How to declutter your house | do you need help with cleaning and organising your home?

With TV programmes like Stacey Solomon's Sort Your Life Out, popular organising books from Marie Kondo, and professional organisers gaining in popularity plus the rise of the sustainable, less is more, movement, I can't be the only one that has realised in my late 50s that I really do want less stuff.  I crave a clutter free life, an organised home and more time to enjoy myself!  I am utterly horrified when I look back at my previous shopping habits and the amount of money I have spent on possessions that I just don't need. 

We've moved from the traditional Saturday shopping day in the town centre (remember that?) to getting everything delivered to our doorstep every minute of every day and I hate it!  It was meant to be easier, but it is now too easy, we order more stuff without even thinking about it and the problem is, it has to go somewhere!  We are just cluttering up our homes and I don't think that is progress at all.

I am still very much a work in progress in terms of changing my habits and sorting my life out!  I recognise I need help, this isn't just about getting a skip and chucking everything out, it is about changing my mindset for good, it is about understanding why I buy so much that I really don't need.  Do you feel the same?

What if you could get the help of a professional declutterer and best of all pay for it by selling your unwanted items ... read on to learn more!

How to declutter your house and your life!

Life is too short to waste it standing in a queue at the post office

A few weeks ago I wasted several hours running around faffing with online deliveries and returns.  The Yodel machine wasn't working in three shops I tried, I had to pick something up from the Royal Mail Collection Office, first they weren't open then when I went back, I was told it was in fact out for delivery again the next day!  And the traffic was chaos as the council keep digging up roads!  So yes life really is too short to spend it in a post office queue.  And this wasn't an isolated incident, I am doing the delivery/return dance every week, sometimes several times a week!

I need to reset my relationship with onliine shopping, reassess what PR gifts I accept, and keep going with my decluttering process!  Investing some time recently in a style, colour and wardrobe consultation with a personal stylist has been a massive benefit to understanding my wardrobe choices.

How do you declutter your house in your 50s

A really good way of taking the first step towards a less cluttered home is to consult a professional organiser, but you need one that is going to coach you to become clutter free, and not just declutter for you.  Understanding why you are where you are is the best way to start!  And it is more affordable than you realise and what if you could pay for it by selling some of your unwanted possession first!?

I have been decluttering for a good few years now and it is still a work in progress, an ongoing project that I pick up whenever I have time.  But I am delighted with my progress, when I look back to where I started, I know that I have made huge inroads into changing my relationship with too much stuff.  

I truly believe that the key to successful decluttering is a change of habit and mindset and that we need help to do that!

Help from a professional organiser like Jo Hall from Less is More is more affordable than you think!

Help from a professional organiser like Jo Hall from Less is More is more affordable than you think!

Less is More - online decluttering services

I've known Jo Hall from Less is More Decluttering and Organising for a few years now, she has worked with me to declutter in person and more recently online.  She is kind, approachable, understanding, sensible and positive.  She totally gets why we end up accumulating so much stuff, she understands the emotions involved in getting rid of sentimental items.  She works hard to diligently guide you through the decluttering process in a methodical way, subtly coaching you to let go of things and to change your attitude.  

I admit I need support with decluttering, I am not great at making decisions and having Jo alongside me to guide me is worth every single penny I have invested in her services.  She has helped me with my kitchen cabinets and laundry room, my home office and log cabin, paper clutter, magazines and of course my wardrobe.

A couple of years ago Jo and her family downsized from their house in the Home Counties to an architect designed city centre apartment in Sheffield and although she was mostly clutter free she still enjoyed the process of creating an even more organised home!  I'm so envious!  With a possible house downsize on the horizon for us, I am inspired to organise myself now and not leave it all to the last moment, why move clutter!?

Deal with your clutter!

Transformation to Tidy, Together - an online decluttering course

After Jo moved to Sheffield, she decided to change her business model too, she now offers her decluttering services entirely online through a selection of different options including one-to-one virtual decluttering sessions, a decluttering membership club, and decluttering courses.  

​Her Transformation to Tidy, Together is an 8-week online group or individual course with lifetime access to all the course materials.  Jo kindly invited me to join her course earlier this year.  She knew I was still working towards my goal of decluttering my entire home and she suggested her course might be just what I needed.  I joined in January (sadly a bout of covid came along to slow down my progress but I still achieved a lot)!

Jo's next Transformation to Tidy, Together group starts in October 2024 and she has just opened the waitlist and has a fantastic special offer too. 

How would you like to pay for your place on the course by selling some unwanted possessions first?

Sign up for the waitlist today and Jo will start supporting you right now so that you can identify items to sell and as well as begin the process to create free space in your home, you will be saving towards the cost of the course!
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Jo explains ... "this is the first layer of decluttering, just the easy decisions, a quick glance around your home to spot the things you don't use."

Sign up to the waitlist here - Transformation to Tidy, Together October 2024.

Read on to find out how I sell my unwanted items!​

Jo's top tips to become clutter free

If you decide to work with Jo on a 1:1 basis, then the first step is for Jo to get to know you!  She will ask you a series of questions so she can understand what you'd like to achieve, how many rooms you want to tackle etc then she will invite you to show her your home, by sending over a series of photos or videos to explain where you want to make changes. Don't be shy though, Jo will never judge and is used to cluttered homes! 

During your first call with Jo she will talk through what you'd like to achieve and create a step by step plan, there will be tips for how to do it, ideas for storage solutions and an agreement on the best timeframe.  All the Zoom calls will be recorded for you to refer back to and a list of actions are emailed over afterwards.

​Jo is excellent at keeping in touch between calls so she will be checking in on progress and making sure you have met the goals you set together.  When we are working on a 1:1 basis together Jo will message me to make sure I've been to the tip or the charity shop when I say I will!

The Transformation to Tidy, Together course works on a similar basis but instead of 1:1 calls you will be in a dedicated Facebook group with others who are on the same decluttering journey as you - there are lots of different reasons to want to start being clutter free - but the process is still the same.  

Some like me will already have achieved a lot but others will be right at the beginning of their journey.  The Facebook group is supportive and a great place to share ideas and frustrations and to support each other, it is fantastic for accountability! And if you need extra time to complete a task, Jo has a flexible approach to the weekly Zoom calls, she wants your decluttering project to succeed and is there to make sure it happens.

So what are the top tips that Jo shares to help you become clutter free?  
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Understand your why - is it because you want to make your day to day life easier, are you preparing for a life event like moving home or downsizing, is it because as you get older you want to avoid your family having to sort your stuff out and would rather do it yourself? Once you understand your why you can focus on what you want the end result to be, create a clear vision to keep you going when it all feels a bit too much!  

Plan ahead - are you intending to clear your whole house or do you just have one room in mind (your kitchen for example), in her Transformation to Tidy, Together course, Jo explains the best process to follow, you will need to consider if you are going to dedicate a whole day or week to the project or if you will only be able to give a few hours here and there - if this is the case you don't' want to empty your entire kitchen only to find you can't now cook your evening meal! 

Make sure you have support - don't do it alone without telling your husband or children or anyone you live with!  They may not be actually helping you in a hands on way but you will need their understanding. 

Make it a priority - this isn't going to happen overnight and you will need to accept that the house is going to feel a bit untidier before it gets tidier!  I personally feel that giving a dedicated period in your diary over to the process is the best way, which is why I like the Transformation to Tidy course.  Jo works through a room a week with you so you know what you are doing and what is coming next, there isn't any pressure to complete everything in one day but knowing you have a deadline really helps.

Accept help - I learnt long ago that employing Jo's services was the only way I was realistically going to get my decluttering done.  If Jo is coming over or meeting me online then I have a date in the diary that I can't move.  The same with the Transformation to Tidy course, I had the accountability of knowing each week what I needed to do.  It has been invaluable in helping me and worth every penny of my investment.  I am not sure I would have got anything done left to my own devices. 

Tips for selling your unwanted clothes on Vinted

How to get rid of your unwanted clutter

One of my biggest challenges to the decluttering process is letting stuff go and deciding how to get rid of it!  I am the one that puts everything in the boot of my car, drives around with it there for weeks, before finally arriving at the charity shop (and often rummaging through my black sacks and pulling things out at the last minute, only to end up donating them a few weeks later)!  

I have discovered Vinted for my unwanted clothes, some household items and unopened beauty products.  It is really easy to sell on Vinted and I find that as long as I don't set the price too high, most items sell quickly.  I need to get better at setting a deadline though, if they don't sell within a pre-agreed period, they need to go!  But I like the extra bit of cash I make by selling unwanted items and it relieves my guilt a little bit too!  

There are lots of ideas for getting rid of clutter you no longer need, for example:

Sell - on Vinted, on eBay or on your local Facebook Marketplace (there are lots of facebook groups for specific items too i.e. Nearly New Mint Velvet).
Donate - to the charity shops, or to the re-use shop at your local household recycling centre. or specific charities like women's refuges or children's services.
Repair or recycle - do consider repairing your unloved items too!  I've mentioned this before but a good seamstress is an absolute must have!  
Bin - if all else fails then if you go along to your local authority recycling centre and they will guide you on what can be recycled to avoid as much as possible going into landfill.

If you're not wearing that dress because it is too long or the sleeves aren't comfortable you might decide it is your new favourite dress with a few basic alterations.  Same with furniture, paint it, change it, upcycle it and if you can't tackle it yourself, there are plenty of small businesses that can help.  Often a sentimental item (an old armchair or a dining table can be completely reinvented with new upholstery or a lick of paint.

Clutter is just a delayed decision

I haven't got a big home, I've talked about our cottage in the woods before on my blog posts, so I don't want too many things crowding my surfaces, the easiest way to deal with clutter is not to create it in the first place, one of my favourite quotes is 'clutter is just a delayed decision' and I try and remember to apply the one touch rule - put your things away immediately and avoid handling them more than once after you've done with them.

So if you have been planning to declutter your home for a while, if you struggle to just get started or you start and then feel overwhelmed by the whole process, then maybe it is time to accept some help and learn how to declutter from an expert!

Jo Hall, Less is More - Professional Decluttering Services

My personal top 7 decluttering tips

I will leave you with my own top 7 decluttering tips:

1. Decide what room or area you are going to declutter and set a day aside for the task, I have a running to do list of areas I plan to tackle and then when I have some available time I choose the one that I feel like doing the most!
2. Empty the space, either the whole cupboard or drawer or if you are really going for it, empty the entire room!  Sort items into three piles KEEP, DONATE/SELL or THROW.  Then within those piles decide on the specifics, if I am keeping it where will I store it, or do I want to upcycle or repair or if I am donating I split things into specific cardboard boxes (charity shop, selling on Vinted etc).
3. Clean the area, get behind the sofa, under furniture, really do some deep cleaning, you will feel so much better for it.
4. When thinking about what to keep, be honest with yourself, am I really going to love this, use it, enjoy it, is it worth me storing it, if I was in the shop looking at it now, would I still buy it?  Or am I just keeping it for sentimental reasons or guilt that I spent money on it and I should use it?  Be positive!  Let it go, if that dress isn't working for you then it is just clutter.
5. Don't let items pile up, once you have filled those boxes then let them go - declutter one day and the next day go to the tip or the charity shop, list things for sale on Vinted (and set a deadline).
6. Create a new organising system, rearrange your storage space but don't fall into the trap of rushing out and buying new storage boxes yet,  Jo very much advocates using what you already have or taking your time to really assess what you need, often it is not as much as we think.
7. Celebrate the small wins!  Decluttering takes time but congratulate yourself for getting started, little and often is the best approach.

And for those who want a more streamlined home, investing in bespoke fitted furniture, such as pieces from DAY & KNIGHT, can be an excellent solution for maintaining a clutter-free environment. With bespoke fitted furniture, you can ensure every inch of your home is utilised efficiently, especially in smaller spaces like mine.

Top tip for Vinted selling - iron and hang your clothes on a nice hanger to photograph them, this seems obvious but making your unwanted items look appealing makes a big difference to selling fast!  And then don't just throw the item in an old carrier bag and slap a label on, you want your buyers to remember you and come back to check your Vinted shop again!  I make sure everything is clean, freshly pressed and then I wrap in tissue paper and place in a brand new postage bag!  I consistently get 5* reviews!

I love a tidy, organised home office!

What is your biggest barrier to tackling you decluttering project?

Do you have a hard time letting go of your things?  Do you, like me, struggle with getting everything out the door and into the charity shop?  Or do you just not have time in the overall scheme of your busy life?  

Let me know in the comments below.

And don't forget, if you are worried about the cost of investing in professional decluttering help, then make sure you check out Jo's offer! 

Join the waitlist for Transformation to Tidy, Together starting in October 2024 and Jo will help you identify want to sell now so you can save towards the cost of the course!

"Clutter is a weight that has built on top of you so gradually, you don't even realise anymore that it is holding you down." - Mary Johanson

As you move through your 50s then celebrate the opportunities that living a clutter free life can offer you.  More time to do the things you always wanted to do, start a new hobby, travel more, see friends and generally have more fun!

Love from
Michelle xx
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More blog posts you might love:
Get to know Jo, read my interview with her in my Embracing Life (in midlife) series
Take a peek inside my cottage, read about my interior design project
​And see the results from my home updgrades here!

Disclaimer: Jo gifted me a place on her Transformation to Tidy, Together online course, however I have paid for Jo's decluttering services in the past and will continue to do so, I was under no obligation to write this blog post, all words and opinions are my own.

This blog post contains affiliate links.

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