The Benefits of Decluttering Your Home

• Less clutter in your home will help you feel more relaxed. If you’re a parent or have a demanding job, decluttering will alleviate stress as not only will you be able to easily locate things when rushing around, you’ll generally feel less distracted by your environment when busy at home.
• Studies have shown that those who describe their living spaces as cluttered, or full of unfinished projects, were more likely to be fatigued than people who described their homes as restful and restorative - can you believe it?
• Having clutter in rooms where you sleep can actually affect your quality of sleep. You know what they say, tidy home, tidy mind… and a more peaceful night's sleep!
• Looking around at clutter can be daunting, and may even create negative feelings about your home. You work hard for your home, you should be able to look around and see an environment that you love. Doing simple tasks like removing piles of unused items will help you achieve that fresh home feeling.
• A simplified home can help you focus more on daily tasks. Many of us have taken on a “working from home” lifestyle this year and tidy surroundings will help you feel more engaged and less distracted.

Now that you know the benefits of decluttering your home, how do you make a start? Keep reading to find out!

Marigold’s Top Tips For Decluttering

• Create a checklist: Not only is this an excuse to buy new stationery, but it’ll also motivate you to keep on top of tasks and tick them off as you go.
• Ask for help from friends and family: If you’re tackling a larger decluttering project, asking for help will ensure you don’t feel overwhelmed. Pop on a fun playlist and prepare some snacks to make a fun day of it.
• Take before and after pictures of each room to motivate yourself: Keeping pictures to look back on will help you see how far you have come. And who doesn’t love a “tap to tidy” Instagram shot? If you share your photos on Instagram, don’t forget to tag @Marigold_UK so we can show them some love!
• Clean as you go: Don’t leave all the small cleaning tasks until the end of the declutter. Dusting, wiping down, and sanitising areas as you go is a good use of time and means you’ll complete your declutter much faster. Keep reading for our top tips on this!

The Decluttering “Five Basket” Method

To make your decluttering easier from the get-go, grab five baskets/boxes with designated labels:

1. A Put-Away Basket: This basket is for items that have found themselves out of their usual storage space. These items will go back to their designated spots once you’ve reorganised.
2. A Recycle Basket: This is for waste items that can be recycled and so need to be put into the correct bin.
3. A “To Be Cleaned” Basket: Use this basket for items that need some Marigold Magic! Putting these items to one side will help your home instantly feel cleaner.
4. A “For The Bin” Basket: Fill this basket (or bin bag) with items you no longer need and can be discarded immediately.
5. A “To Donate” Basket: Designate this basket for items that you can donate to a charity shop or give away to a family member or friend.

A Room by Room Declutter Guide

To help you stay calm and focus, here's Marigold’s room by room to follow:

The Bathroom

Start with your cupboards. Take everything out and discard unwanted makeup, skincare and toiletries. Remember to check expiry dates, as yes, even makeup expires! Don't forget to check what can be recycled/repurposed before throwing it away. Give your cabinets and surfaces a wipe down with the Marigold Let It Shine! Microfibre Cloths, then return all items.

Don’t forget your Marigold Longer Bathroom Gloves so you can give your bathroom a deep clean at the same time. These gloves have extra long cuffs to prevent water from running up your arm and getting inside your glove.

The Bedroom

Arguably the most important room to be clutter-free - a bedroom should be your place of zen! Place all the items from the floor and surfaces onto your bed and start to distribute them into the baskets of keep/charity/recycle. Wipe down window sills and surfaces with a damp Marigold Let It Shine! Microfibre Cloth, these cloths will remove over 99% of bacteria when you just add water*.

Keep a basket in your bedroom to create a spot to drop blankets or throw pillows. Don't forget about under-the-bed storage too - vacuum storage bags are great if you have a small gap. Use them to keep seasonal specific clothes compact and neat.

The Wardrobe

Arguably the biggest task of the home declutter! Start at the bottom and work up: Start with shoes, then trousers, then tops and dresses, etc. If you feel overwhelmed, have a break and start again when you’re ready.

Even your wardrobe gets dusty, so give it a wipe down with the Marigold Let It Shine! Microfibre Cloths. These cloths come in a handy pack of four so you’ll have plenty to hand. A great way to keep organised is to allocate a different coloured cloth to each room or task.

The Kitchen

Is your kitchen filled with never-used, mismatching mugs, plates, and cutlery? Time to collect all of your kitchenware and decide which parts to keep, and which to give to charity. This review could also be the perfect excuse to start a creative upcycling project - for example turning old mugs into plant pots, a great activity to do with children!

To keep your kitchen in tip-top shape, add internal storage trays into your cabinets to create more space. Acrylic trays in your fridge helps utilise all the space and efficiently store food. Check out @fridgeorganization on Instagram for more inspiration.

Before putting everything back, don’t forget your food cupboards and fridge need a clear-out too - The Marigold Wiper Upper is perfect for this job to wipe away any leftover spills or crumbs.

The Living Room

Firstly, pick up everything off the floor and place it into designated baskets. If your lounge still feels messy, invest in some stylish storage baskets to keep “messy” looking items hidden.

Open shelves can look great, but it’s easy for them to become cluttered with trinkets, knick-knacks, and junk. The "three per shelf" rule can help - group items that have a similar colour palette or theme. Their sizes and shapes may differ, but the items should be linked together.

Clean As You Go With Marigold

Cleaning as you go is essential when reorganising your home. Marigold are always looking to share tips for cleaning the house. Some of your Marigold favourites will make your wipe downs better than ever. Pop these items in a caddy for each room of your home to ensure you don’t forget to clean a little every day...

• Marigold Extra-Life Kitchen Gloves. Our iconic yellow gloves are not JUST for the kitchen! These gloves are uniquely triple layered, meaning you can use them to deep clean your home without worrying about damaging your gloves or hands!
• Marigold Gloves For Sensitive Skin. These gloves are latex-free and are designed to be gentle to skin, giving you peace of mind when cleaning.
• Marigold Let It Shine! Microfibre Cloths This pack of four cloths will become your new best friend whilst decluttering. The multi-purpose cloths can be used wet or dry, ensuring cupboards and surfaces are polished and dust-free.
  There is no need to use household chemicals when using these microfibre cloths for cleaning. When used with just water, the cloth removes over 99% of bacteria - WOW!**
• Marigold Crystal Clear Window Cloth This cloth will come in handy for our favourite task. Use this cloth to clean your windows for a streak-free, sparkling finish - so light can pour into your beautiful, decluttered home.

We hope you enjoyed our tips and tricks to help you declutter your home this winter. Send your before and after pictures to @Marigold_UK on Instagram or Facebook for a chance to be featured!