How to tame your inner hoarder: the best home decluttering methods

Summer, with its vacations and holidays, is over, and many of us feel like autumn is the beginning of something new. The evenings will soon become dark, and we'll likely be spending more time at home. This means it's time to take a fresh look at your home and think about decluttering. BBC tells how to free up space at home.

But deciding what to keep and what to get rid of is not easy, and many of us face difficulties when it comes to choosing.

Experts share the four best strategies for decluttering your home.

Start Small

For many, the biggest challenge is starting the process, so it's important to give yourself permission to declutter. You need to get rid of things you've kept not for the joy they bring, but out of a sense of duty—for example, gifts from someone else. It's crucial to take your time, says writer and Interior Design Masters judge Michelle Ogundehin.

"It's not about saying, 'Okay, that's it! I'm getting rid of everything!'" she explained. "It's about taking it step by step."

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Ogundehin recommends starting with one drawer or cabinet and then gradually expanding the cleaning area. This makes the task achievable rather than daunting.

Decide where you will put the unnecessary things

It's crucial to think ahead about what you'll do with the items you decide to get rid of. Ideally, this should be done before you start decluttering—or at least within the first few days.

"You don't want mountains of stuff piling up in your hallway," says space planning expert Ingrid Jansen.

She is the co-founder of the Declutter Hub community, which has over 60 members, and the host of a weekly podcast. Jansen notes that there are many options available today: donating, recycling, gifting, or recycling items.

It's worth considering options like thrift stores. In the US, there are also special apps for donating items. sell unnecessary things and through online platforms.

Declutter Hub co-founder Leslie Spellman, however, warns that the temptation win This can backfire on resale. In English, it's called churning: the habit of packing things to get rid of them but never actually following through.

"Selling is a great way to make money on things you don't need, but you have to be realistic," she warns.

If you're that person who's had three bags sitting under their desk for months, it might be time to just get rid of them.

Quality over quantity

Don't blindly follow the "be ruthless" principle. Effective decluttering doesn't mean throwing out your favorite things just for the sake of it.

Instead, Michelle advises surrounding yourself with things that tell a story—the one you want.

"Leave behind things that support you, that lift your spirits when you come home," she recommends. These could be souvenirs from trips, photographs, or masterpieces painted by your children or nieces.

How can you prevent mementos from turning your space into chaos? Michelle Ogundehin advises designating specific places for storing certain items rather than scattering them throughout the house.

Separate nostalgia from sentimentality

Emotional attachment is one of the main reasons why people find it difficult to part with things.

This attachment is often associated with nostalgia and sentimentality, but these are different concepts, as psychotherapist Stelios Kiosses explains.

Sentimentality is the emotional value of an object in the present, often because it symbolizes a relationship, an achievement, or an important moment for us.

Nostalgia is a feeling of longing for the past when an object evokes memories.

"Your child's toy evokes sentimental feelings in you, but you also feel nostalgic for the time you played with it with your child," explains Kiosses.

Understanding and recognizing the difference between these two feelings can be a very important step towards letting go.

Take your child's first pair of shoes, for example.

"It feels like you're saving it for your child," says Ingrid Jansen. "But it's really a memory. You remember going shopping with them, picking out those shoes, and thinking how cute they looked in them."

So it's really worth thinking about the reasons why you keep things and whether those who live with you will truly miss them.

In any case, today's smartphones allow us to quickly snap photos as keepsakes. If a photo can say a thousand words, do we really need to keep anything?