Ditch the gym…and embrace some springcleaning – apparently, you’ll burn just as many calories and have a spotless home. A new study from online health and fitness site Vivotion.com found that scrubbing the bath for 15 minutes can burn the same calories as doing 250 jumping jacks. Washing pans can burn 180 calories per week while hoovering can burn 90 calories in 30 minutes – equal to15 minutes of kickboxing.
And if you’ve been watching Marie Kondo’s Netflix series Tidying Up you’ll know all about the feel-good power of chucking out things that don’t ‘spark joy’. But it’s not easy to know where to begin. Putney’s Victoria Nicholson is a professional organiser with My Wardrobe Zen and here she shares some top tips for tackling the clutter…
1. Visualise
Before you begin to picture how you would like to use your space and how you would like it to look. Keep this in mind throughout the process.
2. Empty EVERYTHING
Whether it’s your wardrobe or kitchen shelves, empty everything out so you can not only see what you have but how much storage space there is. Only put items back once you have been through everything and decided what to keep, then you know how much space is needed.
3. Organise, organise, organise
Sort by category, not by room. If you have a lot, you can divide the categories into smaller subcategories.
4. Deal with the personal last
Leave sentimental items until last as by then you’ll have honed your selection skills and are less likely to be distracted.
5. Be smart with your space
For example, use good quality skinny hangers, they take up less space. Using the same type throughout also looks great.
6. Don't be a hoarder
Remember when deciding what to keep that your belongings should reflect who you are now.
7. Back it all up
If you have problems letting go of items, try taking a photo first – this is especially useful for children’s artwork.
8. Get crafty
Don’t waste money on drawer dividers but reuse firm sided cardboard boxes (shoe boxes, iPhone packaging, cosmetic gift boxes).
9. Give yourself plenty of time
Allocate enough time for your task, otherwise, you will end up shoving everything back in a cupboard just so you have somewhere to sleep!
10. Break it up
Take plenty of breaks during your decluttering marathon – it can be exhausting mentally and physically.
11. Seek help
Hire a professional organiser – you will get through it quicker and it helps to be accountable to someone.