I’m a decluttering pro – I binned 2,000 items from my own home in a weekend… with my easy ‘packing question’ method
NO MATTER how messy it is right now, you can clear thousands of items from your home using an easy technique, a decluttering expert has revealed.
Content creator Cassandra Aarssen, also known as the Clutter Bug, is an expert in all things organisation.
And on a recent spring clean, the mum-of-three managed to cull a whopping 2,000 pieces of clutter.
She puts the success of the session down to her new technique.
As her family is moving home, she used that as motivation to bin more things that she normally would.
For every item, Cassandra asked herself if it is “worth” unpacking and repacking in a new pad.
She also viewed her home from a potential buyer’s perspective and considered what they’d like to see when looking round.
She shared how you can apply the technique yourself (even if you’re not moving home) in an episode of her podcast, ClutterBug.
SURFACE CLUTTER
The first items of clutter you should look to cull are surface level ones that are making your space look too busy or messy.
“Most of my surface clutter was decor items,” Cassandra revealed.
“I do keep a relatively tidy house but I kept looking at it like, ‘is this excess?’
“Why did I have seven Dollar Store fake plants on every surface?”
The cleaning whizz doesn’t believe you should bin all home decorations – just the pieces that are collecting dust and don’t add any value to the vibe.
Looking at it differently like that really made me question, ‘why am I not making my spaces the best that they can be?’
Cassandra Aarssen
She urged people to “edit” out excess photo frames, plants and ornaments to create a clearer space.
According to Cassandra, this can even make your home feel “a lot bigger”.
WARDROBE CLUTTER
Cassandra continued that one of the most important areas to declutter is your wardrobes – and yes, that includes your children’s ones.
Rather than questioning whether it fits you or if you’d buy it again, she urged people to think whether each item was “worth” packing and unpacking again to move house.
“Surprisingly, a lot of this was a no,” she revealed.
Cleaning hacks and tips
Here are some tips to help you clean your home like a pro:
- How to clean your washing machine in a few easy steps
- Keep on top of cleaning your oven regularly
- Clean your shower to ensure it’s always sparkling
- How to clean your microwave using cheap household items
- Here’s how to get rid of that nasty limescale in your kettle
- You’re cleaning your carpet all wrong – here’s how to get it spotless again in no time
- Unblock a toilet without a plunger
- Clean your fabric or leather sofa in a few easy steps
- If you haven’t cleaned your mattress in ages, here’s how
- Steps to cleaning your dishwasher to leave it looking brand new
- This is how to clean mirrors and windows without streaking
- Keep your toilet clean in four easy steps
- Give your TV screen a once-over
- Did you know your Venetian, Roman, vertical, or roller blinds also need cleaning?
- Deep-clean your fridge in five simple steps
“Looking at it differently like that really made me question, ‘why am I not making my spaces the best that they can be?’”
Cassandra also culled odd socks and old pants, admitting that it’s easy for these to be missed when they’re pushed to the back of the drawer.
She ended up getting rid of 17 bags of clothes using this method.
AIRING CUPBOARD CLUTTER
Cassandra applied the same thought process to her towels and bed sheets.
If a towel is stained or crunchy beyond the help of softener, it’s probably worth ditching it.
As a general rule of thumb, experts recommend that each person in the household has five towels at most.
Two of those should be larger bath sheets for post-shower drying, and there should be one for drying hair and two hand towels per person.