Four simple steps to clear your clutter this Christmas!

Christmas is coming—a time many of us spend at home, surrounded by “stuff,” often receiving (and buying) even more as gifts, and wondering what on earth to do with it all! This is especially true if you’re planning to put your house on the market. Clutter clearing gives you space and clarity, makes your home more attractive to buyers, and saves you from moving with things you don’t really want. It’s a win-win-win! 

 

Welcome to this short guide to clearing clutter from your home. While I have written this with home-selling in mind, these tips are equally helpful for homes you plan to stay in. If you’d like a deeper dive into the life-changing effects of clutter clearing, I highly recommend Karen Kingston’s book, Clear Your Clutter with Feng Shui. This was a book I found when I was clearing my mum's house last year, along with my siblings, a personal clutter clearing story that I have added below (at the end of the guide) if you’d like to read it. 

 

The most important lesson I’ve learned about clutter is this: let go of guilt or shame for having “stuff.” It’s natural to accumulate belongings, whether it’s due to gifts, hobbies, or cultural conditioning to save things “just in case.” 

Once you start clearing, you’ll likely find it’s one of the best therapies for reducing stress and anxiety (ref: Karen Kingston). So let’s focus on creating a fresh, inviting energy in your home that will attract buyers—and bring you peace! 

 

 

Step 1: Create a simple plan 

 

 

Step 2: Your useful kit 

Having the right kit to hand keeps the process smooth and helps you avoid losing momentum. You’ll need:  

 

 

Step 3: Sort into Three Piles 

Prepare three boxes in the area / room you have chosen to start in, label the boxes: 

1. Keep 

2. Store 

3. Chuck 

 

Questions to guide you: 

 

1. Keep: These are things you use regularly or love to display. 

2. Store: Items you’re not ready to part with but don’t need right now. Keep these boxed away in a garage, shed, or storage unit. (Tidy stacks of boxes should be out of sight when staging for buyers.) 

3. Chuck: Items to donate, recycle, or bin. Drop these off as soon as possible to maintain momentum! 

 

 

Step 4: Address Other People’s Stuff 

Found things left by others? Message the owner and give them a deadline (e.g., “Please collect within 3 days, or it’s going to charity”). This can free up surprising amounts of space. 

 

Additional Tips for Success 

 

Porter & Gold Services 

If you’re too busy or overwhelmed or just do not want to do this prepartion all by yourself, we’re here to help! 

 

Learn more on our website, or get in touch to chat about how we can help prepare your home for sale. 

 

I hope you found this guide helpful! Wishing you an organised and stress-free move. 

Warm wishes, 

 

 

Samaya 

 

PS: Suggestions for Additional Clutter Clearing. 

If you have really got stuck in and want to continue here are a couple more ideas for taking your clutter clearing and home sale prep to the next level! 

1. Digital Clutter: Clear digital clutter (e.g., emails, apps, and photos) from phones, laptops and hard drives to help mentally declutter as well. 

2. Furniture Placement: Play around rearranging furniture to open up spaces and improve flow for viewings. 

3. Storage Solutions: A simple and good and stylish storage option to keep everyday items tidy during house viewings (toys, spare bedding, shoes etc!) are blanket boxes that can double up as coffee tables or end of the bed ottoman type storage. These are widely available on facebook marketplace, or your local vintage furniture store. 

 

 

One of the most extreme clutter-clearing experiences I’ve ever faced was clearing our lovely mum’s house last year, after her sudden passing in January 2023. It was an arduous, overwhelming task that oftern felt like sifting through lead—and it really did take months.  

 

Our mum wasn’t a hoarder by any means, but she’d grown up with the wartime ethos of saving anything useful, a mindset passed down from her parents. Over her 72 years, she’d accumulated an incredible collection of life’s treasures: pictures, books, clothes, gifts from family, letters, CDs, tapes, even a few VHS tapes. There were camping supplies, bikes, and all the everyday items humans collect just by living (tupperware!!). 

 

The trauma of deciding what to keep, donate, or throw away was overwhelming, and I swore to myself at the time that I wouldn’t leave such a daunting task for my son someday. (Ahem—this is still a work in progress!) 

 

That said, I’ve made some strides. For instance, I finally paid a clearance company to empty the loft in my flat. It was packed with years’ worth of forgotten items—things belonging to my dad, my uncle, and even a massive old cotton tent and a doll’s house. After living in this flat for 34 years, everyone in the family had stashed something up there at some point. Off it all went, and with it, a weight I didn’t even realise I was carrying. 

 

Clearing our Mum’s house taught me so much about the emotional and practical challenges of clutter clearing. It’s not just about the objects; it’s about the stories, the memories, and the love tied to them. And yet, letting go can also bring a sense of clarity and lightness. 

 

If you’re facing a similar task—or even just inspired to start clearing your own space—know that it’s okay to feel daunted. Remember to start small, ask for help if you need it, and that the real treasures are the memories, not the things. 

 

The main image above is of our staged dining area at Willow Tree, a development by Fairholm Estates, shot by Leighton James,