Decluttering hacks: Three things a professional organiser always does before shopping for storage

One of the most fun parts of decluttering and reorganising is shopping for all the storage containers and gadgets you need to make over your space.

It’s so motivating that a lot of us head to the shops before cleaning our wardrobes and pantries, but this can be a big mistake.

Professional organiser Belle Harte from The Organised Abode Co sat down with 9honey Living to discuss what you need to do before hitting the stores.

Watch the video above.

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The most important two things that should be done before buying any new storage you might need is decluttering first and then measuring the area you’re adding storage to.

This will not only help you save money and time, it will also prevent extra clutter building up from all the unused containers.

“It is really essential to do those things before shopping because otherwise you’d just be left with storage products and most people don’t return things that they don’t need,” she says. 

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Harte has experienced this first hand where clients buy the products first.

“They come home and they put all the things in their containers and realise either they don’t fit the space, they’re not a good use of space or that they’re actually just putting things in baskets without decluttering and getting rid of items that they don’t actually need or use,” she says.

Clever storage hacks and tips to keep your kitchen organised

In addition to measuring, there’s another thing you can do to ensure you buy storage that perfectly fits the space with a clever hack.

All you need is some paper – you might have to use baking paper or newspaper, depending on the size of the area – then cut it to the size of the shelf or drawer and take this to the shops with you.

“I’m a fan, especially for drawers [you’re adding containers too]… they come in a lot of different sizes, but it can be tricky when you go into the store and you think, ‘I’m gonna fit 10 of these [containers], but then you go home and they actually don’t. So it’s a really good thing,” Harte says.

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Now you’re fully prepared to get what will work and is needed for the space, there is one thing to keep in mind to ensure you find the best solution for your space.

That tip is to not restrict yourself to storage products designed for the room you’re organising.

The key is to look at all storage options because, for example, something designed for beauty products might work well in the kitchen.

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“In the makeup section of Kmart, there is a an item [the plastic narrow divide bin] that I use for pantries. There’s also a shelf that they recommend for makeup, it has a little drawer at the bottom but actually I use that a lot for spices because it’s perfect to store your spices on it and then to store all your little bags of spices in the drawer,” Harte explains. 

“Same with the with the office section, there’s a lot of items that I use regularly for pantries or other areas of the home.”

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