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

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!'

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

The Sun

2 hours ago

• The Sun

Lottery results and numbers: Lotto and Thunderball draw tonight, June 21, 2025

THE NATIONAL Lottery results are in and it's time to find out who has won a life-changing amount of money tonight (June 21, 2025). Could tonight's £3.8 million jackpot see you handing in your notice, jetting off to the Bahamas or driving a new Porsche off a garage forecourt? 3 3 You can find out by checking your ticket against tonight's numbers below. Good luck! Tonight's National Lottery Lotto winning numbers are: 06, 10, 12, 13, 31, 58 and the Bonus Ball is 15. Tonight's National Lottery Thunderball winning numbers are: 07, 17, 28, 30, 37 and the Thunderball is 03. The first National Lottery draw was held on November 19 1994 when seven winners shared a jackpot of £5,874,778. The largest amount ever to be won by a single ticket holder was £42million, won in 1996. Gareth Bull, a 49-year-old builder, won £41million in November, 2020 and ended up knocking down his bungalow to make way for a luxury manor house with a pool. TOP 5 BIGGEST LOTTERY WINS ACROSS THE WORLD £1.308 billion (Powerball) on January 13 2016 in the US, for which three winning tickets were sold, remains history's biggest lottery prize £1.267 billion (Mega Million) a winner from South Carolina took their time to come forward to claim their prize in March 2019 not long before the April deadline £633.76 million (Powerball draw) from a winner from Wisconsin £625.76 million (Powerball) Mavis L. Wanczyk of Chicopee, Massachusetts claimed the jackpot in August 2017 £575.53 million (Powerball) A lucky pair of winners scooped the jackpot in Iowa and New York in October 2018 Sue Davies, 64, bought a lottery ticket to celebrate ending five months of shielding during the pandemic — and won £500,000. Sandra Devine, 36, accidentally won £300k - she intended to buy her usual £100 National Lottery Scratchcard, but came home with a much bigger prize. The biggest jackpot ever to be up for grabs was £66million in January last year, which was won by two lucky ticket holders. Another winner, Karl managed to bag £11million aged just 23 in 1996. The odds of winning the lottery are estimated to be about one in 14million - BUT you've got to be in it to win it. 3

Telegraph

3 hours ago

• Telegraph

Pea, pistachio and matcha cake

This cake is a real green extravaganza. I love matcha and I think the flavour goes well here – with the peas and pistachios, it's a green triple threat. That being said, matcha is a very specific flavour. If you haven't tried it before, I recommend grabbing an iced matcha or similar drink at a coffee shop before trying this recipe, especially as it's a more expensive ingredient. If you don't like matcha or don't want to use it, just leave it out and glaze the cake with a simple icing, then scatter over some pistachios. I use lime juice in the glaze to add a bit of zing, but you can use milk if you're not a lime fiend. Cooling time required Overview Prep time 20 mins Cook time 1 hr Serves 10 to 12 Ingredients 115ml sunflower or vegetable oil, plus extra for greasing the tin 125g frozen peas 200g natural yoghurt 75g pistachios, plus extra for decorating, if you like 1 tsp vanilla extract 3 eggs 175g caster sugar 200g self-raising flour ½ tsp baking powder 1 tbsp matcha powder Zest of 1 lime For the glaze 125g icing sugar ½ tsp matcha powder 1½ tbsp lime juice (or you can use milk), or as needed Method Step Preheat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas mark 4. Step Oil a 1.5-litre loaf tin and line with parchment paper. Step Place 125g frozen peas in a heatproof bowl and cover with freshly boiled water to defrost. Leave for a few minutes, then drain. Step Tip the peas into a food processor, add 100g natural yogurt and blitz until smooth. Step Throw in 75g pistachios and blitz until coarsely chopped. Set aside. Step In a mixing bowl, combine 115ml sunflower or vegetable oil, 1 tsp vanilla extract and 3 eggs, then stir in the remaining 100g yoghurt, 175g caster sugar, and the pea and pistachio mixture.

BBC News

4 hours ago

• BBC News

Six swans hatch at Druridge Bay nature reserve after five years

Six mute swan cygnets have hatched at a nature reserve for the first time in five Wildlife Trust (NWT) said the new family at the Hauxley haven in Druridge Bay was welcome news after a swan was shot dead weeks ago at another reserve. The chicks' parents set up home in the reserve last year, but failed to breed because they were too young. Alex Lister, NWT bay landscapes manager, said the "fluffy bundles" were a delight and he hoped for more chicks in the coming years. The last resident pair of swans moved on from the Druridge Bay reserve at the start of the Covid-19 lockdown, having lived on the reserve for nine years and raising more than 40 at NWT were devastated after members of the public found a 16-year-old female mute swan with a fatal head wound on the East Chevington nature reserve earlier this month. Mr Lister said: "What great news so soon after the sad news that a swan had been killed at our East Chevington reserve. "It really is lovely to see them back at Hauxley after a five-year absence and if they stay as long as their predecessors, there will be plenty more cygnets hatching over the next few years to delight staff and visitors." Follow BBC North East on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.