Alex TaylorBBC News, London
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September is the start of another school year and for many of us, there’s a feeling of a fresh beginning after the summer holidays.
As the darker evenings loom we’re likely to spend more time inside making it a natural time to start looking at our homes afresh and to think about decluttering.
Tidying our living space can reduce stress and boost our energy levels, according to psychologists.
But choosing what to keep and what to get rid of isn’t easy, with many of us struggling to decide.
BBC Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour spoke to experts on the four best strategies to clear space in your home.
1. Start small
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The biggest challenge for many is starting the process, so it’s important to give yourself permission to declutter.
This includes throwing away items, including gifts, that have been kept through a sense of obligation rather than enjoyment.
Going slowly is also a must, says writer and Interior Design Masters judge Michelle Ogundehin.
“It’s not about thinking ‘right, that’s it! It’s all got to go!’ It’s about taking it one step at a time,” she explains.
Ogundehin suggests picking an individual drawer or cupboard first, then building up gradually over time. This makes the task feel manageable rather than overwhelming.
2. Plan where to take your items
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It is essential to plan ahead for what will happen to the items you discard. Ideally this should be before decluttering begins, or within the first few days.
“You don’t want to have piles and piles of stuff building up in the hallway,” says professional organiser Ingrid Jansen.
As the co-founder of Declutter Hub, a community of over 60,000 members alongside a weekly podcast, she says there are ever increasing options for items to be donated, recycled, given away or disposed of.
Consider charity shops, or giveaway apps like Freegle and Freecycle, or the tip for items which can’t be reused.
There’s also the option to sell items second hand through online marketplaces such as Vinted or eBay.
But, fellow Declutter Hub co-founder Lesley Spellman warns that the lure of upselling can be a double-edged sword.
Despite our best intentions, it can lead to churning – the habit of packing items for disposal, without actually moving them on.
“Selling is a fantastic way to make money out of your clutter, but you have to exercise some realism,” she says.
If you’re that person that’s got three bin bags of stuff still under your desk, it may be time to get rid.
3. Prioritise quality not quantity
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We’ve all heard the phrase “be brutal!”, but effective decluttering doesn’t mean discarding things you love for the sake of it.
Instead, Ogundehin advises: “surround yourself with the things that tell the story that you want them to tell”.
“Keep the things that reinforce you, that uplift you when you walk through the door,” she adds, be that holiday purchases, pictures, or masterpieces by your children, nephews or nieces.
Key to managing this is employing what Ogundehin terms “containment” – dedicating set spaces for objects, rather than spreading them endlessly throughout your home.
4. Distinguish between nostalgia and sentimentality
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Emotional attachment is one of the main reasons people struggle to let go of items.
This attachment is often tied to both nostalgia and sentimentality, but these are distinct concepts says psychotherapist Stelios Kiosses, host of Channel 4’s The Hoarder Next Door.
Sentimentality refers to the emotional value an item holds in the present, often because it symbolises a relationship, achievement, or important moment to us.
Nostalgia, meanwhile, is the feeling of longing for the past – with an item triggering memories.
“You become sentimental about your child’s toy, but you’re nostalgic of the time you used to play with that toy with your child,” explains Kiosses.
Understanding and recognising the difference between the two can be a “really important” route to letting go.
Take your children’s first pair of shoes. “You think you keep it for them”, Declutter Hub’s Jansen adds, “but actually it’s your memory, because you remember going to shops and buying it with them and thinking how cute they looked.”
So, really think about the reasons behind keeping items and whether they’ll genuinely be missed by people still around the home.
Either way, these days smartphones allow us to take swift mementos. When a picture speaks a thousand words, do we really need to keep everything?