musicMagpie Blog

Have you ever looked at your house and thought "˜how am I supposed to tidy this? Where do I even start?'

Whether you've been busy or just a bit lazy, every now and then clutter can build up to near critical levels. We don't mean a few CDs and DVDs out of place, but clutter so bad that your floor is a distant memory (check out our 7 signs that it's time for a serious declutter too!).

Luckily, as far-fetched as it may seem, there are a couple of ways to beat back the unstoppable tide of clutter and get your home back again…

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Take small steps

First things first: don't try and deal with it all at once! That path leads only to frustration, disappointment and sitting in your own clutter.

Instead, break down what you need to do into small tasks. You can then carry out these tasks as and when you get time; you can tackle one per day, two per day or however many you prefer. Whatever you choose, dividing your decluttering into tasks will make your monumental cleaning mission easier.

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Dress for the occasion

Sometimes, you need to look the part to get stuff done. Dig out your scruffs, pop on a pair of gloves and marvel as your productivity goes through the roof!

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Grab everything you need before you start

As your home is so messy, you're probably going to need more than just your hands. However, nothing kills your cleaning flow than having to pop out for products. Make sure you get some polish, air freshener, cloths and anything else you might need to make your home beautifully clean before you get started!

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Be brutal

The more you get rid of, the cleaner your home will be. If you lay your hands on anything you've forgotten about or haven't used in ages, get rid of it. This includes CDs, DVDs, Games and Electronics, all of which you can sell with musicMagpie!

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Make it fun

However you look at it, tidying up and cleaning can be pretty boring. Pop on some decent tunes or create some kind of game to make it a bit less tedious.

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Always keep the future in mind

It can be hard to stay positive and motivated when you're knee deep in clutter and cleaning products, which is why it's important to always keep the wonderful future – where you'll have a lovely clean home and some money in your pocket from selling the stuff you don't need anymore – in mind.

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Set a tidying time

Life is hectic, which makes it difficult to dedicate time to tidying up. That's no excuse, though: set a tidying time and make it part of your routine. It can be every day, every week or even just every month; as long as you're tidying regularly, you're on the right track.

Check out this post on the best times to declutter if you need some advice.

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Discover a method

Believe it or not, there's more to tidying up than just walking around chucking rubbish into a bag. Some very clever people have come up with some remarkably effective approaches to decluttering over the years, and taking on some of their advice could make your life a lot easier.

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Have you got any decluttering methods you'd like to share, or any questions you'd like to ask? Leave us a comment!

If you need any help decluttering, check out our competition to win a whole day of decluttering advice from expert Alison Armitage over on the Divine Living Space blog!