Britain is drowning in a sea of clutter. Our attics, basements, cupboards and wardrobes are bursting with forgotten, unwanted items. Research last year estimated that Brits are sitting on £32.7 Billion worth of unwanted items. How do we accumulate such vast quantities of junk? Where does it all come from? According to the country’s leading clutter expert, clutter.co.uk, we can separate our unwanted items into the following categories:
Things You Never Use
- Unread books
- Old kitchen gadgets
- Pictures and ornaments that you have no room to display
Things You Don’t Like
- Unwanted gifts
- Clothes you’ve bought but never wear
- Electrical equipment you can’t use
Things That Are Broken
- Torn posters
- Shattered ornaments
- Broken electronics
Things That Are Obsolete
- CRT TV’s/monitors
- Old games consoles
Things You Don’t Know You Have or Can’t Find
- This could be literally anything lost in the mess!
So what can we do to pull ourselves out of our self-made pits of mess? There are a multitude of rather elegant storage solutions. A cheaper option, is to simply control your junk. It can take a good deal of effort, but you’ll be left with more space in your home and you’ll even save money! A cluttered property has the potential to affect the resale value. Clearing out your home is seen as a necessity if you’re preparing to sell your property. Here’s how you can rid yourself of that unwanted clutter:
1. Britain’s clutter craze has led to more and more of us putting our possessions into storage. With 800 major storage facilities in the UK, the idea of renting space is tempting. A much more prudent solution, however, would be to sort your clutter and throw away what you know you don’t need.
2. If your bills are piled up with the rest of your mail, you may not even realise they’re sitting there. If you don’t pay your bills on time and your service gets disconnected, you end up paying more money just to have it restored. When you declutter your desk and go through your mail, you can stay on top of bills and avoid the high penalty fees
3. Being organised can help you easily find receipts for the things you’ve purchased that aren’t working. You can return or exchange these items especially if they are still under warranty.
4. The average UK family throws 24 meals in the bin every month! By decluttering your kitchen, you’ll see everything you have in your pantry and refrigerator. You won’t come home from the supermarket anymore with food items that you know you already have in the cupboard. Perhaps make an exception for a great sale on items you use all the time.
5. It’s hard to take stock of all the clothing you own when your closet and drawers are filled to the brim. By giving your wardrobe “once-over” to get rid of anything that’s out of style, worn out or ill-fitting, you’ll be able to see all the clothing you own that you probably forgot about. You won’t feel the urge to go out and spend money on new clothing because you’ll be able to go shopping in your own closet!
There are a number of clothing charities that will happily accept donations of your old, unwanted outfits. Decluttering is a great way to see everything you currently own and get enjoyment out of the things you’ve already spent money on. It’s also great to declutter before a big move.
