I'm very much a believer in the saying 'tidy house tidy mind', but with five of us living in a three-bedroom house, it's fair to say clutter shows up fast. The kids' toys seem to constantly multiply, and don't get me started on the never-ending pile of laundry to put away. That's why I swear by this busy mum decluttering hack – a super simple approach that helps me keep on top of the chaos and save hours that I just don't have.
The 'little and often' approach has become my favourite decluttering method when it comes to keeping my home organised. Let's face it, mum-life doesn't leave you with hours on end to declutter toys and clothes in one big sweep, which is where being able to declutter as you go makes all the difference.
Simply put, the little and often decluttering method involves tackling short bursts of clutter regularly, spread over a period of time, with plenty of gaps in between. I've used it to make progress everywhere from my crammed kitchen cupboards to the kids' toy boxes and wardrobes. My verdict? I think it could just be the ultimate busy mum decluttering hack...
Why the little and often rule is my go-to busy mum decluttering hack
As the name suggests, the little and often method takes away the pressure of finding a big block of time to tidy up. It's become my favourite busy mum decluttering hack because it fits around family life, and I can actually see the results. Much like my busy mum cleaning hack, it saves me precious hours (and quite often my sanity!) while helping me to declutter the house fast.
That's exactly why this approach works well for families, says Hester Van Hien, a Home Decluttering & Organising Consultant from Tidylicious. 'Within a busy household, it can be difficult to carve out large chunks of time to spend on home decluttering and organising. There are so many other things screaming for our attention.'
If you have the time (and not to mention the patience!) to set aside an entire morning, afternoon or even a full day, you could try and organise your kitchen in one go. However, with a declutter as you go mentality, you tackle your kitchen drawer by drawer, cupboard by cupboard.
'One day you might sort out your herbs and spices, the other day the tinned food,' Hester explains. 'Whenever you’ve got some time again, you might want to work on your cutlery drawer, cups and mugs, appliances, baking equipment, etc. With the little and often method you break up a big task into smaller projects and work your way through your home tiny step by tiny step.'
Hester Van Hien from Tidylicious is a Home Decluttering and Organising Consultant based in London. She uses a methodical approach to transform homes into calm, clutter-free spaces. Hester trained with Japanese tidying expert Marie Kondo, who developed the KonMari Method®. Besides working 1:1 with clients in their homes and online, Hester can also be booked as an expert speaker. She's done talks at the Ideal Home Show and the Clean & Tidy Home Show.
How I use the little and often decluttering rule in my family home
For me, this busy mum decluttering hack has been a game changer in two rooms of the house – my living room and my kitchen.
While the kitchen is very much the heart of the home, it also feels impossible to keep tidy. Between prepping family meals, dishing out snacks and cleaning up the aftermath, finding the time to declutter my kitchen always fell to the bottom of my list. But if I don't keep on top of organising my kitchen cupboards, they're bursting at the seams and I struggle to find anything I needed.
So, rather than re-attempting (and failing) to tackle the entire kitchen in one go, I switched to the declutter as you go method. I'll start small by picking one cupboard, which if I'm lucky I can tackle while the kids' are sat eating their lunch. And as I'm usually against the clock, I've found it helps to set a timer as you would with the 10 things to declutter in 10 minutes rule – it's surprising how quickly you can collate out-of-date spices, food tins hiding at the back of the shelves, and not to mention the amount of mismatched lunchboxes and lids.
I also use the little and often method to organise my fridge and the kitchen drawers which always seem to be full of junk. Tackling them in short bursts is achievable and stops them from spiralling out of control.
The one area in our house that seems to descend into daily chaos is the living room. My three little ones accumulate a lot of toys which seem to migrate everywhere so I've had to really get creative when it comes to toy storage ideas – especially as I don't want my living room to feel like a playroom. Believe me, I've tried countless times to store the majority of toys in the children's rooms with little luck so storage baskets and boxes have become my saviour.
That said, even the best baskets can't keep up if there's a mountain of toys spilling out of them. I've learnt that trying to declutter when you're feeling overwhelmed is a pointless battle. This is where the little and often method helps. I've started carving out 10 minutes at the end of the day once the kids are in bed to tackle a single basket or toy box. By focusing on one spot, I can pay more attention to what's really in there – I'm talking about those random (often broken) parts that don't belong anywhere but just mount up as junk.
Having a donation bag at the ready when you're decluttering is something Shannon Murphy, professional organiser and founder of Simpl Living Co recommends. 'Have a box or bag accessible for items to donate or recycle, as you are tidying take it around with you to add unwanted items into the box or bag.'
With three kids, I've found this tip really useful as there's always something they've outgrown or have lost interest in. Keeping a bag handy means I can scoop it up on the spot rather than watching it pile up. Then, I can get rid of items I've decluttered sensibly.
Shannon Murphy is the founder of Simpl Living Co and minimalist-minded professional organiser based in West Sussex. Her mission extends beyond merely assisting individuals in decluttering, although that is an important aspect. Her overarching goal is to empower people to adopt a life free from the societal stereotype that buying more will make you happy.
Hester also suggests involving children in the process where you can. 'They might not be able to help with some household items, but they can easily sort their books, toys, games, and clothes into categories. It’s a good idea to get children involved in home decluttering and organising from a young age – it’s a life skill that can benefit them for a long time to come.'
For me, this means encouraging the kids choose a few books or old games to pass on when we're doing a quick tidy. I won't pretend it's always without a battle but it's a good way to get them involved – and hopefully build good habits early on.
The downsides of my busy mum decluttering hack (and how to tackle them)
While I'm a big fan of the little and often rule, like most things this busy mum decluttering hack isn't completely faultless, as Shannon points out.
'Progress is slower overall compared to doing a full-room clear-out. It can be easy to focus on the quick-wins and leave more challenging spaces for later. Inconsistent scheduling may lead to stalled progress if short sessions aren’t made a habit,' she warns.
In other words, decluttering as you go works best when it becomes part of your routine, rather than something you dip in and out of. That’s why it’s good ensure that you regularly finish a small project, advises Hester.
'It gives a sense of achievement when you’ve finished a project, and that can really motivate you to keep going. If you do have a bit more time at some point, it’s also a good idea to try and work for a bit longer on something so that you can make a proper dent into a larger project, to keep up the motivation.'
Practical decluttering tips for busy mums
- Start small: pick one area which feels the most pressing and begin there
- Organise as you go: even if you're not always decluttering, sorting items into sub-categories makes the process easier for next time
- Involve the kids: turn decluttering into a fun game so they can learn decluttering skills from early on
- Set a timer: 10 - 15 minutes is enough time to see progress
- Keep a donation bag handy: have a box or bag ready to drop unwanted items in
- Use simple rules: ask yourself, 'Do I/they use it?' 'Do I / they love it?'
- Track progress: taking before and after photos can be really motivating
- Plan the next step: before you finish, decide what to tackle next to save time
Busy mum storage and organisation essentials
Having a cube storage unit, such as this Habitat one, in your living room is one of the simplest and most effective ways to disguise and keep the kids toys in order.
Storage cubes that slot into a cube unit are a great way to keep the kids' toys separate. It's also manageable to declutter one box at a time too.
Stackable lunchboxes that these up limited space in your kitchen cupboards can help to cut down on the endless tubs and lids.
If you're going to have toy boxes in your living room, you want to make them look nice. I can see why this house storage basket from Dunelm is so popular – it holds a lot so it's the ideal solution to conceal toys that you don't want on show.
Food organisers, like these Amazon ones, help me keep on top of the clutter in my cupboards and fridge. They also stop me from rummaging around when I'm short on time.
I swear by using vacuum storage bags, like this pack of two from Argos, when I'm decluttering and need to store the kids' clothes away without taking up too much space.
Do you have a go-to hack for keeping on top of family clutter? Let me know in the comments!
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