HOW TO ...
NEW YEAR CLEAN & DECLUTTER
While we cherish the festive period and make the very most out of having a full home and busy schedules alongside plenty of well-deserved R & R , by the time January comes around it can be evident the impact this has had on our homes . Although we aren ’ t strangers to the annual ‘ new year , fresh start ’ clean , in 2025 we ’ re looking to take this to the next level , kickstarting a productive year with a cleansing declutter , too .
With the help of Simon Glanville , managing director for home storage specialist brand , A Place for Everything ( aplaceforeverything . co . uk ) who shares his top tips and very favourite storage picks to help you on your way , we ’ ve put together a handy guide on how to get your home positively spick and span for the ultimate new year reset .
THE KITCHEN – focus on your fridge :
1 . Declutter ! Check on those sauce bottles and jars you ’ ve been hanging onto and if there really isn ’ t anything left in the bottom then discard . Pop the remains in the food waste , wash the bottles and jars and recycle .
2 . Any remaining jars , bottles , fruit and veg or eggs that won ’ t spoil by being out of the fridge for a few days , put them somewhere cool .
3 . Try and keep food that you need to eat first at the front of the fridge or all on one shelf , so nothing gets missed .
4 . Use clear boxes and can / bottle storage to help you access what you need and keep the rest out of the way .
A brilliant way of increasing space is using translucent boxes . The key here is you can see what ’ s inside and you can get them in various sizes , with or without lids ( the lidded ones are great for stacking ), so you can divide foodstuffs then into one box for ‘ meat ’, another for ‘ vegetarian ’ and so on . Additionally , during this time , you can employ these containers to designate specific days or meals for ingredients , making it a great system for food prepping and easy midweek meals .
There are also other products which you can use to order the chaos that is a post-Christmas fridge such as portable condiment caddies that sit in the fridge door , which you can put directly on the dining the table in the caddy and then pop back after using . You can also eliminate the hassle of dealing with soggy cardboard drink holders from the store or the annoyance of them rolling around in your fridge with dedicated drinks can storage .
Before you embark on your organisational journey , it ’ s essential to resist the temptation to overbuy ; fortunately , the use of transparent boxes allows you to keep track of your purchases and prioritise consuming the most perishable items first .
THE HALLWAY – sort out those shoes :
Think vertically ! Use wall space where possible and choose hook and hangers that have multi-uses to store both keys and coats - a mirror with hidden storage for post , keys and bags is always a winner .
Shoe racks , while essential , do take up lots of space . Storing shoes at an angle will save vital floor space and look a bit more modern , too . Despite the best of intentions and urges for the kids ( and older members of the household !) to line up their shoes when they kick them off , they ’ re never going to stay in place . Also , if you have pets , that favourite pair of trainers could end up as a chewing toy ! There are lots of great storage options , some which double up as benches and are just nice-looking pieces of furniture .
Simon suggests : iDesign Fridge and Pantry Organiser with Dividers - Large , £ 16.50
Simon suggests : Cubiko Hallway Organiser , £ 27.50
Simon suggests : Shoe Storage Bench with Wooden Top White , £ 110
134 • www . insidekent . co . uk