Decluttering tips from the home organisers at Maison Haven

Decluttering your home, will clear your head as much as your living space. Whether you're looking for stylish kid's toy storage ideas or cool and clever bathroom storage ideas, once you've had a clear out, you'll feel more organised and will spend less time looking for things and more time doing the things you enjoy. 

Once you've cleared out items that you and your family have outgrown, if you want to donate them to a charity shop, The British Heart Foundation has launched a free postal donation service. From clothes and books to vintage toys and ornaments, pre-loved goods cleared out during lockdown or over the holidays, will help raise vital funds for life-saving research.

Yet, even once you've cleared out surplus stuff, most modern homes in the UK are short on storage space, so what else can you do?   

A simple way to set a tidy tone for your home is to keep its entrance clutter-free, say Maison Haven founders, Corrie Jackson and Jennifer Bakker. "We always advise our 60-second rule: every time you come into the house, spend one minute putting things away.

If your hallway is sorted, it has a knock-on effect on the rest of the house. We often design ‘drop zones’: specific places to store your mail, keys and other essentials."

FIRST THINGS FIRST

It can be tricky to find space for shoes and coats, so they tend to end up in the hall. Store winter stuff in summer (and vice versa) in under-bed storage or vacuum pack bags. We also like to use adjustable shoe racks to make use of vertical wall space in the hall. Try to get as much off the floor as possible with hooks or floating shelves.

GET PERSONAL

Personalised storage is always a big hit in the bathroom. We use white
plastic containers that we customise with chic labels so that each person gets their
own box. This works particularly well in kids rooms too as they love anything with their name on it! Keep it clutter-free by having regular purges of out-of-date products.

KID'S STUFF

When it comes to kids’ clutter, use toys in rotation. Buy big clip-top bins that you can store in the basement or attic, and put half of the toys in them. Parents often panic when we suggest this, but let’s be honest: most kids have too much to play with anyway.

Zoning is very important in a kid’s bedroom. Create different areas for different activities: a Lego zone, a craft zone and a book zone. This will make it easier for everyone in the family to understand where things belong. We tend to use see-through containers so that even young kids know what goes where.

HANGER TEST

Here’s a crazy statistic: the average person wears 20% of the contents of their wardrobe 80% of the time. After all, the more you have, the more overwhelmed you can feel. To edit your wardrobe, we recommend the hanger test. 

Simply turn all your hangers so that they face the same way. Every time you wear something, turn the hanger around. After a month, look at what’s on the hangers facing the original way: that’s what you may need to throw out.

BE CONTAINED

In the kitchen, we decant as much as we can into acrylic or glass containers. If you can see it, you’re likely to use it. You’ll also spend less time rooting around in the back of your cupboards. When it comes to how to organize your kitchen drawers, when you get home from your grocery shop, spend an extra five minutes putting things in the right places.

REFILL BASKETS

You can also save time with refill baskets. If you’re decanting pasta into a glass jar, for example, and there’s some left over, put the bag in the basket. You can then check it before you go grocery shopping to see what you need to restock.

AGILE WORKING

If you’re working from home at your kitchen table or wherever you can find space, why not get a desk caddy? This looks like a desk tidy but has a handle – plus you can personalise it. It’s your portable desk and you can take it wherever you go.

See these small bathroom storage ideas