Galway Advertiser 2003/2003_10_23/GA_23102003_E1_020.pdf 

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Clear that clutter s
OMETIMES IT takes a major change in your life circumstances to make you take stock of your situation. A decision to buy a new house, the break up of a relationship or changing job can often be the trigger which sets you thinking about casting aside the old and starting afresh. prepared to suffer many pangs of conscience as you decide if you should chuck out last year's Christmas cards, a toy tractor with a wheel missing or an occasional table with leftish leanings. Don't make excuses or try to fool yourself into thinking that the item in your hand will come in useful some day. It has not so far! Clutterologists recommend getting rid of anything you have not used or worn for more than a year. When you have dejunked your home, find the best place for everything. Ideally, you should store items close to where you use them. Be sure too that the items you use most often are stored in the most accessible places, such as top drawers. Don't waste convenient areas on rarely used items. Don't leave anything in a temporary holding place. This will only double your work. Decide once and for all where items should go and leave them there. Remember, clearing clutter is not only about throwing things out. It's about making more of the space you have by reorganising and reassessing how and where you store your possessions. One day you just look around your home and see everything with new eyes. The shelves are groaning with dust flecked ornaments, drawers are packed tightly with bills, receipts and letters dating back years, and your wardrobe is bursting with clothes, most of which you do not wear and cannot even remember buying. You have amassed a mountain of belongings and maybe it is time you took stock and considered uncluttering your life? * Old paint and old garden chemicals If your whole house need an overhaul, it might be a good idea to enlist all the family. This will reduce your workload and may help prevent similar clutter problems arising in the future. Start by editing the contents of each room in an orderly fashion. This task will seem less daunting if you set a time limit. Choose a time when you feel motivated and know you won't be interrupted. Ideally, start early in the day when you have natural light and your energy levels are high. Break your task down into manageable segments. That way it won't appear so overwhelming. Set yourself a target of tidying out your wardrobe one day, kitchen cupboards or tool shed another and don't attempt too much in one go. Otherwise, you will be put off altogether. Work in a methodical fashion, sort through the contents and decide what should be retained and thrown out. Remember, it is occupying space which could be put to better use. If you have a ruthless streak in you. your task will be much easier. If you fall into the hoarder category, be

WHAT TO GET RID OF

* Clothes which are not your true size. Don't kid yourself into believing that you will fit into them some day, you won't! * Shoes you will never wear again. If they nipped at the ankles in the past, chances are they will again

* Duplicates of items. Do you really need three bottle openers? Choose the best one and dispatch the rest to a charity shop * Anything that is beyond repair. A broken hairdryer or three legged table will never come in useful. * Unimportant receipts, old telephone bills, and food items long past their sell-by dates should be destined for one place only - the bin * Articles and newspaper cuttings which you have been meaning to read for years. Unless they are important, throw them out. Otherwise, they'll end up as space invaders

Remember, clearing clutter is not only about throwing things out

Action plan for clearing clutter
* Limit the number of things around the house which contribute to clutter. Get rid of newspapers and magazines when you have read them and sort through junk mail daily to prevent it building up * If you save carrier bags or boxes, pick a number and stick to it. * Items displayed should have a valid reason for being there. They should be functional or decorative. If your carriage clock no longer works then its use is severely curtailed. * If you are in two minds about flinging something out, try putting it in storage for a month. Then, reassess its value. If you have managed well without it, it may have no purpose in your home * Get a filing cabinet. Use it to store bills, birth certificates, receipts, instruction booklets, report cards, catalogues and important personal letters. It will reduce your clutter build-up overnight. * Hallways and landings are often used as a dumping ground for school bags, umbrellas, gloves and unemptied shopping bags. Try to keep these areas clear * Encourage everyone in the family to be responsible for their own possessions and not to leave them lying around * Coffee tables should be clear of clutter. Store magazines and newspapers in magazine racks * If clutter is caused by insufficient storage space, consider getting more shelves built or investing in some free standing units * Garages or garden sheds are invaluable storage areas. Get shelving installed and store paints and tools there * Have a wastepaper basket in each room * After you have re-organised your home, keep it in tip top shape by regularly declaring war on the junk which has built up. The less you have the easier it is to keep the house clean * Once a year do a major clean-up. Give away the clothes you have not worn or anything which has gone out of fashion. Don't keep things which no longer fit or suit your colouring * Keep a memory box. This can contain p r e c i o u s photographs, letters and childhood mementoes * Keep shelving free of clutter by storing odds and ends in boxes or colourful baskets

T H E ORCHIDEA SKINCARE CLINIC Catherine Hayes SRN,DRE Discover your outer beauty and inner peace Free Consulation T h e Orchidea Skincare M i n k . 27 Lower Abbeygate St, Galway Tel 567709