I spend Sunday afternoon (not enjoying the sunshine) in our loft, which I have to confess is full of boxes and bags of clutter we’ve not used in years…My old guitar (yes I once had aspirations of becoming an Indie Pop god),  a map of a gold mine in Venezuela I worked in as a geologist 15 years ago (it’s a long story), and several bags of old clothes and children’s toys.

Like most lofts, ours had rapidly become a catch-all storage dump for those things we meant to get rid of over the years but just didn’t or felt we couldn’t.

“Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful” said William Morris and with this famous mantra in mind I set to work on a mission to reduce the number of storage boxes up there and generally tidy-up.

The first thing to do when tiding a loft is to take a good long look at what you’ve got stored up there and think about the last time you used it. If there’s bin-bags full of out of season clothes that haven’t been worn in the last year or two it’s time to go to the charity shop. Likewise, if like us you’ve half a dozen storage boxes full of children’s clothes waiting for little Johnny to grow-up it’s probably time to have a purge. Swallow your pride and declutter by getting rid of those hand-me-downs that are obviously not going to be de rigueur when Johnny hits his teenage years and never worn.

elfa's freestanding shelving really has helped with storage in this loft

Ok, so there may be one or two garments you just can’t bear to get rid of,  everyone’s allowed one or two memorable garments (like my tartan trousers that I’ll never fit back into…were they really ever fashionable!?!) but do set yourself a limit.

Our loft was like many is full of plastic and cardboard storage boxes full of all sorts of clutter, some of which were simply taken straight up there when we moved into the house a few years ago and worse still…have never been touched since!

The secret to dealing with storage boxes full of clutter in the loft is to sort then purge in bite sized chunks.  Sifting through boxes full of memories is going to take some time so bring a few boxes out of the loft at a time and work through them slowly.  Set yourself a target such as, one box a night over a week whilst you’re watching your favourite soap opera or perhaps whilst the kids are at school. Once again, ask yourself if you will really use or need each item again, if not then pass to a charity shop or recycle so that someone else can get some use out of whatever it is.  If there’s sentimental value, how about creating a ‘family memories’ storage box as you de-clutter but be ruthless and stick to one memory box and include only the most important items that will really mean something to the next generation.

When you’re trying to declutter and reorganise your space, these three simple words are worth storing at the back of your mind:

Visibility – Choose storage boxes and containers that are transparent so that you can easily see what’s inside when you come back to retrieve whatever you’ve stored.

Accessibility – Storing the various different possessions you use daily in easily accessible places and spaces will help save valuable time and may just save your sanity too!

Flexibility – Invest in storage solutions that are flexible like our modular elfa shelving system. As your needs and requirements change over time, flexible storage will work with you and may just save you a bit of money too as they’ll last into the future.

A good way to organise your hallway is to sort your hall storage according to your lifestyle and family. There’s no point storing all your shoes neatly stacked in lovely clear shoe storage boxes if what you really need is a family sized shoe rack in the hall.

Hallway storage is mostly short-term – a place for things you use, and indeed lose, every day. The key to maintaining order is making it easy and automatic to be organised at the start and end of the day.

Our cubby organiser has space for coats, post and the keys etc

For the optimum amount of family co-operation (!), place storage at every level: hooks to hang hats and jackets, a table or say wicker storage basket for post and keys, a basket or stand for umbrellas, a side table with storage for a briefcase or rucksacks below etc. And when it comes to smaller items, little storage containers – bowls, jars or pots designed to hold pens and pencils, post and keys – go a long way towards taming the chaos.

Giant lidded cubes make great side table lamp; have plenty of storage inside to hide away toys or newspapers etc.

The lounge is one of the most frequently used rooms in the house and a focal point for family activity – but it can also be a magnet for clutter. Here are my six top tips to bring order back to your chaotic living room:

1. Decluttering your lounge can be a daunting task, so focus on one small space at a time.

2. Each item in your lounge is another object to clean, so if you’re not using it, get rid of it. Items such as old books, out of date magazines and old videos or DVDs should be the first to go.

3. Give everything in your lounge a suitable home. For example, use deep storage spaces for bulky items, and group items by association.

4. Start to containerise, finding space-saving storage solutions for living room items, such as magazine racks, media units, remote control tidies and baskets.

5.  When buying new furniture, consider items that encompass storage capabilities, such as coffee tables that incorporate shelving or storage cubes that can be used as side-tables. (Check out our range of shelving including elfa)

6.  Once you have turned your lounge into a clutter-free oasis, it is important to keep it that way. Take a few minutes each day to clear any clutter, and schedule larger clear-outs a few times a year to throw out any unwanted CDs, books or DVDs.