Midseason isn’t the only time for a spring clean. The post-Christmas months are just calling for a declutter. With the tinsel put away and the presents unwrapped, January is the perfect chance to reinstall a much-needed sense of order into your home.
The self-storage experts at Space Station have teamed up with Sue Spencer, Marie Kondo trained specialist and professional Home Organiser, to help couples tackle the household areas most prone to mess: wardrobes and bathroom cabinets. These are shared spaces – ones you and your partner use every day – and can cause friction when all you seem to see is one another’s clutter. But, with a little pre-planning and expert advice, you can easily turn these topsy-turvy jumbles into havens of calm and composure.
Are your bathroom shelves loaded with lotions? Toppling from stacked-high toiletries? Facewash, shampoo, moisturiser: your bathroom is full of everything you need (and probably plenty that you don’t!). Sue recommends taking a methodical approach to the clutter. Firstly, make sure your cupboards and shelves are in top-notch condition. Use sturdy materials and quality products such as HG Silicon Seal Remover to keep your cabinets spick and span.
Then, it’s time to address the mess. Think carefully about which items you use together at similar times of the day. Huddle morning essentials such as lip stick and serum at the front of the shelf for easy access on bleary eyed mornings. Similarly, store your pamper day treats towards the back. This will add an element of ease to each day and prevent you from rummaging through every bottle you own each morning just to wash your face!
Using containers or dividers will make your morning schedule even swifter. Separating your toiletries from your partner’s will prevent you both from getting in a tangle during the morning rush and make it much easier to grab all your morning must-haves in one go. Fast and fuss-free: what we all want!
It’s also important to think about health and safety when organising your bathroom shelves. Be sure not to overburden shelf surfaces or place bottles – especially those made from glass – close to the edge where they could fall and smash. Also, always ensure liquids are stored away from windows as sunlight can break down active ingredients and cause products to expire more quickly.
So, you’ve pampered and powdered; now it’s time to get dressed. A mismatched mess won’t get your day off to the best start – it’s much better to open your wardrobe to order and organisation. We know that finding space in the bedroom for two sets of clothes can be a mammoth task, but tidying up is less stressful than you’d think (honestly!). With a little thought and expert advice, your wardrobe can be a mini TARDIS, holding more than you ever imagined.
As with the bathroom, bring a savvy systematic approach to wardrobe spaces. Start by separating clothes into groups, keeping tops and bottoms on different shelves and clustering similar items close together.
Make use of every nook and cranny by investing in some space-saving gadgets like hooks, boxes and pull-out shoe racks. If you have a lot of clothes (that’s all of us, then…), it’s a good idea to store out-of-season items under the bed or in the loft. You’re not (we hope!) going to need woolly jumpers in July!
Sue’s final tip: be ruthless. We all have our go-to favourites – that face cream you can’t live without, that pair of jeans that make you feel a million dollars – and should allow these key pieces to take pride of place amongst your belongings. Don’t clutter up your space with clothes, shoes and toiletries that you say you might use but know you never will. Organising your wardrobe and bathroom shelves will feel like a breath of fresh air, and restore calm and order after the festive frenzy.
Household SOS can be daunting, especially when you’ve got clutter coming up to your eyeballs and out of your ears. But it will always be worth it. Reordering the chaos eliminates muddle from your mornings and adds ease to your evenings, allowing you and your partner to focus on the things that really matter – spending time together in a stress-free environment.
