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Amanda Robertson

Month: January 2024

Conquering Gloucester region clutter in just five minutes

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Conquering Gloucester region clutter in just five minutes

This might seem unrealistic but trust me, the five-minute declutter process is a powerful tool for reclaiming your space and reducing stress. The best part is you don’t need to set aside hours.

Even the busiest person can devote a few minutes a day to managing a mess. Set a timer for five minutes and go for it. You can tackle a whole room or just a clutter hotspot. Each day, take five minutes to tidy and declutter different areas of your home. My tip is to take before and after photos to help you stay motivated. The key is to stick to the five minutes so you won’t try to avoid the process tomorrow.

How to achieve a five-minute declutter

1. Set your phone or kitchen timer for five minutes. You only need five minutes to make inroads into your mess and you won’t be overwhelmed.

2. Choose a room or a space. You’ve only got five minutes, remember. Pick a room like the kitchen or bathroom or tackle the junk drawer or the linen cupboard.

3. Be ruthless. As you go through your chosen area, ask yourself three questions about each item:

  • Do I love it?
  • Do I use it?
  • Do I need it?

If the answer is no, it’s time to let go.

4. Use the four-pile system. Have four designated bins ready: trash, donate, later and relocate. Toss anything broken, expired or unusable. Donate items in good condition. Relocate things that belong elsewhere in your home. For anything you’re unsure of, put it in the Later bin. You can return to it at another time and decide. Don’t waste any of your five minutes in indecision or regret.

5. Return items to their place. Make sure everything has a home and it’s easy to access when you need it. You don’t want to create clutter in another area.

Bonus tip
Put on some of your favourite music to get yourself motivated.

Progress, not perfection

The first few times you go through the five-minute declutter, you might be disappointed at what you’ve achieved. You shouldn’t be. Keep up the good work and before long you’ll be an expert in identifying stray items and knowing what to do with them in seconds.

Examples of a five-minute declutter

  • Kitchen counter: Clear away dirty dishes, wipe down surfaces, put away appliances and utensils.
  • Kitchen table: Toss junk mail, remove school bags, remove old fruit if you have a fruit bowl, wipe down the table.
  • Entryway: Hang up coats and bags, remove dying plants, put away shoes, put any junk mail into the recycle bin.
  • Bedroom: Make the bed and tidy the bedside table, removing anything that doesn’t belong. If you have a drawer, clear it out.
  • Home office: File paperwork, throw away magazines you’ve read and clear away clutter like coffee mugs.
  • Bathroom: Put away toiletries, wipe down surfaces and toss empty containers.

A five-minute declutter goes quickly

You’ll surprise yourself at how much you can achieve in just five minutes. So get started, declutter and enjoy your newly organised space. A little bit every day will make a big difference over days or weeks.

Need advice on selling your Barrington Coast property?

As a proud local, I’m here to guide you through the process of selling your home. I specialise in lifestyle, rural and residential properties. I’ve done it myself and helped many families over my career. So give me a call; I’m here to help.

5 quirky additions to add value to your Gloucester home

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5 quirky additions to add value to your Gloucester home

When we’re looking at homes to buy, we are attracted by more than good flow and a practical layout. We can be seduced by the unusual, especially if it’s something we’ve thought about but not got around to doing.

Whether you’re selling your home or simply want to enjoy it more, there are some changes you can make to create a more appealing home.

In this article, I give you some ideas that will satisfy your yearning for the unconventional. These additions to your home can add personality and make your home stand out.

1. Fire pit: First up, I have to stress that a fire pit is fabulous in winter. We don’t want all that heat in summer and end up starting a bushfire. However, when it’s chilly, a fire pit can be a great gathering point for the family, whether you’re trying to toast marshmallows or you’re enjoying a glass of wine and good conversation.

2. Wine fridge: You might think an ordinary fridge would work fine for your wine collection. However, wine fridges have benefits for your wine you might not be aware of. A good wine fridge will keep wine at a consistent, cooler temperature (usually between 12°C and 18°C) compared to a regular refrigerator, which helps prevent spoilage and preserve the flavour. Your wine fridge will control humidity and maintain it at about 70%. These days with so many screw top bottles, this isn’t such an issue but if you’re a purist and want only cork, you can be assured your corks won’t shrink and let air in to the bottle. Your wine fridge often has UV-protected glass or opaque doors to shield the wine from damaging light. As well, they’re designed to minimise vibration. The best reasons of all, though, are they look great and you’ll always have wine on hand at the correct temperature.

3. Backyard cinema: Movie nights under the stars? Yes, please! You can set up a projector and screen, comfy seating, and a snacks table for a truly immersive experience. String lights or fairy lights can add ambience. However, remember your neighbours and perhaps use your outdoor cinema with headphones. Check out Silent Sounds for headphones.

4. Kickboard storage drawers: Most of us have wasted space under kitchen cabinets. Yes, the recessed kickboards reduce bulk but they could also be used as drawer space to keep items like cling wrap and foil you don’t need to access every day.

5. Indoor-outdoor swimming pool: A friend of ours built an indoor-outdoor pool in his home in Canberra back in the 1970s. When we visited, the pool was a huge talking point. From a tiled pool and family room, we could enter the pool, swim under the glass wall and out into the fresh air. In winter, an acrylic cover made the room secure.

Other additions to add interest to your home

Kitchen herb garden wall
Those of us who aspire to be better cooks would love to walk out the back door to pick fresh herbs…just as you might if you lived in Italy or France. Check out Bunnings and you’ll find a range of vertical garden options for your home. With a vertical herb garden you get two benefits: it looks and smells great and can add some zest to your cooking.

Stained glass windows or skylights
Imagine the kaleidoscope of colours you could enjoy.

Bi-fold doors or sliding glass doors
Get that indoor/outdoor feel when you install doors that open directly to your back yard.

Skylight
Many older homes are quite dark in places. A carefully placed skylight will flood the space with light.

Need advice on selling your Gloucester region property?

As a proud local, I’m here to guide you through the process of selling your home. I specialise in lifestyle, rural and residential properties. I’ve done it myself and helped many families over my career. So give me a call; I’m here to help.