How not to clutter up a new home - stern words needed!

[EverythingInItsPlace]

As the title suggests, we've moved into a new home. I'm happy with how we've put things into each room; the sitting room and bedrooms are not cluttered and only have what belongs in them iykwim.

BUT the kitchen corner has become a "home" for the bits and bobs that have no home. The utility room has even more (thinking of moving the kitchen corner bits to the utility room so there's only one room cluttered). We also have a garage with bits we don't need in it....

Someone please tell me how to start - pick up one thing, give it a home? Will it take me forever? Move it all to the garage , and go from there???

Don't move it to the garage!

Think of each item of clutter as a decision that has been deferred. If you move it out of sight, it's easier to keep deferring. Instead, you need to make the decisions. Making the decisions of where things should 'live' can take a while to work out what works for you, but once it's done you shouldn't have to think about it any more.

WHAT are you bits and bobs that have no home? Do any of them fall into categories that sort of belong together? That means you can give them a natural home together.

Also remember: try to make it somewhere EASY to put away into. If it as little effort to put away properly as it is to dump in a corner, then you are far more likely to put it away properly.

For example, I have a box for storing what I think of as "stuff used for sticking things to other things". So: sticky tape, duct tape, electricians tape, glue, blue-tac, glue sticks, and so on. This is the only place in the house where they are kept. So looking for 'sticky stuff' doesn't require any mental effort, and putting it back there doesn't require any mental effort either.

Next to that box I have a box with batteries. Every single battery in the house is in that box. Next to it is a bag for old batteries, so that whenever a battery is changed, the old one goes straight in there. Then they get taken for battery recycling when it gets too full.

It won't take forever. But it probably won't happen overnight either.

Make sure everything has its place.
Think of your clutter areas as ‘hot spots’ that need tidying at least once a week. (That’s from FlyLady).
Don’t get or keep things you don’t need (one in one out policy).
Have a coin jar, a pen organiser, and deal with mail as soon as you get it,

Thanks anzu66 the place idea is a good one

And BrownTurkey , you're right about getting rid of things we don't need. Really, seeing as all that stuff hasbeen sitting there for six weeks, we probably don't need any of it. I could declutter it with a big black sack!

It can be a revelation sometimes that you can happily live without something and it can really be freeing to get rid or donate somethings. It’s funny if you don’t have a garage you don’t have all the stuff in there, but if you end up with a garage it’s so easy to just fill it up with stuff!