It’s April, and we can finally feel winter is behind us and we have some brighter days ahead. It’s a great opportunity to take some time to de-clutter. Having too much stuff is one of the scourges of our modern lives, and now we can even pay people to rid our houses of all the items we’ve already paid to acquire! But don’t do that, de-clutter your home yourself.

You might wonder why de-cluttering is a green issue. Well, if everyone in the world lived like we do in the UK, we’d need three planets. A part of that difference comes from the sheer amount of products we buy, which all contain natural resources (like oil, plants, wood or metals) and have contributed to climate change and other environmental problems through their production, packaging and transport. And while stuff is sitting there unused, nobody is benefiting – it’s a lose lose.

The point of de-cluttering is not just to achieve a more spacious, airy and pleasant home, it’s to unlock the potential in all those unloved things. It also prevents wasteful duplicate purchases. How many times have you unearthed a forgotten item identical to one you recently bought? So here are my top tips for your April clear out.

1. Decide the scale of the operation
If you’re like me, you’ll suddenly get a zeal for de-cluttering and start tackling several rooms at once, skimming off the easy things then moving on when the decisions get tough, leaving a trail of destruction everywhere you go. Stop! Decide on one area – be it a shelf, a wardrobe or a whole room – and don’t stray outside that area until everything is looking spick and span.

2. Be honest with yourself
Pick up each item and think honestly about whether you will use it enough to warrant keeping it. Have four boxes nearby – for ‘resell/charity shop’, ‘keep’, ‘mend’ and ‘chuck’ (by which I mean, recycle). If it’s a wrench to get rid of some things, add another one – ‘review’. After one month, go and check that box – anything you’ve forgotten about, get rid of. Someone else will love it more.

3. Don’t buy more!
Too many attempts to clear stuff start with buying more stuff! By all means get some new hangers or drawer dividers or even furniture if that will help you – but only after you’ve sifted through everything and know exactly what you need.

4. Notice where you’re duplicating
if you’re constantly buying black skirts, soap, lightbulbs or gift wrap, forgetting you already had some, something’s gone wrong. You need to think about the first place you would look for these items, and store them there.

5. Take pride in your achievements
There’s a real satisfaction to be had with the final stage of this process, whether it’s mending a torn dress and hanging it back up in your wardrobe for spring, or handing a bag of items to one of our wonderful charity shops for the next person to love. Don’t neglect this final stage – this is where you reap the rewards of all your labours. Happy de-cluttering!