April is a great month for spring cleaning, as it’s usually mild enough to get the windows open, scrub up the garden furniture and put away winter’s heavy blankets and throws, but there’s a very important job that needs to be done first—at least in my view. That is decluttering.

Ridding your home of non-essential items makes it much easier to see what actually needs to be done, plus who wants to spend their precious time dusting something they’re never going to use? So here’s a few things to sort out before you get down to the actual cleaning:

Books you won’t read again

I have lots of books I could never imagine getting rid of and read over and over again. But I also have plenty that just weren’t my cup of tea, or that I enjoyed at the time but have never been tempted to revisit. Unwanted books can take up a lot of space that would be better used for displaying some treasured possessions, holding some storage baskets or filling with new books!

Decide which books you will never open again and take them to a charity shop or secondhand book store when you can, or turn them into gifts for friends by creating a ‘blind date with a book’ package. To do this, wrap the book in brown paper, the add another layer of paper halfway up, in a way the leaves a little pocket at the front. Then simply pop in a tea bag and a small bar of chocolate and write a teaser for the book on the paper. Voila, you’ve made a fun little self care package!

Towels, sheets and blankets

Towels and bed linen get worn out over time and it’s tempting to replace them without getting rid of the old ones. After all, who knows when an old towel or sheet might come in useful for when you next have a big spillage or need to paint something on a dust sheet? If you have a dog you probably also find old towels useful. There’s nothing wrong with keeping a few, the problem comes when we keep all our old sets and suddenly we no longer have storage space for the new ones. Blankets are slightly different, in that they may not exactly wear out, but they do seem to multiply somehow, at least in my house!

Start by getting out all the linen, blankets and towels and putting aside what you want to keep. Realistically, you’re not going to need more than three or four old towels for spillages or dog drying, and a couple of old sheets for things like decorating. For what’s left, remind yourself that if it’s been at the bottom of a cupboard for ages then it’s surplus to requirements. You may be able to offer some items to friends with pets, or who have decorating or craft projects on the go, others can be recycled if possible. If blankets are clean and in good condition, see if you can donate them to a suitable charity.

Food storage containers

That food storage box with the missing lid? It might be time to find another use for it, such as turning it into a drawer organiser. Empty jars, butter or ice cream tubs or takeaway cartons that ‘may come in useful’ also need to be up-cycled or recycled.

Before simply throwing these things on the recycling, try and think creatively about ways you can utilise them. These items can be great for things like holding paint—but only if you’re planning to redecorate soon— or to store pens, screws and nails, craft supplies, buttons, and other odds and ends. At this time of year, you could also punch a few holes in the bottom of plastic tubs and use them for planting seeds. But don’t keep them ‘just in case’. There will always be more.

Expired health and beauty products

We can often forget that things like make up, medicine, sunscreen, and insect repellent have an expiry date. It’s time to check all those bottles and get rid of the ones that you’ve had for too long. Most of the bottles will be recyclable providing you rinse them out well. Sometimes the caps aren’t, though, so check what it says on each bottle. If you find you have some products that aren’t yet out of date but soon will be, make it a goal to use them up before that happens if you can.

Next, take note of all the products you’ve bought but haven’t opened after several months. Is this an indication that you don’t actually need it? Make it a goal in future to buy only what you actually use on a regular basis.

Clothes you haven’t worn

A new season is a great time to get rid of clothes you don’t wear. Do you have jumpers you thought you’d wear this winter but didn’t? Boots that leaked? Socks you wore through? A coat you didn’t like after all? A dress that doesn’t fit? The good news is that it’s really easy to get rid of clothing without throwing it away.

If something is still in good condition you can donate it to a charity shop, or for a fun alternative, get some friends to all bring their decluttered clothes round as well and have a ‘swap party’, so you can all get new outfits in a sustainable way. Anything left over can still be donated. And for worn out clothing? If it’s worn out because you really loved the colour/pattern, or it has sentimental value, why not see if you can repurpose it into a cushion or tote bag? Other items can go to a clothes recycling point.

For more ideas on what to do with old clothes, take a look at my February article here.

Paperwork

We all have a place in our homes where circulars, appointment letters and bills pile up, simply because we don’t have time to deal with them when they arrive. Put an hour or so aside and sort out what needs acting on, what can be filed away, and what can be recycled in your blue bin. Just make sure you destroy any documents that may contain confidential information first.

Once you’ve sorted everything out, make sure you have a good system in place for filing what you need to keep. Labelled magazine files on shelving can be an easy, cost effective and space saving way to make sure everything is both safe and tidy.

Doing just these few decluttering jobs will leave your home feeling much fresher—and you haven’t even started cleaning yet! It will also help with your mental well-being, since daily little annoyances like not being able to find a food storage box with a lid or having to hunt through a pile of paperwork to find that important appointment letter can really erode your peace of mind over time to a surprising amount. You’ll also find that the clearer your home is the clearer your head is, and let’s face it, we’ve all got enough on our minds at the moment!