Friday five: Home edit edition

I’m obsessed with watching Home Edit at the moment, so what better way to bring the conversation online than with a home-themed Friday Five?

1) What’s the most cluttered spot in your home?

It is probably our conservatory, but special mention to our garage. Both spots just seem to become a dumping ground for boxes, which I think is what naturally happens when you have rooms that you haven’t defined with a specific purpose. Both rooms are usually the wrong temperature (either too hot or too cold) to use for anything practical year-round, and they also have very limited electricity. Hopefully it’s something we can improve on next year, and have some proper storage solutions fixed up too!

2) What’s your method for decluttering?

I like to take everything out of the room (other than furniture!) and take it to a bigger spot to sort through and clear out. Normally I dump everything into bags or boxes and go through them one by one, finding a home for the items or putting them into piles to dump/recycle/donate.

I find that doing it this way works well, because if I don’t get a chance to go through everything in one go, I can place bags/boxes still left to sort aside. The room isn’t upside down, but they still act as a reminder that I need to finish going through everything!

3) What are your favourite cleaning products?

I’m hearing good things about Zoflora – should I try that? I prefer less strong solutions, so I’m a big Method fan. I’m not totally sold on fully eco products (sorry!) and I do like things to smell nice, but equally super strong things, like bleach, scare me.

This is bad for the environment but I’m also a big fan of antibacterial wipes. I’m not such a fan of cloths as I think they end up getting used for too many things and that gets grim pretty quickly.

4) What helps get you motivated to clean up?

Two main things: Firstly, hearing that friends or relatives are planning to come over; secondly, when I just start feeling depressed about the state of the place. Mess really stresses me out when it gets to a certain point, especially if there are things stacked everywhere that don’t seem to have a proper place.

I like to have complete sets of things and to be able to put my hand on whatever I’m looking for, exactly when I need it. But, I also hate tidying up and we all tend to leave things strewn around. So it’s a bit of a battle sometimes!

5) What’s the most organized spot in your home?

The most organised spot in our home is probably either the living room or the kitchen. Everything has a place, and everything gets used. There’s nothing extra, and most things are practical as well as beautiful.

We have a concealed approach for the most part, which means things are neatly tucked away in boxes, containers and cupboards. The secret is to not be sentimental about things you don’t use (even if you like them!) and keep the things you use the most at eye level.

If you fill out these questions too, let me know – I’d love to see your answers!