Trends come and go, but style is forever.
The same could be said for decluttering and organising. Sort of.
Social media would have you believe you need to throw away at least half of everything you own and put the rest of it into plastic containers and glass jars. That’s not true and it won’t help you. Or the earth.
It can feel cathartic to have a good clear out. But it’s the emotions you’re clearing out that are what really makes the difference. It’s that bit you need to focus on first. When it comes to clearing out in a way that won’t cost the earth - either financially or by sending piles of stuff to landfill - it can be confusing to know what’s what and how to go about it.
This should help a little.
1. Letting go with love
Your community is your best friend when it comes to decluttering sustainably. Swap-shops, swishing, repair cafes, zero waste shops, and local arts and crafts groups often LOVE the stuff you no longer do. Everything from old radios to stacks of magazine and fabric swatches can be given a new lease of life.
Living in Nottingham and looking for help? Breathe a new lease of life into your broken bits with one of the Nottingham Fixers’ events
Refugee, homeless and women’s centres as well as schools, clothing banks and supported housing are often in need of all sorts of things. If you have the time, you can find all kinds of recycling schemes in big name shops and online. Sketchy shoes, swimsuits, broken hair dryers and old make-up all have homes outside of yours!
Want cash for your clothes, but can’t wait for Vinted sales? Order a Thrift+ bag and your space will be clear while you wait for the cash to come in. Bought the latest beauty haul, only to find it doesn’t suit you? Put partially used products on Olio for people locally to buy or have for free.
If you’ve got food you no longer need, like too many tins, try your local food bank or social supermarkets and cafes. In Nottingham, you can try Foodprint for excess food.
2. Storing stylishly
There’s more to life than storage. But it’s a neat place to start!
I couldn’t resist the pun - but you actually shouldn’t start with storage. Start with decluttering. See what you have and are keeping, then see what you need in terms of solutions. Otherwise, you could end up with things you simply don’t need.
Plastic can be tempting as it’s easy to see what’s being stored and it is the best option in some scenarios. But beware, as it can break down and easily crack or even smash. Then it can become dangerous and unusable - and will likely end up in landfill. Bamboo and woven storage solutions are now readily available and you can use wood for things that go over or behind doors or as dividers.
Better yet, make use of what you’ve got already or what’s freely available at your local supermarket. Get the kids (or Grandkids) decorating cardboard fruit or shoe boxes and you’ve kept them busy for a bit, too! They can do designs that show what’s inside - or just whatever floats their boat at the moment. That way, things can be changed or scaled without great cost - financially or environmentally - as they grow and the type of things they need storing changes. If you’ve got the budget, built-in storage, for example under or in the stairs, is a great way to go.
3. Avoid sustainable scams
One way people with good intentions end up with more stuff is by trying to buy better. Unfortunately, it can sometimes be a trap.
Sustainability has become big business, with words like ‘eco-friendly’, ‘all natural’, and ‘environmentally friendly’ being bandied about for all sorts of stuff. It’s one reason the EU has a 2026 directive against greenwashing.
Products from nut milk makers to sink scrubbers promise to reduce our carbon footprints (another term that’s used frequently without back-up or explanation!) and have us consuming less. But if they don’t work, were never contrived to be environmentally conscious to begin with, are poorly made, or simply not something we’re going to ever use, it’s just more junk.
Don’t beat yourself up if you’ve fallen foul of some of these products. Advertisers spend a fortune convincing us we need what we don’t. Try to focus on what you do need and want, how you use things, and see if you can try things in store rather than buying blind on the internet. In Nottingham, we have the gorgeous Shop Zero for local, handmade sustainable gifts, products and refills. They also take stuff they can use that you can’t - for example, glass jars for their refillable produce.
4. Sitting with your stuff
When I was younger, I used to say that Holly Golightly might have Tiffany’s, but I have TK Maxx.
It’s so easy to get our heads turned by something new and beautiful. Especially if it promises to make life that little bit easier. On the flip side, it can be difficult to grab a moment to sit and appreciate what we already have. Asking yourself if you really need something - and answering honestly - is the most sustainable way forward. Taking time to reconnect with what you have around you can help.
Pick an object or item of clothing and hold it in your hands (or put your hands on it, if it’s big). Remember when and where you got it, think about what it meant to you then and what it means to you now. Ask yourself what place it has in your life now. Can you give it a new lease of life through this appreciative action? If not, what if you upcycled or changed it in some way? Learning to sit with our stuff - exactly as it is - can help to boost our connection and remove any guilt where things are less than perfect. Which is perfectly normal - after all, it’s ok for a home to look lived in!
Whether you live in Nottingham or further afield, we can work together to sort your space into a managable & happy place to be. Send me a message and we'll have a chat.