September is here again and many parents may be feeling that their home is a little empty without their little ones (or even not so little ones!) around all day.
The back-to-school period is a great time to make the most of having the home to yourself and clear out some of the clutter that children naturally accumulate in their bedrooms, your living areas or even in the garden.
This September why not take on the challenge to reclaim your home from toys, games and gadgets for a clutter-free autumn. Here are our top tips to achieving a blissful living space, minus the kids’ clutter.
When children start a new school year, they may make new friends and find out about the latest trends. This means they begin to feel disinterested in some of their older toys or may feel as though they have grown out of them. Use this opportunity to clear away these unwanted items and donate them to charity or take them to a car boot sale. Either ask your children to do the job themselves, or if they’re not too keen, clear out a pile while they’re at school and ask them to sort through it when they get home.
Now you’ve discarded the games your children no longer play with, make it a rule that for every new toy they get, they need to get rid of an old one. They could give it to a friend, a younger sibling, or even to a charity shop. This will help to prevent your house being overrun with toys and help children learn that they can’t have everything!
Most children love the idea of having a more ‘grown up’ bedroom or space of their own. If your children are wanting a bedroom makeover, make sure to include plenty of practical storage to keep toys and clutter in their place. Be creative. If you child enjoys collecting certain items, why not make them a feature of the room, in their own display shelving. Kids love quirky, colourful storage items so have a browse on Pinterest to get your imagination going. Even better, build your own creations as a family DIY project.
There’s no escaping the fact that toys can be expensive. In particular large, outdoor toys, that are fantastic for summer, but prove problematic in the winter. To avoid damage to paddling pools, trampolines, swing sets or wendy houses during the colder months, why not put them into seasonal storage? At Andrew Porter Limited you’ll be surprised how little containerised storage can cost, and we’ll even collect the bulky items from your home. This small investment will keep expensive toys and games in pristine condition ready to be delivered back to you when they’re ready to be played with once more.
We hope we’ve inspired you on your quest for a clutter-free home! You can share your before and after pictures or other ideas with us on our Facebook page. And if you’d like a free guide to decluttering your home for sale, just email us and ask for our Decluttering leaflet to be sent to you.
