycling centre.