6 simple secrets to a decluttered home

Tired of all the jumble? Tripping over heaps of whatnot? Aggravated by junk-filled drawers? Then clearly you're ready to put your house in order. Here are 6 secrets to a decluttered home.

First, deal with the clutter, which means getting rid of items that aren't useful in your life.

• If you haven't worn or used clothes in a year, or still have the plastic wrap around certain gadgets, it's time to hold a yard sale or send those items off to a charity shop.
• Items that are used but take up too much space are candidates for external storage sites. This would apply to things that are only used seasonally, such as riding mowers, snow clearing equipment or holiday decorations.

A good rule of thumb to remember: decluttering comes first, organizing comes second.

• Once you've gotten the clutter out, you can begin arranging the house, room by room.

Divide your garage items into categories.

• There will be tools, perhaps bicycles or skis and garden equipment such as mowers or snow blowers.
• Group similar items together for easy access.

Use metal shelving along walls in the garage.

• Stock the shelves with large plastic storage bins for things like ropes and small garden tools.
• Install wall mounts for larger items, such as bicycles and leaf blowers.
• It's also a good idea to buy things like paper towels or toilet paper in bulk and store these items on a shelf near the kitchen door. This makes for easy access and frees up storage space inside the home.

For closets, consider installing shelving and hanging organizers. This will provide handy access to clothing, shoes and accessories.

• Divide your clothes into categories such as shirts, jeans and skirts, and hang similar items together.

Store shoes in freestanding or over-the-door units, and socks in colourful baskets.

• Make scarves visible and easily accessible by storing them at the edge of the closet on a multi-level hanging insert.

One big challenge is making small items, such as spices, easy to see and reach.

• Begin by installing mini-racks in the spice cabinet to hold small items.
• Take advantage of all the space you have by using metal or plastic multi-level shelving that maximizes storage space and visibility for larger, taller cabinets so you can stack storage.
• Kitchen drawers can be a cluttered mess, so ready-made drawer organizers make finding knives or spoons easy work.
• Also, consider back-of-door units for storing rolls of aluminum foil or plastic bags.

Life will be easier now that you can actually hang things in your closet without a battle, and you're not wasting time searching endlessly for a certain spice, power tool or pair of gloves.

Aim to de-clutter and reorganize at least once a year.