You’re tripping over things in your own home, you have far more stuff than you need, and yet you still can’t help buying more! It’s hard to stay clutter-free, especially if you live in London, where you can find homeware and clothing sales around every street corner. But breaking the cycle is easy by following a few simple tips.
Ten Tips To Keep Your London Flat Clutter Free
Our top ten tips will have you streamlining your home storage and curbing spending habits in no time. The first advice is to keep a strict budget to limit luxury items.
1. Draw up a budget
Few people have a budget or find it easy to stick to them. So if this describes you, you’re not the only one. The downside of not keeping to a budget is that it can lead to a cluttered London home.
Begin the budget by writing down how much you spend each week and decide how you could spend the money elsewhere on holidays, nights out with friends or family, a gift, or an emergency fund.
Another helpful trick is to wait seven days before committing to a purchase. Doing so gives you time to think about whether you need it.
2. Reward good habits
The hardest part is not beginning habits but sticking to them. When you have hit your un-cluttered goals for the week, reward yourself. Whether the reward is a bath or a restaurant meal, the more rewards you give yourself, the more you associate keeping uncluttered with positive experiences, reinforcing the habits to keep your London flat clutter-free.
3. Celebrate wins on social media
If people live alone, keeping their flat free of clutter can be challenging because nobody can react to it apart from themselves. As soon as parents or friends schedule a visit, the hoover and the donation box come out, and the mad dash begins.
Sharing images of your lounge, bathroom, or bedroom on social media gives the incentive to keep your London home stylish, clean, and clutter-free. This activity also gives you a sense of pride in your home and makes you think about design aspects, such as what items go best in different positions, promoting a clutter-free environment.
4. Host dinner parties
Do you avoid hosting dinner parties because of the effort? Half of this might be because you feel uncomfortable hosting guests in a cluttered flat.
Keeping your flat uncluttered is a great way to maintain pride in your home and become more social while you’re at it.
5. Take turns tidy
Now this one’s not for everyone, but if you like timetables and live with housemates or a partner, draw up a clutter rota. The rota gives structure to de-cluttering frequently, making it easier to stay on top of it and share the burden.
Remember that the rota might cause friction in the first few weeks, so ensure all parties agree beforehand. And try to weather the storm when it comes to disagreements, as it will pay off for everyone in the end.
6. De-clutter regularly
A large amount of built-up clutter can be overwhelming, so breaking it up into smaller chunks is the best way to stop it from getting out of hand.
If you try Tip 5 to begin a de-cluttering schedule, think how pleased your housemate or partner will be if they come home to an already de-cluttered flat. De-cluttering regularly can reduce arguments and improve relationships, as tidy homes are happy homes.
Ten minutes each day goes a long way to reducing clutter. And it contributes to getting into a pattern of good habits to make a stress-free, tidy home.
7. Move documents online to save paper
Paper documents are helpful but not essential. Most records can now be stored online, so drop off any paper documents at the paper bank. Just ensure that any forms containing sensitive data are disposed of properly.
Some offices may allow you to do this if your employer permits it. If not, several services in London dispose of sensitive documents for a small fee.
Also, ensure you use security software to store documents digitally, as the risk increases when you keep records within online databases.
8. Donation box
Using a donation box is a valuable way to put aside items to be given to charity. As part of providing everything with its unique place, put anything destined for charity in the charity basket and take it there weekly or as soon as it fills up.
9. Private removals
Despite our best efforts, clutter sometimes gets on top of us. When the amount of clutter builds up, and you need to dispose of it quickly in large amounts, a rubbish removals London company is the order of the day.
Moving home is a great time to de-clutter and decide what is needed and what can go. Such situations are perfect for removal companies to do all the leg work to remove clutter and reduce stress.
A London rubbish removal company will dispose of any rubbish quickly, efficiently, and safely. You are then left with a stress-free home to enjoy and relax in.
10. Furniture with storage space
Furniture with storage space is versatile, stylish, and a wise investment. A few examples are shelves inside coffee tables and sofa footstools that open to give storage space. This type of furniture ensures the best use of space without throwing items away.
There are various shapes and styles of furniture with storage, so browse various furniture specialists to find the best ones for your home. But try to ensure that you still make the best use of storage space within furniture by regularly checking that everything tucked away is still required.
Tips To Keep Your London Flat Clutter Free
De-cluttering can feel like a chore, but it doesn’t have to. Linking de-cluttering with socializing is a great way to incentivize the act of de-cluttering and makes the whole process fun and more likely to lead to success.
Remember that de-cluttering can be a wholesome hobby, and you can’t fail.