How to declutter your house

Buckle up, decluttering is serious business. There'll be moments of ruthlessness, ferociously throwing away anything that no longer serves you. Then, there’ll be moments lost to nostalgia, as sentimental pieces invite you to walk down memory lane... but you mustn’t get distracted, or the job will take far longer than you have time for! Here, we set you up with the practical tips you need to get started and advice to keep you on course.

Let's begin.

The first task is to set aside space or containers to categorise all the bits and pieces. You’ll want one each for things to keep, throw away, or give away. 

Things you decide to keep should serve a purpose, be it practical or sentimental. So how do you decide? Ask yourself these questions:

• How often do I use this?
• When was the last time I used this?
• Does this item have a big memory attached to it, that I don’t want to lose?
• Does it spark joy? (Shout out to Marie Kondo)

Chances are, if you don’t use something often, haven’t used it in over 12 months, or hold it and feel absolutely nothing, it may not be worth keeping.

This is all the stuff you absolutely don’t need anymore. Maybe they’re items that are broken or stained beyond repair, or perhaps you've just accumulated a lot of random bric-a-brac over the years (hello, drawer full of stationery items you never use!). Now’s the time to be brutal. Ditch it all and relish the transformation. 

You might not use something again, but perhaps someone else can! Items that deserve a second lease of life can be anything from clothes and toys to gadgets and books. Decide if you want to be charitable, or if you want to make a little cash and sell it second-hand. Whatever you decide, always be mindful of the condition of the item and check it’s truly ok to give away or sell. 

If the idea of cleaning your entire house in one go sounds overwhelming, that’s because it is! That's why we suggest tackling the job in stages. Start with the easiest room first (we all love a quick win) and steadily work through each section of the house.

Consider the kitchen, for example. First, start with the countertop. When that’s done, hit the drawers. After that, clear out the cupboards. Bit by bit, the job gets done. It’s all about doing it in manageable chunks.

Whether the goal to declutter is based on moving out, preparing for an event or to simply enhance your living space, setting a realistic timeline and approach for how to go about it can help.

Work backwards from the date you want to achieve your goal by and start as soon as possible. Remember, if you go room by room, gradually you’ll notice a difference. It’s about being patient and keeping perspective on the overall picture and process.

Now, if you are in a hurry and want to declutter your home fast, you may want to call in a few friends (or professionals) to help get the job done. And that leads us to our next tip...

What’s great about the internet (beyond funny cat videos) is its ability to connect us with other people; and sometimes, those people can be really, really good at helping! So, if decluttering by yourself seems a bit much right now (time, where does it go!?) you may consider heading over to our partners at Airtasker for a hand.

Airtasker occasionally help out our NRMA Insurance Help Hub customers with offers, but even when there isn’t a discount waiting for you, you can still find someone handy to help you declutter your home at a reasonable price. Simply create an account, post a description of the job (and how much you’re wanting to spend), and watch the quotes roll in before picking the Tasker you want to work with.

Given we're an insurance blog, it would be remiss of us to not mention one last thing to consider while tidying up: creating a home inventory and keeping important receipts.

A home inventory is a list of all the stuff you have at home. We’re talking about everything from expensive electronics and whitegoods to the clothes you wear every day. As you go through each room, take a note of everything in it. And, when you buy something new that’s quite valuable (like a laptop, piece of jewellery or new washing machine), pop the receipt in a folder or scan it to your computer for safekeeping.

Having this list of what you own and a record of your receipts, can come in handy in the event you ever need to make a home buildings and contents insurance claim.

Good luck with your decluttering!