Find yourself overwhelmed by the clutter around you? It’s time to look around and leave behind what does not spark joy.
But when you’re faced with the mammoth task of reorganising your home, it can be difficult to even find a place to begin. We sought advice from Shelina Jokhiya, professional organiser and founder of DeCluttr Me, a Dubai-based home organisation and decluttering company.
She said: “The best place to start is whichever area is causing you the most pain. For most people, it is the bedroom, as that is the first place they see when they wake up in the morning and the last before they go to bed at night. If your bedroom is free from clutter, it promotes a sense of calm, resulting in a good start to the day and restful sleep at night.”
Diving in before the mess gets out of hand, however, is better than waiting for it to accumulate. Jokhiya shared some tips to keep your home organised: “Do regular ‘mini declutters’, where you spend 10-15 minutes on one area, like a shelf, a cupboard or a box, and declutter the items in that section. Then, you can organise the items you have left. If you do that every day for a week or two, you could clear up a whole room.”
Another organisational hack is to organise by category, and put similar items together. This works especially well in closets. Our expert said: “With clothes, for example, arrange all your tops by colour on a shelf or hanging space. In the kitchen, put the baking items together near the oven.”
Once you have systems in place, maintaining them becomes a lot easier. But key to the whole decluttering experience is donating or disposing of items you don’t use. Jokhiya shared a strategy for whenever you’re buying new clothes, makeup, or other products: “Buy one, get rid of two. Whenever you buy an item, declutter two more, preferably in the same category. If you get rid of two older items when you buy something new, you will quickly reduce what you have, leaving you with more space to see what you love.”
She suggested storing a recycling bag right in the cupboard, so that every time you see something “you don’t use, like or want”, you can put it in. Eventually, when it is full, you can donate it or give it to someone who will use the items.
To help you organise, we’ve found the perfect storage solutions for the most common problem areas around the home, thanks to our expert’s recommendations and top-rated user reviews. Become a Prime member to get these items as early as tomorrow.
1. Tech accessories
If you own laptops, smartphones, TVs, tablets or gaming consoles, you likely have a number of charging cables and wires that are in a tangle in various spaces around your home. You know which ones you use the most. For the others, it’s worth investing in a proper storage solution. Jokhiya says cable ties are essential to keep them separate and organised, and small boxes can be used to store all your cables and plugs.
2. Dresser
If you’re looking to bring order to your vanity table, the key is to sort items into separate categories. Jokhiya said: “Use a make-up organiser to organise your make-up, hair items and even your medicine. If you have drawers, place small, individual containers in them to store your items. Put the same category of items in each container.” We picked a tiered make-up organiser that can fit all your skincare, and more. Clear containers for the drawer give you the ability to access what you want, without any rummaging involved.
3. Kitchen essentials
Just like creating different sections in your fridge for perishable food items, it’s worth organising your kitchen tools and pantry items in easy-to-access areas. But in general, should you opt for clear or opaque storage solutions? Jokhiya said it depends on what you prefer: “Some people prefer to hide everything in cupboards, some like to have easy access on their counters. If you have clear containers, you will be able to see what is in the container more easily but it can also look more cluttered if items are thrown into the containers. Think about your preferences and what will work best for you before buying the clear or opaque/coloured containers so they don’t go to waste.” Take airtight food storage containers: they help you get rid of plastic packaging and cardboard boxes, helping keep pasta, cereals, nuts and other dry food fresh. What’s more, the containers are transparent, so you can easily pick up what you need (the containers come with labels for easy reference too). The same can be done for spices, which can be labeled and stored in drawers or in a cupboard.
4. Linens
In terms of linen, Jokhiya advised storing a full set in one pillow case: “This means you always have the set together and can access them quickly.” Storage bags like VENO’s set of four, give you a convenient place to pack away extra duvets and bed sets, which can then be storied in cupboards or even under the bed. Comforters and duvets can also be stored in separate bags for easy access when you have guests staying overnight.
5. Play room
There are plenty of storage solutions out there for play rooms or children’s rooms, where toys and books can be put away neatly by little ones themselves. Jokhiya said: “The boxes can be labelled so that kids can start to learn how to organise their toys, and also find them when they want to play with them.” Many of these products are low to the ground so children can reach into the baskets to pick out their toys, and also be able to put them away during clean-up time.
6. Shoes
Do you have more shoes than storage space to put them away? Jokhya advised: “If you have a lot of shoes, get a cupboard with shelves to store them properly. If you don’t have that many pairs, you can get shoe organisers to put inside your closet or in the hallway for easy access.” Sneakerheads, especially, can benefit from clear, stackable shoe boxes, which could then be stored in closets or displayed.
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