An inevitable responsibility marking the beginning of festive season in India is the clean-up drive in most homes. The cleaning spree, akin to a family tradition, gets in full swing once the festive season is near. But before moving to that stage, a crucial step that one has to go through is decluttering - it not only amplifies the aesthetics but also aids in physical and mental well-being.
Answering the tough questions
Has this specific product or object been used in the last 1 year? If your answer is no, then chances are you won’t in the coming future either. It’s time to quit the ‘you never know' outlook towards the things in your house — if you don’t foresee yourself using a particular object in the coming six months definitively, then it’s time to bid it a nostalgic goodbye.
Space it out
It’s never easy to admire the beauty of an over decorated home. One should remember to have distinctive high traffic and low traffic areas in your house. High traffic areas should be minimal with an easy grab-and-go flow for your everyday essentials. Low traffic areas can be as beautiful as they are useful.
Importance of Compartmentalising
In order to make your home look clutter free, one should divide up corners into convenient sections everywhere around the house. This not only helps to identify things which are useful, but also make every space easy on the eyes.
Arrangement is key
Get to the bottom of those galling wires which are just piling up — they’re probably not useful and all your electronic junk, including batteries can be donated. Be fastidious about these little things — get wire organisers, label makers, baskets, acrylic storage to aesthetically organise every corner.
Transform the old into new
Make use of everything in that one corner of your house which is a pandora’s box of all the festive gifts from the past. Break out that new silverware, glasses, tea light holders etc. or simply give them to someone who will use it. The festive, Indian clothes which have been nudging you during the months of lockdown can finally break free — audit your outfits and brighten up someone’s day by donating clothes, shoes, accessories and bags you no longer need.
Getting rid of the unnecessary
Scan your kitchen thoroughly — take stock of everything which has piled up and look up the expiry dates. Unnoticed condiment packets, chipped crockery and mugs which haven’t seen one useful day must be discarded from the cabinets. Your beauty and grooming essentials need to be separated with a fine tooth comb as well. So, avoid the unnecessary hoarding of those supplies and keep only those which are still good to use.
Glamming up your new space
It is now time to decorate your house by being picky about what you put out and choose your curio with care - less is more in recent times and nobody ever has complained about less dusting. Recycle old cards, newspapers, magazines, manuals, coupons, take out menus, old paperwork, half-used notebooks etc. Or get a little creative and refurbish some items in a fun family/friends group activity. Partly used candles can still add the glow to your house — collect all of them and lookup an easy DIY tutorial on how to repurpose your used candles to make a new one.
Follow these simple and effective steps to declutter your homes to give your home a vibrant and spacious look this festive season.
The writer is Pritika Singh, Founder, Mohh
