Your Clutter-free life
It’s spring! Throw the windows open and invite clean air to access every part of your home to cleanse away the winter fustiness.
But what happens if your home is full of ‘stuff’ and the air is always stagnant? I’m not referring to the things you use, love and need. I’m talking about piles in the corners, junk rooms, crammed cupboards and the chair you use to dump things on.
Have you ever noticed that people with very minimal houses seem slimmer, healthier and more energetic than the occupants of cluttered houses?
When someone clears the clutter from their home, they often lose weight without trying. By offloading ‘stuff’, their body feels safe to ditch the safety layer of accumulated fat.
One lady cleared her clutter in December then feasted all Christmas. She was astonished to weigh less at the beginning of January than she had for ten years.
If you need a greater incentive, do you pay a mortgage or rent your home? Calculate the amount of space your clutter takes, it’s not unusual to find it takes the equivalent of an entire room, then do a quick sum to see just how much your ‘stuff’ costs you each month.
So where to begin? Taking ten minutes to sort out a drawer is a good place to start. Break yourself in gently with an easy win!
As your confidence grows, move on to cupboards – if you stockpile plastic containers, endless mugs, the accessories for a long dead vacuum cleaner or random things which might come in handy (but never do), get ruthless! If you haven’t used an item in the last year and don’t love it or genuinely need it, it is clogging your space.
Wardrobes and cupboards can be daunting, but when you get the hang of keeping only the items you use and love, they are incredibly satisfying to reclaim. Check out Liberate your wardrobe to make your wardrobe user friendly.
Once you’ve decided to get rid of something, remove it from the house straight away. Always aim to recycle or use Freecycle (www.freecycle.org) wherever possible. One client donated a vanload of furniture, clothes and bric-a-brac to a charity which came to collect the lot. They were delighted and she didn’t have to lug it all to the Charity shop. The perfect result all round.
The interesting thing about relieving the constipation of material stuff is people around you start doing it too. Without prompting kids clear their rooms, partners tackle the shed, I’ve even known neighbours spontaneously tidy an eyesore garden. You never know where the process will take you……
When all the bags and boxes of clutter have gone, spring cleaning is a breeze. You will sleep better, feel more energetic and might even lose a few pounds! Enjoy the space you have created and welcome new and exciting opportunities into your life.
If you want to know more, Clear your Clutter with Feng Shui by Karen Kingston is an easy read.
