We are all guilty of having some degree of a cluttered home. Our ape-like brains cling to objects because they make us feel familiar and comfortable in our homes. Unless you are a true minimalist (see the Minimalist series on Netflix), we all have a home with clutter. This author included.

To achieve a beautiful home, it's important to declutter it to reveal and show your authentic home look and style.

ACCESS & GOALS

Firstly, you want to assess which areas in your home you want to prioritize. Is it your primary living space where you often use and move items around? Or are those low-use areas becoming your dumping ground and needing some decluttering?

Secondly, set goals for your decluttering. Do a room a day, or set a goal of throwing out x amount of clutter, i.e. select a box to fill with clutter to get rid of. We recommend starting small, like a bathroom and going from there. Keep it manageable.

METHODS OF CLUTTERING

There are several methods or techniques to declutter your home or room.

FOUR BOX METHOD

Grab four boxes and label them as 'KEEP,' 'DONATE,' 'THROW OUT,' and 'UNDECIDED.'

Place objects in the various boxes as you go, and hopefully, you should have more items that get moved out than kept.

A big part of decluttering involves a mental mindset change. You have to force yourself to ask yourself the hard question: Am I going to use this item or object in the short or medium term?

Use the cost or value of an item to help decide if it's worth keeping or not. If it's small and cheap, get rid of it. If it's expensive, keep it.

KON MARI METHOD^TM

Developed by Marie Kondo, a Japanese organizing consultant, her method of decluttering involves using a simple concept of "does this item bring me happiness?" If so, keep it. If not, declutter it!

The method also gets you to ask yourself, does this item spark joy? And listen to your emotional brain when making these decisions.

THE ONE YEAR METHOD

This method is used by the author. Every year, go through your home and ask yourself this question. Have I used this item in the last year? If it's a no, then it goes. If it is an item that you really want to keep. Ask yourself, will you use it within the next 12 months? Then keep it. But be realistic: will you use it within the next 12 months?

After a year, do the process again. If you still have an item, you said you would use in the previous 12 months. Then it goes.

DECLUTTER WITH DESIGN IN MIND

Remember that decluttering also involves the visual aspect of having a clear interior design. You want to declutter to showcase your furniture and art. But you still want to ensure you have accessories and decorative items that add to your home rather than clutter. Don't forget to have a throw, but you don't need seven.

THE IKEA WAY SOLUTION

One method of "decluttering" is to store all your clutter away. This is not technically decluttering. Instead, it is storing your clutter in a way that allows you to put it out of sight. This works, but it's not solving the issue of having a cluttered house in the first place. And it only encourages you to bring clutter back out. Sure, you can go and get all Ikea'ed out with storage solutions, and if that's your jam, we won't criticize you. But try to keep the concept of actually decluttering the goal.

GREEN DISPOSAL

One person's trash is another person's treasure. Nowadays, we create so much waste, so it's essential to remember that when you declutter your home, you want to try to keep as much clutter out of the landfills as possible.

The first goal of all your clutter should be to find someone else who could continue to find some use for it. Take clutter that can still be used to your local second-hand or thrift stores. Utilise listing items for free on the marketplace, and you will be surprised by how many people will take stuff off you for free.

The second goal is to recycle items. Most of those toiletries can be emptied and put in the recycling.