Many people will head into the Easter weekend with someone other than chocolate eggs and legs of lamb on their mind.
For many, the festive period is also a time to spring clean and declutter.
Around a quarter of Brits are embarrassed by the amount of clutter in their home, according toGood Housekeeping.
While some will no doubt be reaching for their feather duster and putting unwanted items in bags ready for the charity shops, there are some things that might trip up those wanting a tidy home.
Good Housekeeping's decluttering expert has now Katie Mortram shared her top tips to help those on a spring cleaning mission manage the clutter in their homes.
Little and often
Katie advises those embarking on a clean up not to take on too much at once.
She explained it's easy to become overwhelmed and lose confidence.
New research from Good Housekeeping has revealed a quarter of all Brits are embarrassed by the clutter in their homes butde-cluttering expert Katie Mortram has shared her top tips to help
She added: 'Instead, set aside some time to de-clutter regularly.
'If a large area needs de-cluttering, work through it gradually.'
She added it's a good idea to de-clutter by category where possible such as shoes, coats, bags and other clothing items.
The cleaning expert explained that this makes it easier to spot any duplicates and the total volume of what you own to encourage yourself to let things go.
Don't self-criticise
The Good Housekeeping resident expert revealed that many people often get angry with themselves if they find the level of clutter overwhelming.
She advised: 'When this happens, take a step back and try empathising with yourself instead.
'Take stock of what you've achieved and make a plan to address it, but don't try to sort through it while you're angry. That's when we can regret decisions.'
Be careful with storage solutions
Shoe racks, hanging shelves and containers can all help to increase a limited space, but they can also encourage you to keep more than you need and end up contributing to the clutter.
Katie suggests de-cluttering in small doses and not being too hard on yourself - finding a tidying technique that suits you is also important
Instead Katie suggested de-cluttering first to remove what's no longer needed, then opting for storage solutions that are specifically needed, measuring out the space beforehand to make sure it fits.
Instead you fit your belongings to the storage available and not the other way around.
Try using a method
There's a plethora of methods that can be used to help make sense of overflowing bags and cupboard doors so full the doors don't shut.
Katie explained that it can be easy to find a method to suit every personality and cleaning type from large-scale whole-house methods, such as Swedish Death Cleaning method which involves cleaning away all non-essential items to ease the process of de-cluttering after death.
Another option is KonMari, first created by Marie Kondo, involves working through clothes, books, paper and other miscellaneous items and asking whether it 'sparks joy'.
Other cleaning methods include working through individual rooms and even playing games, like the Ski Slope method where cleaners move from side to side, top to bottom and the Minimalism Game where you remove a number of items according to the day and month.
Leave sentimental items until the end
Katie advises leaving sentimental items, such as souvenirs and photos, to the end because they are some of the hardest to sort through.
The expert added that leaving them to the end will make it easier because you will be more versed with the decision-making process.
To help decide what to keep and what to throw away, consider why you have kept each item until now and how much value they really hold.
If you feel they hold value, a friend or family member might value them more and asking someone else to help can give a fresh perspective on such things too.
Katie's advice comes as new research shows that 25 per cent of Brits are embarrassed by the clutter in their homes, while more than four in 10 people can't achieve the de-cluttered home they want according to a major study by Good Housekeeping UK.
The study – which consulted 1,239 people – showed that the thought of having to de-clutter a home left almost a third of people feeling totally overwhelmed and apprehensive.
Almost 70 er cent of people only de-clutter when they feel they have to, but 95 per cent of people de-clutter at some point.
For most, the process of de-cluttering for 59 per cent, with many feeling satisfied and relieved after doing it.
