Back to Blog

Changing locks at your home

Did you know, it’s not an insurance requirement to change the locks on your home when you move.   But think about it.  If you are buying a home, how many other people have had keys?  Will they have returned them to the previous owner to pass on to you?    Looking at the number of times I declutter houses that have keys for other properties, I know there are plenty of keys hanging around in the wrong places!  They may belong to neighbours, cleaners, forme...

Your home move survival kit

When you move home, there are some things you are going to need, or will need to think about knowing where they are.  Here’s our list: Items you need from the kitchen the night before your move, during the day of the move and as you arrive, should be packed last so they are off the lorry first.  They are:  kettle, coffee, tea, a couple of plates, glasses and mugs and cutlery.   Kitchen roll Sponges / cloths / wipes Bin bags  Measuring tape...

The worst part of a home move

For me, in my past life as a serial renter, it was always the ‘not knowing’ where I would live next.  You are given notice on your flat, or you give notice (for whatever reason) and you have a date to leave, but you don’t necessarily have somewhere to go to.  That was always stressful.   Last month, we helped someone who moved out of her property to have it refurbished, and she lived temporarily in rented accommodation.  We decluttered before she left, but bec...

Organising travel items

Tempting as it often is to keep travel plugs and adapters with other electricals, or holiday toiletries with other toiletries, there are mountains of these things, as well as clothing, that you ONLY or mostly only use for holiday.  It makes sense to have a dedicated draw or box for travel items.  In here you can have foreign money, adaptors, holiday toiletries, bikinis and other holiday clothing, toiletry bags, pouches for separating items (like cables, underwear), shoe bags, medicatio...

The ‘put me away’ basket

Mess, clutter, untidiness, disarray, muddle, jumble – whatever you call it, some people live well in this environment and some people don’t.  If you’re like me, you can tolerate a bit of untidiness at home, and more so if it’s your own, but if it is someone else’s that you live with, it’s much harder.   I do prefer things neat and tidy, but I am also someone with a full life, so it’s not always easy to put things away immediately – especially if I know I’ll soon ...

Do I need a Lasting Power of Attorney?

This month’s guest blog is written by Katherine Carroll from Peacock & Co Solicitors.Most people realise that they need to put a Will in place but whilst this sets out how your estate will be dealt with after you die, it is of no use whilst you are still alive.  To ensure you are adequately cared for in your lifetime as you get older, you need a Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA). What is an LPA? This is a legal document whereby you appoint someone else (your attorney) to ...

One in, one out!

No one has an infinite amount of space in their home.  And most people tend to acquire ‘stuff’, given that we live more and more in the age of consumerism.  It takes a strong will not to keep accumulating possessions.   Space to live in is more expensive than it’s ever been, so it is a good idea to have a strategy to ensure you don’t become too cluttered.  First you probably need to have a really good clear out.  But after that, how do you stay streamlined a...

Giving something away day

The 15th July is ‘national give something away day’ in the US. Well, of course, this is something we approve of, even if it is not ‘observed’ in the UK. We are always encouraging clients to give away items to charity, on social media or to food banks.  What you give, might not be a ‘thing’. It might be your time or your skills. And the idea is that you do not expect anything in return. So have a think about where you could volunteer, or what skills you have that you can sha...

Who are we?

It’s quite difficult for people to know what we are and what we do, but we have years of experience in supporting people.  We are all of the following things for our clients: A PA  - thinking and planning all of the paperwork. A bookkeeper - guiding on financial queries, and we are registered with HMRC for this. A project manager – thinking, planning and strategy is a big part of what we do. A cleaner – we are often asked to help clear things up and declutteri...

Why we love Olio

Olio is an app (yes, sorry, it’s only available as an app, which we know is not much good if you don’t have a mobile phone or tablet). The app was originally designed to stop food going to waste, but it is used for lots of additional things now like toiletries, household cleaning products, toys, small bits of furniture and other things the charity shops don’t want but that can still be used by others.These are the reasons we love it:One man’s trash is another man’s treasure – someone...

Is It Okay If I Look In Your Knicker Drawer?

Decluttering, organising and supporting clients with downsizing means they share a lot of personal information with me.  It’s important that we have a mutual respect and trust to get the most out of every session.   During our time together I find out a lot about clients and their families and friends and how they live their lives, and I often see very personal things.    I ALWAYS ask if we can look in drawers and cupboards before we do, and we NEVER take it ...

Heat Pumps – A Smart Choice for Older People

This month’s guest blog is written by David Lyons Whyte from Switched On London.  As we get older, comfort, safety, saving money, and environmental considerations become more important in our homes. That’s why more and more older adults are turning to heat pumps as a modern solution for heating. Heat pumps are energy-efficient systems that keep your home warm when you need it, without the high costs or hassle of traditional heating systems. They work by extracting ‘free’ heat f...

National Best Friends’ Day

Yes, we know, there are probably too many national awareness days, but this one piqued our interest because we know that people who are lonely in retirement have a significant risk of dementia with some studies showing as much as a 25-40% increased risk.  As we get older, it is more and more important to make sure we have community around us and people that we share our thoughts and feelings with to help mitigate any risk factors.    If you have a best friend, celebrate them ...

Safe calls to your bank 

Spoofing is a deceptive practice where an attacker disguises their identity or the source of a communication to appear as a trusted entity, often to gain access to sensitive information, steal money, or spread malware. It involves impersonating someone or something else to mislead victims and gain their trust. This can happen through various channels like email, phone calls, and even network protocols.  The most common is calls from someone pretending to be your bank.  Thanks t...

“Oh, but that was a gift from…”!

When decluttering we regularly have conversations with clients about the fact that they can’t give an item away because someone gave it to them.  I understand.  You worry that the person will know what you’ve done.  But actually, will they?  And more importantly, will they mind? You know they thought of you when they gave you the item, and you were grateful when you received it.  But you don’t have to keep it for ever.  If when you get the item from ...

Food waste part 2!

Food waste is caused because the vast majority of people don’t plan their food consumption and so much therefore is left over.   There will always be those times when we buy something that spoils before we expected it to.  That’s not your fault, so don’t worry about that.   But we will all find that we buy, say,  coriander, and have some left, or a large pot of Greek yoghurt (because it’s cheaper than small).    We need to train ourselves to t...

Food can be clutter too!

Did you know that food can be clutter too?   70% of UK food waste comes from households, that’s 6.7million tonnes.*  The average household spends £470 on food each year that is thrown away.   These statistics are crazy! During declutter sessions we are regularly identifying unwanted food which we are giving and throwing away.  We give to foodbanks where we can, give away on Olio where we can’t, and throw when it is no longer possible to rehome it. &nb...

World Password Day - Guest Blog

This week’s guest blog is written by Richard Fincher from Room 101.  For the last 700 years, at the Tower of London, at around 10pm, something similar to the following refrain is heard during the changing of the watchman's shift: "Halt! Who goes there?' 'The keys.' 'Whose keys?' 'Queen Elizabeth's keys.' 'Pass Queen Elizabeth's keys, all is well.' What's the point of a tradition like that? Most traditions can seem pretty pointless and quaint, but they ma...

Setting a declutter schedule

If you are downsizing or just feel that your home is a bit overcrowded with possessions, one of the great ways to get started is to set yourself a schedule which can be popped into your diary.  This way you are setting time aside for it and you are also holding yourself accountable to do it.  It is okay to do something else instead in that time, but you must help yourself by rearranging it for another time before the next one is scheduled.  If something like ill health gets in the...

National Haiku Poetry Day!

As it is National Haiku Poetry Day today,  we asked AI for a bit of help for some relevant haikus, and we love them.  Here they are: DownsizingSorting cherished thingsMemories packed with careNew beginnings bloom.Later lifeSilver strands whisperFootsteps slow but hearts still danceSunset glows warmly.DeclutteringGlass crowding the shelvesWaiting for flowers to comeDust fills them instead...

Treasured memories

This month’s guest blog is written by Rosalind Furlong, a professional photographer, who captures people and memories for a living and shares here how she wishes she had dealt with her children’s memories.  My name is Rosalind and I am a hoarder. I’m not quite sure how it started. Perhaps it was being brought up by parents who lived through the deprivation of the second world war and who took the attitude that something might just come in useful someday. Maybe it was watching Blu...

Because it might be useful…

When I was 10 years old, my parents got divorced.  My dad, like many men, kept many screws, nuts, bolts, etc, ‘because they might be useful’.  We moved to a more suitable home and I suggested to my mum that the shed-full of these items wasn’t needed - my father had moved abroad, so wasn’t going to take them himself.  She insisted they came with us.  20 years later, she downsized, to a flat.  No shed.  How many times had those screws come in useful?  Alt...

All of the emotions

Claire Edwards, Registered Nurse and Eldercare Consultant, provides independent care advice to older people and their families. She gives us her thoughts here, having read a newspaper article from a family carer.  I recently read a letter to a national newspaper, written and sent by the wife and carer of a gentleman living with dementia. The full range of emotions expressed by her made me reflect on the fact that they are undoubtedly shared by so many spouses the length and breadth of the...

Fire Brigade

Did you know that your fire brigade isn’t just there to help you when there’s a fire or a road incident?  They also help with fire prevention advice.   Fire brigades offer a home visit to make sure you are safe in your home.  Check with your local fire station to see what they offer.   As well as tips on fire safety the visit may include fitting smoke or heat alarms, and they can also fit specialist alarms for those who are hard of hearing which include strobe l...

Hacks for seniors

Getting older can be a bit annoying. If you have osteoarthritis, you can lose your grip; if you have declining eye sight, you can’t see things as clearly; and your balance may have started to falter.  So here are some easy things that might help you: Get a small rubber mat or a plastic gripper tool to help you open jars and things.  Often turning it is still hard but if you push a little to the right with the gripper and to the left with your other hand, it can become really eas...