How much clutter are you hoarding?

A tidy house equals a tidy mind, so the mantra goes. Well, if that’s the case, there are areas of my brain that would leave Marie Kondo reeling. As a married working mum with a seven-year-old (and a new cat), my house isn’t always as put together as I’d like. There’s no better time to declutter than spring, but I know I’m not ruthless enough to part with ‘junk’ on my own. So, I enlisted the help of Georgina Burnett – the Home Genie from ITV’s This Morning – and her organising partner Alix Carnegie to help. Here’s how I got on.

MONDAY

Day one and we get straight to work. Georgina and Alix want to start in the kitchen. I’m embarrassed to open our two ‘dumping drawers’ – even though they are piled high with who knows what, we still cram more stuff in and hope for the best. ‘Everyone has them,’ Georgina reassures me. She and Alix pull out everything while I go through the knick-knacks, candles, carrier bags and ice-lolly-makers. The drawers are then rearranged with organisers, and for the first time I can see the bottom. A lot of items are for the bin, but carriers and a few other bits go to charity. Then it’s on to the cupboards to remove disused mugs and unwanted glasses. I’m ashamed at how many random novelty mugs we own, and put them in the charity pile – someone else will make better use of them.

TUESDAY

My husband Rich and I share the wardrobe and chest of drawers in our bedroom. ‘His side is tidier than yours!’ Georgina points out, correctly, as they pull out my clothes. There’s a three-pile (keep, consider, donate) system in place. If I haven’t worn it for a season or no longer like it, I give it to charity or use an app such as Vinted to sell it. I find it hard to shift the ‘keep it just in case’ mentality, but realise that some tops I’ve had for ages and haven’t worn – there must be a reason for that, so why not let someone else have them? Jumpers are neatly folded and put in a tray at the bottom of the wardrobe or put into sections (trousers, tops, dresses). I can’t believe organising my clothes has taken most of the day but, I have to admit, having an organised wardrobe feels very refreshing and satisfying – especially now that my side is tidier than Rich’s.

WEDNESDAY

Back in the bedroom to tackle the chest