Every Mum’s Guide to Decluttering and Organising a Home (with Minimal stress) by Andrea Lewis

I have a confession to make - I was a serious maximalist before I had my son. Organising I’ve always enjoyed but I admit I had a lot of stuff in my home, and once my son arrived with his own baggage, I knew one of us had to change our habits. This is where I had my lightbulb moment to set up The Organised Curator, to help others streamline their homes so they could enjoy living without the burden of clutter waiting for them at home at the end of the day.

https://www.theorganisedcurator.com 

Whether you’re a mum of one or a mum of three and above, parenting is wonderful but also very messy at times (as it should be) but it shouldn’t mean it compromises your sanity on a daily basis. As a professional home organiser and declutterer, I try and keep my home as clutter free as possible (forever a work in progress) as after a day of working in someone else’s home, I just want to come home and not tidy (as tempting as it sounds for a home organiser!). However, the same theory really applies to everyone, as after a hard day of adulting, and having to cook dinner and put the kiddos to bed, tidying when one’s stuff feels overwhelming, isn’t a fun task that anyone enjoys.

Here are some suggestions which should be easy to work with, and for those amongst us, who are feeling a little more brave, there are some more (slightly)challenging tasks to try.

Time Boxing 

Time box the first time you organise an area and start with 30 minutes. Put your phone on aeroplane and go for it. Working against the clock is something I do every day to help me stay focussed and it works well. Anything longer than hour and you’ll find something else to be distracted by. It takes a bit of practice to declutter but the more you do it, the easier it becomes.

Easy Wins

Start with the easy wins, even if it means finally throwing away your unpaired socks which let’s face it, are never going to find their other halves again. A very easy win as they are usually in the corner of the sock drawer or in a separate bag which you’ve been holding onto for a while.

The Fridge

Another good place to start is with the fridge, an easy victory as you can see a difference in no time and it’s one of the most rewarding ways to start tackling your kitchen. I agree that cleaning out the fridge is not the most fun of tasks but it’s always worth it in the end. I always use the fridge as an example – you need to declutter it first before a big shop as otherwise you’ll forget what’s in the back and the food will grow arms and legs before you know it.

Drop Zones

Create small drop zones where you can, such as the hallway for the kids to be able to put their bags away, reach for their scarves in the morning etc. This will help them to get ready themselves that bit easier.

Donate Boxes

If you have space in your wardrobe, or even on a shelf high up (away from tiny hands) create a “donate” basket, crate or paper bag and declutter as you go along. If you try on a jumper and it doesn’t fit anymore, it automatically goes into the basket to be donated and so on.

The Fridge Method : Toy Addition

Rotate their toys and try and declutter before a main celebratory event such as Christmas or a birthday. Use the fridge example to remind you that you need space to accommodate a new food shop. If you’re met with a ton of toys that even they seem overwhelmed by, store away a few of them as the more new toys they have to play with, the shorter their attentions spans will be. An easy way to organise their toys is to make sure they’re age appropriate. It’s time to pass on toys if they’ve outgrown them.

Timetabling

Taking on a whole room in one chunk is not for the faint hearted, but it can be done. I will caveat that you need to bear in mind your day ahead, and the fact, it’ll likely to be interrupted by a school pick up, so work with your timings. I often divide a working day into two sessions, the first part is to create mess and the second half is to tidy everything away. Be realistic with the mess you’re creating as you’re in charge here and the only one responsible for the task in front of you.Decision fatigue is also real so my advice here is do an hour of mess to declutter followed by an hour of organising.

Wardrobes

As an organiser, I’m used to working in all areas of the home but if I had to choose a space which I’m that bit more challenged by, its wardrobes. It’s a fact that the majority of us own too many clothes. Usually there’s a whole other wardrobe hidden inside the deeper shelves and cupboards that have remained dormant for years. If you’re going to do your wardrobe, double the amount of time you think it’ll take you to declutter and organise.  Aim to declutter by at least 25% of what you own. You should be able to file through the hanging clothes with ease. If they’re clumped together tightly, and you’re struggling to get the hangers out, you have too many clothes. It’s the rehanging, refolding that takes the longest as you’ll want your clothes to look neater than before so bear this in mind when you take on the project.

Remember the deeper the dive when you do your first clear out, the easier it will be to do a follow up edit in six months to a year. Clutter takes up unnecessary real estate in our homes (and in our minds too), especially inside cupboards that could become homes to items currently living on counters that could be stored away. Always start with an easy win and go from there. Once you start to win back space, you’ll want to keep going to find more. Just a warning, it can become really addictive to make space and let go off belongings that no longer serve you purpose!

Andrea lives in East London with her son, husband, and two cats. She previously worked in event production for renowned names such as Soho House, Louis Vuitton, and Peroni. With a natural flair for walking into a space and seeing its potential, Andrea’s transition from events to working in homes felt like a natural evolution.

Drawing on her years of industry experience, she now helps people simplify and transform their everyday lives by decluttering and optimising their homes. Andrea believes that most of us own far too much, and one of the most rewarding parts of her work is witnessing the positive impact a well-organised space can have on both a home and its owner’s mental wellbeing. She lives by the mantra “tidy homes, tidy minds” — and encourages everyone else to do the same.