EXCLUSIVE I'm a professional decluttering expert, here's how you can eliminate mess from your home for good

Daily Mail​

13-05-2025

A professional declutter has shared vital tips to eliminating the mess from your home - for good.
Between dresser drawers than can barely shut, overflowing closets, and boxes filled with who-knows-what, people have become accustomed to living with mess in their homes.
But according to Lesley Spellman and Ingrid Jansen - founders of The Declutter Hub and co-authors of the new book Reset Your Home: Unpack Your Emotions and Your Clutter, Step by Step - that chaos may be doing more harm than you think.
Thankfully, Lesley spoke exclusively with DailyMail.com about the simple steps that you can take to rid the disarray from your abode once and for all.
Take some time to understand why you held on to something for so long
Lesley - who, along with Ingrid, has helped thousands regain control of their homes - explained to DailyMail.com that the first step to decluttering is to try to 'understand why you kept something' for so long.
'Decluttering is about emotions first, stuff second,' she dished.
'Until you understand the reason you're holding onto something, you'll keep repeating the cycle.
'This is not about chucking stuff into a binbag willy-nilly. The key to decluttering is understanding what made you buy something, why it's still sitting there unused six months later and how to avoid making the same mistake again. Then, and only then, can the bin bag come out.'
Face the fact that if you haven't used an item you bought years ago by now, you probably never will
Lesley explained that often times, clutter builds up when people buy or get gifted something and fail to use it.
Then, because they feel guilty about wasting money on it, they refuse to get rid of it.
Think about it - have you ever looked at a cooking gadget that you never opened and told yourself, 'I should keep that because one day I might need it?'
But according to Leslie, if you haven't used it by now, you probably never will.
'We hold on to things because of the guilt we feel about spending a lot of money on a gadget we have never used,' she said.
'That juicing recipe book we've never opened but aspire to, that dinner service we inherited that just doesn't work but we feel overly sentimental about.
'Guilt, aspiration and sentimentality are the emotions that make us hold on to things that become clutter and stop us from easily being able to find and access the things we need on a day to day basis.'
Be prepared to confront your past impulse purchases
Lesley pointed out that many people also build up clutter around their homes because they buy things without thinking, and don't want to face their 'impulse' purchases later on.
'Retail therapy is a very real thing as we succumb to that feeling of wanting a treat after a hectic week,' she said.
'Make-up, toiletries, perfume - they are the perfect pick-me-up but when you get home and the dopamine hit has worn off, we often find we have another three or five or 10 of the very same thing also bought in haste.
'Spending time gathering like with like and confronting yourself with past purchases can be enlightening and means that the results of your decluttering will be more impactful long-term.'
She pointed out that beauty products are 'designed' to be used up quickly, so if it's been years and it's still mostly full, you should ask yourself, 'Will it ever be used?'
Try to get rid of emotional connections you have with clothes that don't fit anymore
Lesley added that many people tend to keep clothes long after they either no longer fit or aren't in style anymore because of an 'emotional connection' they may have with the clothing items.
Of course it's hard to let go of a shirt that was once your favorite, or a pair of jeans that have a sweet memory tied to them.
But the expert explained that your closet should be filled with 'opportunity' rather than feelings from the past.
'Your emotional connection to your clothes is deep seated and it can take some soul searching to let them go,' she said.
'We owe it to ourselves to open our wardrobes in the morning and see opportunity rather than wading through things that don't fit to find things that do.
'Having clothes in your wardrobe that don't fit is common. More often than not they hang around for many years before realism kicks in and you can admit that the likelihood of wearing them again is slim.
'Let's not perpetuate that guilty negative feeling by keeping things that don't fit and see decluttering as a way to reconnect with items that are serving us well for our current lifestyle.'
Be aware of clutter blindness - especially with sentimental items like photographs or momentos
Lesley pointed out that often, people develop 'clutter blindness' in their homes, which means they don't even see things that really shouldn't be there anymore.
This is especially common with sentimental items like old photographs or momentos, which once meant a lot to you.
'Because you are in these rooms every day, you may have become clutter blind,' she warned. 'You are seeing these things so often that you no longer identify them as clutter'
'Because you are in these rooms every day, you may have become clutter blind,' she warned.
'You are seeing these things so often that you no longer identify them as potential clutter.
'What can really help you is to take a photo or video of your room. That allows you to look at things with a fresh pair of eyes and really home in on the things that no longer enhance your space.'
Break the process down into chunks so it doesn't feel as overwhelming
Lesley recommended breaking the process up by room so it doesn't feel as overwhelming.
'Every item you find requires a decision to be made so don't underestimate how tiring that can be,' she said.
'The best way to tackle your decluttering is by breaking it down into small manageable chunks.
'Don't aim to do your whole house in one weekend, otherwise there's every chance you'll get fed up and abandon the project completely before you're done.'
She added that you can also separate at the process into three different steps: decluttering, organizing and cleaning.
'All three of those things are completely different,' she dished.
In the end, Lesley noted that 'decluttering and organizing your home takes time and energy,' and is never an easy feat.
But she hopes that following her tips can make the process go smoother.
And she reminded DailyMail.com's readers that it will be so worth it once it's done.
'There's nothing quite so satisfying as seeing your unwanted items get a second life via goodwill,' she concluded. 'And always remember less stuff means less to clean. Best of luck!'