Ever find cleaning and decluttering a chore? Kids are forever getting out toys the second you put them away and then comes another birth...

Ever find cleaning and decluttering a chore? Kids are forever getting out toys the second you put them away and then comes another birthday and they get a load more and you have no space at all to put them! Yeah that my life down to a T but not any more! I've been interviewing Arianna From Clutterbug and she has some brilliant tips on how to declutter and save space to make your life easier.

But first lets get to know her:

I'm a solo mum of 2 (+cat), originally from Jerusalem, currently haunting north London (Finchley). Prior to setting up ClutterBug as a sole-trader, about a year ago, I had an office job in the food industry (food-safety tech).

I've been decluttering and re-gigging homes for as long as I can remember - it relaxes me and helps me think straight.  So after invading the homes of family & friends (with their permission!) I decided to do it professionally - and so far it seems to be working out :-)

I'm a credited by APDO (https://www.apdo.co.uk/), covered by indemnity & 3rd party insurance, and ICO registered (data protection).

Q1:I find with a lot of parents (myself included) that toys clothes and just every day life can get on top of you what are your top tips?

A:

• A simple, realistic routine makes a big difference. 
• A ‘hack’ way of doing something for your home makes it 10 times easier.
• And also simply having less stuff :-) People tend to not see what they have when there's lots of it piled around (true for non physical 'stuff' too...)

Q2:What do you think of younger kids helping with chores?

A: I think its a great idea, I find that you can get kids as young as 3 to declutter their toys & clothes, choosing to donate some items to less fortunate, or simply younger, children. They get really engaged in the process given the right motivation (charity, or making space for new Bday gifts).

I'm a fan of big boxes/ baskets for younger kids, which make tidying up much easier for them (in comparison to shelves). For older kids it is nice to have some shelves, to display their treasured possessions.

Me: I totally agree on the big boxes for kids but they can also be a nightmare and toys get muddled ect.. we have a cubed storage unit with 8 boxes so each child gets 2 boxes each, one for toys and the other for colouring/ favourite toys and the youngest one has nappies in the other.

Donating toys is a fab idea we have the ‘kindness elf’ at Christmas time who sends a letter to ask if the children will donate toys so we can also make room for new ones

'Before an after of a desk Arianna decluttered.'

Q3: What is your most trusted routine for tidying/decluttering?

A: For a routine, trying to stick to a 'one in, one out' rule is very helpful - so one doesn't end up with a massive pile to put away at the end of the day (though I must admit I'm struggling to get my own kids to do this... especially at play-dates).

Q4: What's your rule for clothes? And where do you start?

A: I give clothes a year (unless they're too small) - so it has a chance in each season - but the principle is right. that if they haven't wore it in so long then get rid of it!  For sentimental clothes - I'd say, if you really love it - frame it and put it on the wall (like you would a plaster foot/ hand cast).

If not - let it go...If you don't like the idea of a stranger handling it, find a friend / relative with a baby.

There's no rule on where to start - I'd go from the easiest (whatever carries least emotional 'baggage') and leave the tough ones for last (baby clothes or celebration outfits)

Decluttering and getting rid of things can be really hard, I know, I've been through it myself and as a hoarder of 'crap' it was really difficult for me to part with things, but once I did I felt 10 times better and my family had the space we needed to be more organized and happy.

I hope this Q&A has been helpful for you and let me know in the comments if you have any tips too!

If you want to know more head over to Clutterbug's Facebook, Twitter And Webpage.

Much Love

Mumma

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*this is a collaborative post with Clutterbug London*

cleaning, decluttering, interview