Clutter Cleansing

A fun morning spent styling and home staging a beautiful old house, soon to be put on the market, with the photographer Paul Floyd Blake. It reminded me of my former life (which feels many moons ago) as an interior’s editor. Spending the time and effort to get a house ‘sale ready’ will increase viewings and the asking price. It’s something really worth investing in if you’ve a special property. I always respect client confidentiality but they didn’t mind me sharing a shot of their gorgeous Art Deco tiles. @ Hebden Bridge

STORAGE UNITS can feel like the perfect solution if you have to move house quickly or inherit lots of things. When your house reaches its storage capacity they can hold the overflow. But they can also be costly. A lovely lady I’ve been helping has confessed the cost of keeping things in storage has cost her “a small mortgage.” She’s now working hard to let go of her unit but with decades worth of things it’s hard work. I can help you chip away at your storage unit. I’ve helped another client reduce her monthly outgoings by moving to a smaller unit. These photos show the difference a couple of hours with me can make. I could have done more but I always respect the pace of the client.

Mother’s Day can be tricky if you’ve lost your mum. My funny mum was killed 15 years ago and my lovely nanna (who I was very close to and spent most of my school holidays with) died 8 years ago. There isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t think about them. Over the years I’ve gradually let go of many of their things as their possessions hold less potency and I’ve learnt the memories still live on without material prompts. One of my favourite things is a mug with the lette...r F for Freda on the side. I bought it for my nanna but rather that use it she hung it on a hook in her kitchen like an ornament - as old people do. I use this mug everyday. I like to think it’s my nanna making me a cup of tea - and we all know how much better everything feels after a decent cuppa 👏🏼💔💚 And when that doesn’t quite work the potty mouth I’ve inherited from my mum steps in 🤬😂
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When you promise to give your daughters a lift but you realise your car is full of stuff from today’s client’s Declutterering session😂

Now taking bookings for May - there are some weekend slots available too 🌈🤛🏻

☹️F U R ☹️ : This was one of the pieces from yesterday’s wardrobe decluttering session....When a decluttering client has a fur coat to let go of (and to be fair they’ve often been inherited) I tell them I send it to PETA. Yes, I too was once surprised to learn that the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals Foundation actually encourage donations of coats, stoles and trims. PETA use them for educational displays and anti-fur ‘fashion shows’ (think lots of fake blood) or... to provide bedding for needy animals. Other pieces get sent to people round the world - such as women and children in sub-Saharan Africa - who can’t afford to buy their own coats. This solution seems the ideal way to clear your closet and your conscience. Don’t let furs fester - do something positive with them 🤸🏽‍♀️
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🏆Great session with a lovely client who was lucky enough to have a walk in wardrobe but, because of her demanding job, it had got out of hand so she could no longer face doing the walking-in bit anymore... SO we edited and rearranged and kindly donated 😇 some great items to charity 💚

There’s nothing wrong with taking shortcuts - from not making meals from scratch to ditching the idea of ironing. By giving yourself some slack you’ll have more energy to give to others 💚🤸🏽‍♀️✔️

I was about to offer this this fish tank for free on a local Facebook group then I realised it sucked up all the fish into it’s filter (“mummy why is only half the fish there?” 🙈). I’m not a fan of taking things to the tip but sometimes it’s inevitable 🐠🐡🐠🐙

Yesterday was the final day of the annual Association of Professional Declutterers & Organisers @apdo_uk - yes - I know - there actually is such a thing. Well - as you can seei was in excellent company. I’d love her to let me help her live with less - I bet she’s got a few unwanted gifts knocking about ... . . . .... . #livingwithless #royalfamily
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S U S T A I N A B L E . F A S H I O N : At the annual @apdo_uk conference ( the collective term for a bunch of organisers 😂) I’ve been introduced to a great new & clever resource called @refashionuk. It’s a bit like the glee you feel when you discover a charity shop in a posh area. But a charity shop which has been usefully edited into size and brands, And all the clothes are n i c e. And you don’t have to actually go there... So it’s a new online fashion store which sells p...reloved clothes with the double plus that all a large chunk (60% v 19% to a conventional charity shop) of the money goes to charity. At the moment it’s @breast_cancer_care but other charities are coming on board soon. And if you do have any goodies to donate hook up with them and they’ll send you a bag to put clothes in to drop off at the post office. . . . . . . #sustainablefashion #sustainable #wardrobedeclutter #wardrobedetox #ecoliving #circularfashion #intentionalliving
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Eeek - what to with old diaries?
I recently unearthed my teenage ones and there is no way I'd want my husband to read about all my obsessions, insecurities and dalliances. They're full of my dreams and secrets (as my mum discovered when she read them and caught me bunking school to avoid a French test).
Reading them now I was such a drama queen 🙄.
... But it doesn't feel right to throw them out and I don't feel the need for any sort of bonfire but I did wonder what should become of them...
Well, I've discovered a fantastic resource called www.thegreatdiaryproject.co.uk which rescues diaries to archive and make public.
Researchers may not be interested in how annoying I found my brother, how I was going to marry Roddy Frame from Aztec Camera and how much I spent on Twilight Teaser lipstick, but they might relish my first person account of growing up in a single parent family in Thatcher’s Britain. In 100 years from now people might be interested in what I had for tea or what life was like a comprehensive school.
The project, launched in 2007, holds nearly 9000 diaries from all walks of life, which can be viewed at Bishopsgate Institute Reading Room in London.
I'll just have to hope no one I know plans a visit.
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In my quest for a simpler life I’m always fascinated by people who’ve not just talked about living with less but actually followed it through. I’ve recently been introduced to Holly Mitchell, a 24 year-old buyer (ironically) and writer, who lives in Leeds. She and her fiancé Ben are proud minimalists. Here’s a little chat I had with Holly: So tell me about your minimalist journey? [ 1,159 more word ] http://cluttercleansing.net/…/meet-a-mi nimalist-4-minute-r…/

Some bras donated by a client sent off to help women in Africa 🤛🏻👍🏼

Eeek - who remembers this .... ?

Once I’d started on my personal decluttering journey one of my new found pleasures in life was purging. Yes, using up that last little bit of something, before I replaced it. I remember how my mum would pour vinegar into the ketchup bottle to help swill out those bits stuck to the side. There’s a whole movement called Project Panning who rejoice in using up their make-up and sharing pictures of when they ‘hit pan’ - which basically means the bottom of the case, of say a blusher, starts to show through. [ 288 more words ] http://cluttercleansing.net/…/the-joy-o f-purging-2-minute-…/

We enlisted Sarah at Clutter Cleansing’s help when we moved to a new house and she was amazing!



We were moving into our newly renovated home and had put many of our possessions in storage whilst the work was carried out. We considered ourselves to be a tidy and non-cluttered family, as we’d found a tidy place for every possession in our old home.



Sarah worked with us to ensure we didn’t ‘clutter’ our new home from the start. She was kind, honest and a really good sounding board to help us truly understand what was ‘valuable / important’ to us and what was simply clutter / hoarding.



We were all astonished with the amount of ‘stuff’ we’d amassed over the years which we thought was essential, valuable or important to us, but Sarah helped us to see our ‘stuff’ differently.



Interestingly, if we’d have worked with Sarah before we put our stuff in storage, we’d have only needed one storage unit rather than 2 and would have saved ourselves £780 over the year!!!



I would not hesitate in recommending Sarah to de-clutter your home / office / one room. She made the whole experience calm, quick and enjoyable. I’ve recommended her to other family and friends who have also been delighted with Sarah.

This lady is amazing. I'm very much a hoarder and whilst being ruthless Sarah gently lets you know that you don't need 25 mismatched Tupperware items etc, she is a miracle worker, thanks Sarah x

Sarah helped me get to grips with what felt like an overwhelming mess of paperwork in the (tiny) office at home. We worked around it systematically throwing away and sorting and she, very kindly, made me think about why i was keeping each item. Why not photograph it on my phone? Great idea! Do I really need that old charger when I don't even remember what it charges? I lit the fire that night and burned a huge pile of old bills etc - very satisfying. Thanks Sarah!

We enlisted Sarah at Clutter Cleansing’s help when we moved to a new house and she was amazing!



We were moving into our newly renovated home and had put many of our possessions in storage whilst the work was carried out. We considered ourselves to be a tidy and non-cluttered family, as we’d found a tidy place for every possession in our old home.



Sarah worked with us to ensure we didn’t ‘clutter’ our new home from the start. She was kind, honest and a really good sounding board to help us truly understand what was ‘valuable / important’ to us and what was simply clutter / hoarding.



We were all astonished with the amount of ‘stuff’ we’d amassed over the years which we thought was essential, valuable or important to us, but Sarah helped us to see our ‘stuff’ differently.



Interestingly, if we’d have worked with Sarah before we put our stuff in storage, we’d have only needed one storage unit rather than 2 and would have saved ourselves £780 over the year!!!



I would not hesitate in recommending Sarah to de-clutter your home / office / one room. She made the whole experience calm, quick and enjoyable. I’ve recommended her to other family and friends who have also been delighted with Sarah.

This lady is amazing. I'm very much a hoarder and whilst being ruthless Sarah gently lets you know that you don't need 25 mismatched Tupperware items etc, she is a miracle worker, thanks Sarah x

Sarah helped me get to grips with what felt like an overwhelming mess of paperwork in the (tiny) office at home. We worked around it systematically throwing away and sorting and she, very kindly, made me think about why i was keeping each item. Why not photograph it on my phone? Great idea! Do I really need that old charger when I don't even remember what it charges? I lit the fire that night and burned a huge pile of old bills etc - very satisfying. Thanks Sarah!