Home hacks: clear the clutter and cash in

Organising your home and getting rid of things you just don’t need can pay big dividends. Here are eight hacks to get you started.

Organising your home doesn’t need to cost the earth. In fact, using the right storage and taking control of your clutter can end up saving you money.

Not only does having too much stuff make it harder to organise, it can also make cleaning take longer, make tasks more frustrating and allow things to be broken more easily.

Reducing clutter is always the best step towards getting on top of these things.

START SMALL

Working in small sections, a drawer, a shelf or a room at a time, can make organising less daunting.

If you’re feeling overwhelmed, start with the area that bothers you most.

To start culling, simply grab three tubs or boxes, or make piles.

Label them “donate”, “sell” and “rubbish”. Grab one item at a time, allocate it to a box or put it where it belongs.

Do not double handle items. As soon as you decide to sell items, take a photo right away and either list it now or do them in bulk when you take a break.

If it’s going back to where you’re organising, make room for it now.

BE RUTHLESS

Being in the mood to cull and having a ruthless attitude will usually give you the best results. Set yourself small goals and take regular breaks. Remember that Rome wasn’t built in a day, so keep positive.

Once you have finished one area, take the items that are being discarded and donate them or pop them in the car to drop off the following day.

Removing the items straight away makes you less likely to second-guess yourself and it’s easier to start fresh on a new area the next day.

Mess-busters Rachael Hallett, left, and Karlie Suttie host Nova’s original podcast Home Hacks.

REPURPOSE

Now you know what you are keeping, it is time to create space and store it all.

To save money, think about what you can repurpose such as boxes from Apple products, which are sturdy and make great drawer organisers.

Maybe you have a jar from last night’s dinner. Collecting jars can give you that Insta-worthy pantry with all your dry goods stored beautifully in unison. A jar, even without the lid, can make a great pen holder, store make-up brushes, paint brushes or even cotton balls.

If you’re after a more uniform look; matching labels or spray painting the lids can help.

DON’T STORE STORAGE

Keeping packaging you will not use immediately has no purpose and isn’t going to help keep your home organised.

When you get a delivery or buy a new item have a quick think, “Can this packaging be useful?”.

If you think it can, ask “Where?”. If you can’t answer those questions right away, dispose of it thoughtfully.

Ideal places for small sturdy boxes include bedside tables, lounge room drawers, a buffet, or even your stationary drawer or desk.

Use the boxes whole or consider cutting them to create dividers or H-shape holders for cords and Christmas lights.

Use your head … reducing clutter can be a simple process.

CHEAP ALTERNATIVES

If you need to purchase storage, op shops or Facebook marketplace often have a wide variety. Use your imagination to discover unique storage – vases, bowls, cups and jugs can all be used as alternative storage while doubling as home decor.

Kmart, IKEA and discount stores have a huge selection of handy storage items; ranging from small acrylic tubs to large tubs for your garage and everything in between. For a more sustainable choice, seek out timber or bamboo ranges.

A HOME FOR EVERYTHING

Giving each item a specific home, rather than a vague area, will help you know exactly where an item belongs and save you time when you are looking for it.

LARGE TUBS

These are great for storing larger items or sets of items such as Christmas/holiday decorations, party decorations, tools, camping items, outside toys and gardening tools.

Avoid using large tubs for mixed items – the last thing you want to have to do is scrounge through a big tub for a single item.

CLEVER STORAGE

Use things like sticky hooks, cable management tabs and tension rods to create storage where there was none.

Put a 50c sticky hook on the inside of a kitchen cabinet and bam, instant oven glove storage.

Let sticky hooks be your friend.

Use them anywhere and everywhere to hang scarfs, hats, bags, brushes and more. You can even use two angled upright hooks to store pot lids on the inside of your cabinet doors. Spring-loaded tension rods don’t require permanent fixing and will hold between any two solid surfaces.

Use them to hang curtains, under a sink to hang trigger cleaning sprays, hang tea towels, as a drying rack in the laundry or a scarf, belt or tie rack in the bedroom.

When organising, don’t aim for perfection or symmetry as neither work in the long term. Organising is about making life easier, better and less stressful. If you find yourself overwhelmed, take a break, make changes, think about what is really going to suit you – then roll up your sleeves and get started.

Karlie Suttie and Rachael Hallett host Nova’s original podcast Home Hacks

Originally published as Home hacks: clear the clutter and cash in