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rachele92

Decluttering tips for a 1969 bachelor pad

Rachele Snowden
8 years ago
Living in a 1969 bachelor pad with no storage and two kids under 6. Renovation pending so ideas need to be cheap / free. Waiting for my husband to draw up renovation plans... Could be a while! Decluttering tips welcome?

Comments (5)

  • Olivia
    8 years ago
    How about a couple of big storage boxes that you can easily throw the kid's toys into as you walk around/once they're in bed? Also, perhaps a trolley on wheels that you can use for some of the things cluttering up your kitchen counters? You can easily wheel it into the kitchen when you're cooking and want to use things and then wheel it back into a corner of the living room when not in use?
  • stabmonkey
    8 years ago

    Have a car boot sale. Sell anything that's been outgrown or no longer used.

  • stabmonkey
    8 years ago

    Toy storage often comes up on sites like freegle and freecycle. It might be worth looking there.

    It is ok to have clutter - you have 2 small children. Their own special toy box might encourage them to be tidy.

  • Yvonne James
    8 years ago
    First of all establish a bridgehead! Don't see it as one big problem but clear an area at a time. Obviously someone else had storage problems in the house as evidenced by the hooks in the ceiling. I'd utilise the hooks for saucepans (even if you're not keen on that look) - that has to free up one cupboard which you could the use as a mini-larder or for china/glass/crockery etc. General tidy up of the kitchen, being strong and throwing out anything chipped or rarely used - some could be included in the car boot sale.

    Then I'd remove the crockery etc from the low wooden unit and slot it into the freed up cupboard. Some of the items in that room can't be used because there just isn't space to show them off so I'd box those up somewhere that you're not constantly falling over them and then use the unit to display them properly.

    Encourage the children to sort out the toys that they've grown out of and establish a one lot in, one lot out rule post Christmas and birthdays. This was not so easy with my son who's a natural sentimental hoarder but a cash incentive to get new things when the old ones have gone can get things moving.

    This flurry of activity might also motivate your partner so make sure it's all fairly noisy!
  • PRO
    Helen Sanderson, creating Calm from Clutter
    7 years ago

    Hi Rachele

    Often clutter isn’t just about things, it’s often a reflection of having been through one of those difficult periods we all face in life. That’s why when I work on decluttering projects I focus on working with the whole person, not just the clutter.

    For some tips why not download our free ebook 'The 7 biggest mistakes people make when tackling a declutter project'?

    As well as giving you more room by making better use of the space you have, clearing the clutter in your life will give you greater energy and more time to focus on the things you really want to do.

    Helen

    Calm from Clutter

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