The Home Edit

With Spring around the corner (hurrah!) my mind is turning to one of my favourite seasonal jobs - decluttering or we like to say ‘home editing’ at EHG! The satisfaction I get from having a good clear-out is huge, it’s a great way to hit the refresh button for your home ahead of the summer months.

If you are bringing your home to market, a buyer doesn’t want to see how you live in the space but how they would live there so de-personalising to get market ready is super important.

Whether it’s simply moving things around, upcycling, storage solutions, re-painting, tweaking and taming all the clutter or a full on style change, It is something that is accessible to everyone. There is no need for a huge budget to make a beautiful home, any space can look good when styled beautifully.

But, the thought of decluttering for many can be daunting. Where to start? Won’t it take forever? How do I know what to keep and what to bin?

I like to focus on the outcome. What will decluttering give you?

Easy! A cleaner, brighter more spacious home, a sense of achievement and peace knowing you are creating a calmer more organised space Or if looking to sell, putting your best foot forward - You wouldn’t try and sell a dirty car would you ;-)

There are a number of other “wins” too when editing.  Old and unloved items that have little value to you, may be just what someone else needs - get them to your local charity shop or go online and find out where you can donate to help one of the many available crisis centres.

Try The Salvation Army , oxfam or the british heart foundation who will even collect your items for you.

Knowing you are sending these off to a good home is huge motivation. plus, in a world of disposable items, recycling is just an easy way to be greener. Sustainability being the key these days. Why not Upcycle a piece of furniturE? give it a coat of paint, with some imagination you can re create something beautiful to then be re used.

Feel-good factors rising? Motivation kicking in?

To help further, here are my “best-foot-forward” tips for editing without losing your mind!

COMMIT:

And I mean commit! Focus on the end goals. Write down what your commitment to decluttering will give you and why it is important. This will help spur you on!

GET PREPPED:

Think about what you will need in advance to help you declutter. Strong bin-bags, recycling bags, sturdy boxes, packing tape, bubble wrap, cleaning items etc.

Talk to your local charity shops to let them know you are having a clear out and find out when the best time is to drop your bags off to be re homed and how they like to receive items.

MAKE TIME:

Schedule time slots in to conduct your decluttering session. You are more likely to stick to this if you book yourself out, and don’t try to cram time in where are already squeezed for it. Put time in where you actually have a decent amount available to make a valuable difference.

TAKE PHOTOS:

Get some photographic evidence of before you start. Think about how great you will feel when you compare the before shots with your after shots once all of your hard work is done.

STEP BY STEP:

You don’t have to do it all at once. I always recommend focusing on one room at a time. This is a great way to relieve any feelings of being overwhelmed! Set yourself a target of 1 room a week if it helps to break things down.

LEARN TO LET GO:

This is where you have to get tough, be ruthless!! There is, of course, nothing wrong with holding on to sentimental items. Your home is a collection of personal affects that are a reflection of you.. but … be bold and ask yourself “do I really need this? “ When it comes to just general “stuff”, ask yourself “will I genuinely ever use this?” If there answer is no - they have to go!

HAVE FUN:

Yes trust me this is possible! Once I get into the swing of decluttering it becomes cathartic, freeing and fun! One of the things I love the most about decluttering is unearthing long-forgotten bits and bobs, sometimes junk, but sometimes treasure too! A good polish and clean up and sometimes old things can become new again.

CELEBRATE:

The most important part! You should absolutely reward yourself for all of your hard work. A meal out, a hot bubble bath, a night out with friends - you name it! you deserve it!! You could set yourself mini reward goals per room as you go along, you don’t have to wait until the very end. (who doesn’t want multiple rewards?!)

It has taken me a few years to get my “editing” down to a finely honed art, admittedly I have also moved house alot so every time i move, i clear the decks. my time as an Interior Stylist has most definitely helped too! We do a huge amount of “editing” as part of our Home Staging & Styling Service and I just love seeing the difference we make to clients’ homes.

If clients are living in a property whilst it is on the market, we work our magic to declutter the space. it’s so important that potential buyers can imagine themselves living in your home, and by removing unnecessary items (we can look after them for you) this is achieved, and our styled and or staged homes sell faster.

I hope my insight has helped, and I would LOVE to see some of your before and after photo’s!

Email me: kate@ehghome.co.uk

Kate x