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Decluttering Tips
Home sorting, downsizing and decluttering specialists for senior adults in their third age (and their families, loved ones and representatives).

Understanding the “why” helps – try to identify why the clutter has happened …
- Demanding lifestyle or job?
- Have you been ill?
- Can you no longer manage your home – is it too large?
- Many people are cluttered because they have poor storage options or just have their items in the wrong place. So ensure you’re using your storage options effectively … are your cupboards & drawers full of items you no longer use?
- Understand that the more “stuff” you have, the harder it is to organise and the harder it may be to find what you want
- Look at how you live, what you use everyday – organise your stuff accordingly
- These days, lots of us have too much stuff – we’re a consumer society, everywhere we look we’re being sold something
- Often the longer we live in a place, the more we accumulate. Do you just have too much stuff?
- It’s not rocket science, but it takes application & discipline & direction. Some people’s talents lie elsewhere – they’re not natural organisers

Then start with a plan:
- Keep it simple
- Attack it room by room (start somewhere easy)
- Sort by –
- Functional (items in use),
- Favourites (must haves)
- Farewells (what you can let go – sell, give, donate, toss)
- Be disciplined – have you used/worn it recently, does it fit, will you wear/use again?
- Get your storage options organised, i.e. when decluttering a bedroom, organise the wardrobes first, then you have space to use for the rest of the items in the room
- Do you have sufficient storage?
- Remember you don’t have to do it all at once, just bit by bit
- When you buy something & bring it into your home, donate/dispose of something else

Embrace donating unneeded items that are still in good condition to charity
- If there’s a local fete or fundraiser coming up in your local community, check out what they need
- I find that giving always makes me smile & releases stress
- If charity don’t want it, try giving away on gumtree or freecycle

Remember – the one & only key to being organised “Everything has a place & is returned to its place after use”
- Your goal is to have a designated place for everything in your home so that it takes the “thinking” out of being organised.
- It will still take discipline and some resources (time), but it becomes a more natural and easy process/habit that involves less time.