Canadian Home Trends Colour & Trends 2014 | Page 78

Hellen Buttigieg’s

practical ways to
BANISH CLUTTER
Is clutter preventing you from feeling at peace and truly enjoying your home?
Deciding it’s time to de-clutter can feel overwhelming, but putting it off just makes
the task all the more daunting. You don’t have to organize your whole house in a
day. Have a look at the Top 5 Offenders below, choose just one to tackle each
week, and you’ll be well on your way to a more organized home.
Text Hellen Buttigieg

An excess of toys

Having too many toys in the playroom overwhelms
kids just as much as parents. You can cut down on
excess toys by rotating them. Get a large plastic
storage container, label it Toy Library and place a
selection of toys inside. Put the container in storage
for several months. Every so often, exchange the
stored toys for current toys that the kids are getting
bored with.

Organze your Closet

Put aside about half an hour to step into your closet and pull
out any items you have not worn in the past season, while
it’s still fresh in your mind. If you didn’t wear it this summer,
you likely won’t wear it next, so let it go now rather than store
it for another year. For the off-season items you are keeping,
remove them from the closet and pack them in under-thebed containers or storage bags.

Gifts

Your thoughtful family members, friends and co-workers had great
intentions when they generously gave you that gift, but if it's not
right for you or your home, return it soon after receiving it, and
get what you really need; otherwise it just becomes clutter. Does
the thought of returning, giving away or selling gifts make you feel
guilty? Consider that the gift-giver wouldn't want his gift to become
a burden - to be a gift that keeps on taking space and energy.

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