Organise your home with a post Christmas declutter
The tree may be down and all the decs cleared away but does your home somehow still feel cluttered and overcrowded? Are you dealing with hundreds of new toys you can’t find a home for? Sounds like you’re in need of a post Christmas toy clear out.
I’ve been chatting with Helen Hickey, a home organising and decluttering professional who gives into people’s homes and helps them wade through their stuff. Here are her five top tips on reorganising your children’s toys after Christmas.
“Decluttering the playroom and going through your children’s toys has so many benefits for you and your children. It cuts clutter, reduces stress and overwhelm, reduces tidying time, improves how your child plays, giving them the space to be more creative.
Watch and reflect – what do they play with more frequently and for longer periods of time. What have they outgrown? What is broken? What does your child truly love?
Sort the toys – it helps to declutter toys by category. Teddies, building toys, dolls, games, creating toys, vehicles, figures, imaginative toys.
Declutter one category at a time – grab some bin liners and boxes to help you with this stage. Review each category as to what needs throwing away, recycling, donating, selling, returning to the owner, and keeping. Be ruthless and set yourself boundaries - for example, just keep what fits into a designated space.
Label – Keeping toys in labelled categories makes tidying easier for you and the children. Create a system that works for you. Many people try to keep all of the toys in the bedroom or playroom but this may involve moving items back and forth during the day, so keeping a few toys in each room might work best. Rotating toys can work as children can treat these as new toys when they haven’t seen them for a while.
Get rid of your unwanted toys. Unwanted presents can be useful to keep in a present drawer for future birthday parties. Donating toys to hospitals, churches, preschools, nurseries, charity shops. Selling items on Facebook marketplace, Ebay, Vinted. Recycling items that can’t be donated or sold.
If you have followed the above congratulations! Take a moment to enjoy watching the kids play and enjoy your uncluttered environment and reclaim your space and time.”
PHEW! THANK YOU HELEN! For more info on Time & Space Organising, follow this link.