Declutter - Part 1

I'm pregnant which means a few things; i’m allowed to eat cake at any time of day, I am prone to irrational outbursts of rage and/or anxiety, I would get away with the murder of my spouse and I have a spray bleach permanently attached to the belt of my towelling dressing down and I am well within my rights to whip it out and clean in regular, manic bursts... Probably before having a well earned nap!


So that's me! But seriously, it’s time to spring clean anyway so i’m going to take advantage of my state and season combined to inspire you to do the same. It is so cathartic and mood enhancing. Living in a clean, clutter free environment is good for your soul... And your stress levels!

Gertie’s Guide to Getting Spring Clean (Part 1):

1. Style Purge. Go through your wardrobe item by item and for each ask yourself these questions: Does it fit? Make me feel fabulous? Express who I am today? If you answer no to any of these questions, put the item into a black bin bag destined for the charity shops.

2. Kids closet chaos. Go through all your children's clothes boxing too short trousers, binning broken items, reorganising relevant clothes into an orderly, easy to find things fashion. I also find that this is a good time to have a browse through the clothes of my other half. He’ll never notice if his checked 90s shirts find their way into the charity bag or if his old shin pads end up in the bin. He hasn't played rugby for over 10 years. He a grip of yourself man!!

3. Room with a View. Clean your windows. Inside and out. It makes a huge difference. This will motivate you enormously so now clean your skirting boards while you’re on a roll... And all your mirrors if you have the energy. Reward yourself with a cup of tea and a biscuit(s).

4. Sort out your Piles! Walk around your house and have a look at the crap piles lying around the place. Identify the items that are homeless. Get online and find cool, creative ways to store them. Eg. I need key hooks, sunglasses storage, a pin board to stick post/items needing to be actioned. Whatever it is, you can find a way!

5. Toy Boxes. Children make clutter and chaos free houses exceptionally challenging. Too often people go out and buy storage system for their kids rooms and expect the mess to fit in. This is the wrong way around. Go and sort through your children's toys. Chuck away broken items and Barbie’s with no limbs... And the limbs! Barbie legs multiply in my house. It's bizarre! Maybe all the lost socks turn into Barbie legs... hmmmm, I digress.... Box up toys that are too young for your children and take them to the charity shop. Group the remaining toys into categories. My little pony, dress up clothes, sylvanian families. And then decide how many storage boxes you need and in what size. It's better to have more boxes than less and make sure they are labelled. It makes it easier for you to keep everything organised as well as quicker for your kid to find what she/he wants without destroying the entire room.

A proper spring clean is an enormous project so I will leave it there for today. It also gives me the opportunity to spew more tidy crazy next time! ;)