When your home is overwhelmed with clutter and you are at the point of despair; when it’s not just a matter of organising one room but rather you need to refresh and redesign your whole home; just the thought of it is exhausting.

I myself, was a little overwhelmed thinking about how to write this and what tips to give. There are just so many ways of doing it and so many little tricks that can make it easier.

I decided to pare it back to the essentials. The intricacies and details will be ironed out as you get going.

The most IMPORTANT rules to follow when organising and decluttering a whole home are:

• Always organise first the spaces that will give you the most immediate benefit
• Divide the home and even rooms into small spaces and thus small, achievable projects
• Work on one space at a time and start small
• Set up a weekly planner so that each space is allocated a suitable period of time

 
Getting started:

• Draw yourself a mud map of your home. Sketch in the doors, windows and furniture. Jot down notes pertaining to each space. An example may be ‘move this book shelf to the study’. Put it up on a wall and check back with it each time you start organising a space.
• Itemise each space based on priority. Always start with the space most used and work out from there.
• Designate a space or room for your ‘junk’ pile. As you work on a space you will find items that don’t belong. The ‘junk’ pile will be their new home – FOR NOW. This pile may get quite big but don’t let that worry you. Just know that as you reorganise you will be creating space and homes for these things that can then be reallocated to their rightful place at the end. This is also a great way to be able to filter into sub-piles such as ‘Donate’, ‘Bin’, ‘Recycle’.
• With each space ask:
  • What is this space used for?
  • Who will use it?
  • How will it be used?
  • What furniture is essential for the space?
  • Are there adequate thoroughfares and is the floor space clear enough?

 
Now you’re on a roll:

• Label your Storage which allows you to quickly and easily scan the contents
• Make a station for keys and wallets so that you’ll always know where they are when you need them
• A place for everything and hopefully everything will go back to its place
• Likes with likes because it just makes sense and saves you time searching for things
• Keep items for your favourite activity all together as it is important to make it easy to enjoy the things you love
• Set activity zones such as playroom zones like; the lego area; reading area; construction area, etc.
• Set up vertical storage to get things off the floor and keep everything visible
• One space at a time so you avoid getting overwhelmed
• Declutter regularly to avoid clutter build up again

 
Need hands-on help? Contact Bluebird.

Is it time to sort the bday cards, letters, school master pieces, keepsakes and memorabilia?

If you don't have a regular spot to store these things and they tend to clutter in the corners of drawers and pile up on bench tops and shelves, how about getting them all together and making a home for them. You'll clear space and always know where your treasured memories are hidden.

Head to a variety store (Red Dot, Discount stores, Thingz, etc.) and collect some funky boxes. Colourful boxes are great as you can simply lift the lid, throw your keepsakes in and stack them on a shelf. They are both functional and decorative. Alternatively, fit them neatly into a spare drawer, at the bottom or top of wardrobes.

If you need larger storage, head to storage stores (Bunnings, Officeworks, Kmart, etc.) for plastic storage tubs. There are two great plastic tub options:
1. Document tubs are shaped and sized to fit A4 and A3 paper and files. Great for school reports, uni projects and the like.
2. Under-bed storage tubs are long and low. They hold a lot and are simple to roll in and out from under beds. Keep a couple under each bed and your keepsakes storage is ready to use anytime.

If you keep every little thing that comes home from school or every card you ever get, you may need to get tough, and be a little selective.

That said, whether you want to keep everything or just the best, making a permanent home for it will make keeping the memories easy forever more.