Why are you always told to declutter your home before trying to sell it?

If you've ever considered moving house before and read blogs about where to start, there is almost always information about decluttering. Why?

If you've ever considered moving house before and read blogs about where to start, there is almost always information about decluttering.

Why? Because cluttered homes are harder to sell.

Filled with bits and bobs, piles of paperwork, shoes and coats everywhere, a cluttered house will seem smaller.

And, if you appear to not have enough room for your belongings, your house must not be big enough, right? This is the impression that a cluttered home can give potential buyers and put them off because they either a) can't really see your home because of all the belongings in the way, or b) they'll think that it is too small for them and their stuff too.

You might not want to get rid of all of your stuff. What if you genuinely want to keep everything that you own? And in many cases, this is the very reason you are looking to sell your home because you've outgrown your current one.

If everything in your home has its place, it won't feel cluttered. It will also be easier for you and your family to keep everything nice and tidy so that you are not in a mad cleaning frenzy before every viewing appointment. And if everything is neat and organised, potential buyers will feel your home is big enough for them to live in too.

This is where storage solutions come in handy.

Why?

Having a decluttered home is a way to simplify your life. You know where everything is, and there is no more rummaging or tearing the house apart trying to find something.

Particularly after the festive period, you will undoubtedly add more items to your home. Gifts, toys, and clothes are all brought into your home. So, you either need to have enough space in your home for everything to go, or you will need to get rid of something else to make room for the new things. This is often why parents will have a big clear out of kids' toys, getting rid of anything that is broken or that the children have grown out of to make room for the new influx of toys Santa brings.

How?

Boxes and baskets - things for putting things into. If everything is stored in containers of some sort in a cupboard, you will minimise the likelihood that everything will fall out onto your viewers' heads when they open the door. Tidying away messy items into baskets or boxes will make your cupboards seem neat and clear.

No stuffing - if you have to stuff things down to get the lid on or the drawer or cupboard door shut, then it is too full. Don't have your furniture bursting at the seams. This overfilling will distract from the lovely tidy organisation in your home.

Start small - we all have a junk drawer. Imagine if you had a totally organised junk drawer! This is a great place to start. It is small and inconsequential, it's only a drawer, and it is just 'junk'. It can be easy to get carried away, and once you've started clearing out every cupboard in your home, it can begin to feel overwhelming. Before you know it, you will look around, and really all you will have done is make more mess. When this happens, it's easy to give up and stuff everything back in the cupboards that you emptied and go and get a cup of tea instead.

Buy stacking boxes for bigger cupboards: they don't have to be expensive, but stacking boxes can be really helpful to stack and store lots of irregularly shaped items neatly. Particularly good for the loft and the back of the garage. But don't forget to label the boxes with what you have inside; otherwise, you'll probably never find anything again. And this will mean that some of your belongings are already packed for your move.

Use drawer dividers: These will provide separate compartments within your drawers and will keep things neat and organised and stop the 'rummage' effect.

Use the space that you have: Perhaps you can hang items inside the doors in cupboards. Or use shelf dividers to use the height inside your cupboards, effectively adding another shelf.

Storage solutions are the perfect way to make your home feel organised and tidy and ultimately easier to keep clean. We have all seen those mesmerising videos of people stacking their food cupboards, items decanted into matching glass jars and baskets that fit things in perfectly. In a busy family household, it's more likely that your cupboards are stuffed and overflowing than neatly stacked and stored.

But there is a connection to selling a property here. Clear, uncluttered homes appear more spacious, and viewers will look inside cupboards! If you are planning a house move, the easiest solution is to use stacking boxes to store items you won't need in the immediate future. This keeps superfluous things tidy and organised and gives you a head start on packing!