Clear, clean and get ready for Spring

The world is waking up after the winter and the sun is streaming through the windows – with the new season in the air it might be time for a good clear out.

Whether you are soon to redecorate, renovate, extend or convert your home – or you just fancy creating a bit of space – now is the moment to consider decluttering.

Many of us spend our lives accumulating junk and it’s often hard to decide what to keep and what to sling.

But if you’re thinking of having a spring clean or you want to bring in the new season’s interior styles, here are a few top tips:

*Begin with the papers – go round the house and tackle all the piles

Junk mail, work items and documents build up and fill drawers. Get rid of as much as you can, recycling anything the collectors will take.

*Think about the things you personally accumulate

Everyone has different items they hoard for months – objects they are loathe to part with.

For some people it is books and others clothes, for example. If so, now is the time to recycle anything you know you will never read or wear again.

*If you had forgotten you had something – then throw it out

You won’t miss anything you didn’t know you had. If you haven’t worn something for 12 months, for example, it ought to go.

*Deal with small areas one at a time

Don’t bite off more than you can chew. Set yourself small goals: one cupboard, one shelf, one corner of the room. Make sure you finish it before you start the next one.

You will appreciate each clear space as you finished and won’t feel overwhelmed by the enormity of the task.

*Tackle flat surfaces

Clear coffee tables, worktops, desks and sideboards; try to get every surface as empty as possible.

Clearing surfaces in your home will help the whole place feel less cluttered and will give you space to plan or think about any changes you might be considering.

*Make sure you don’t accumulate again.

One good rule of thumb is never to bring an item into the house unless you are getting rid of something else.

For every book, piece of clothing or ornament you buy, take another one down to the charity shop.