106 - How to declutter the under stairs cupboard

Summary

In this episode of Decluttering Untangled, Heather Tingle discusses the challenges of decluttering the under stairs cupboard, a common clutter magnet in many homes. She explores the reasons behind its tendency to accumulate clutter, especially for those with neurodivergent brains, and offers practical strategies for tackling this space. Heather emphasises the importance of understanding the purpose of the cupboard, categorising items, and implementing effective organising strategies to create a functional and stress-free environment.

Chapters

00:00 The Nightmare of the Under Stairs Cupboard
02:41 Understanding the Clutter Magnet
05:56 Practical Steps to Declutter
08:34 Organising for Accessibility and Efficiency


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Transcript

Heather Tingle (00:01.262)
Hello, Untanglers, and welcome to another episode of Decluttering Untangled with me, your host, Heather Tingle. Now today, I want to talk about a space that gives a lot of people nightmares. Most of my clients have got this space and it is just a big, dark room of doom, and that is the under stairs cupboard. Now the under stairs cupboard seems to be one of the hardest places to declutter in any room.

or rather it's the hardest place to keep on top of because it's where things go just for now and they stay there for years. So in this episode, we'll untangle a little bit about why it becomes a clutter magnet, how to tackle it without getting out of majorly stressed and what a realistic system will look like for you to give a go. So hopefully that will help. This is especially useful if you've got a neurodivergent brain and if things are out of sight, they're out of mind.

and we tend to just shove things in there to forget about until later. So the under stairs cupboard, it does become kind of a Bermuda triangle of the home. So you get to the point where everything goes in there regardless because it's just, it's a very easy place to just shove things because let's face it, under stair cupboards are one of those places in even the tidiest of homes that can get a bit cluttered and they are.

not necessarily really clear in what purpose they're for, so they can do all sorts of things. They can do, you know, clothing, so boots and coats, accessories, they can be DIY, they can be a pantry, they can be a pet place, like they serve so many purposes. So the first thing that I want you to do...

is look at what types of things you've got in here and also like this cleaning stuff in there, let's face it, or vining boards or all that kind of stuff. Hoover's going there quite a bit. So before you're getting started, what I would say, if you have got a full day to do this, absolutely take everything out and then put stuff back in. However, most of us haven't got that length of time.

Heather Tingle (02:16.418)
So, what I would like you to do is start to look at what is actually gonna belong in this space. What is this space for? Now, it's always going to be a multifunctional place. It's always gonna be something that has lots of different things in it. But what do you actually want to use it for? What now makes sense with the home that you've got and the way it's set up right now, if you were gonna start again with this cupboard, what would go in there? What your brain will then do is it'll look at the other things in there and go, well, if it can't go in here, where else is it gonna go?

And that also then needs thinking about. So is the stuff that's under there gonna go in a different cupboard in the kitchen? Is it gonna go in a different space in your wardrobe? Is it going to go in a utility room? Is it gonna have to go outside? Is it gonna have to go in a shed? Like, where else can things go? And it may mean that for now, it becomes a bit of the beginning domino that, well, if you do that, you've got to do that, and then you've got to do that, and then you've got to do that. So work out, okay, so if these things have now got to go upstairs,

where is the space upstairs got to be? And then that would be one of the first places you would clear rather than the under stairs cupboard. I'm hoping this makes sense to you. So when we're looking at this space, it is kind of a place where we pretend that what's in there doesn't exist. It's a mysterious space, like full of umbrellas, toolboxes, like muddy boots and a Hoover and an ironing board. And they all coexist in like chaos. And I think

This little like cave of doom is the first to fill and it is the last thing to get attention. But if you can organize it, it's a small space. So that is limited as to what you can do with it. It's limited to the volume of things it can have. And once you've got it tidy and organized, it will impact on everywhere else in the house. Now to start with, it might impact negatively, but if you do it properly, it can really impact positively too. So if you've ever opened your side and then shut the door again and thought, oh my God, not today.

then that's fine, you're in good company, you are not alone. But that tiny space can make a really big difference how your home feels because it's usually near the entrance, it's usually where a lot of things go every day and therefore it will make an impact every day. So let's have a look at where it comes from. So it is the perfect storm. The reason why it gets like this is because it is out of sight. Your brain gives it permission to become a dumping ground.

Heather Tingle (04:36.59)
Because let's face it, when we look at most people's under stairs cupboard, they're all dumping grounds. Then they're small, they're usually dark, they're quite hard to reach in places and they're full of like random categories. So it is the deal with it later space, but that means it ends up holding decisions or not even decisions at all. It's just a place where you can store things to procrastinate. Also things that aren't yours. Now that can be really important. So if you're stuck with things that aren't yours,

go look at the other episode where it talks about dealing with things that aren't yours. But for a neurodivergent brain, that hidden away chaos can quickly drain your energy because you know it's there. It's kind of like unfinished business and it is the kind of place that you're going every day. So it's going to give you stress. So the main thing to do is don't try and empty it all at once unless you are really lucky and you've got a full day or a full weekend where you think, actually, I can do this, in which case, great.

get everything out, drag it all out, give it a clean and then really put things back in intentionally and figure it out that way. However, for most of those, that is not likely. So, what I would like you to do is take one visible category and I would really, really like you to start with the floor because the floor is the bit that stops you going further into the cupboard. If that is clear, then everything else feels a lot better. So, have a look at the things that are on your floor and have a look at the type of things that they are.

and put them into categories of, right, what is this? And just do 15 minutes on it. Do your keep, relocate somewhere else, decide something you want to do with it, action it, or let go of. And really look at those categories and see what type of thing is this? Is this actually the right place for it? Now do work with your reality self, not your fantasy self. Your reality self, if you kick off your muddy boots and put them under there,

that is when they're gonna go. You're not going to clean them straight away the minute you walk in the house and then take them upstairs and lovingly, know, caress them with a towel and then put them in the bottom of your wardrobe. Like that isn't gonna happen, it? So think about things really realistically. Are you actually going to put these somewhere else or is this the best place for them? If this is the best place for them, where is the best place for it to be in this cupboard? If you get stuck, then...

Heather Tingle (06:58.114)
come back to that category later and start with something else. So ask yourself what needs to be accessible, not visible. And that would be things that you will go hunting for. So this is the things that might not get used very often, but you will look for them. So for example, if you need to be able to access the Hoover to remember to clean the floor,

you're not going to hide the Hoover away. And let's face it, most hoovers are quite heavy anyway. So you're not going to put that right in the back corner where you can't see it because you're never going to clean your house ever again. So think about what things that you've got in your categories. What will you hunt for because you really want? And then think how easy does this need to be to be put away? So things like mop and cleaning kits, a bucket with a mop in it is quite easy to just chuck.

quite far back and you will search it out when you need it, for example. Coats and shoes that you actually wear need to be easy to get. Umbrellas and bags you will probably search for, but occasional use items like folding chairs or a step stool or wrapping paper box. Are you gonna put something in there that you're gonna forget about? Because that isn't gonna help you. So you need to think about how you're gonna have things that are quite visible. So, you you don't need gift bags from 2009.

because you're never gonna go hunting for them to try and find them because you might know where they exist but it's probably easier just to go and buy another one which is what you will do. Random tools that you're never gonna use because you don't know what they do. Boxes that might come in handy. Now all these things probably aren't gonna be useful in this cupboard. If it isn't used regularly, it probably belongs somewhere else. So for me, my understeads cupboard is my shoe place. It is my clean space and it is for cat litter.

I also used to have, but now it has moved because I've got more spaces. It used to have emergency DIY. So there would be a torch in there, there would be a screwdriver, there would be a hammer, there would be like an adjustable spanner type thing. And that would like annotate measure. And they would cover like most eventualities of, my God, I need to go get something, quickly grab it. And that would be that space. Now it's moved because I've got more room in my kitchen because I decluttered it, get me.

Heather Tingle (09:17.966)
So have a decision about what you want. Is it gonna be DIY? Is it gonna be clothing? Is it gonna be pet? Is it gonna be cleaning? Is it gonna be shoes? What does that space look like? And have a decision as to what makes sense for it to go there. So when you are deciding what goes there, have a look about how you can store it in there. So it might be that you need some shelves putting up because shelves in these places are so useful.

but we don't just want loads of random things on there because let's face it, if you have lots of random things, then things are gonna fall off. So you want open baskets, no lids, you want no barriers. Because if you've got a lid, things are gonna pile on top of it, then it'll get full, then you can't get it off the shelf, then it goes on the floor. You also want things like hooks. Hooks are amazing because they are so low energy to put something back. Hanging rails, so fast to use, so much less thinking to put things back.

And you also want to zone by height. So everyday stuff, eye level, chest level, rarely use stuff on the floor or top shelf because that makes such a difference. You want to label everything, even if it feels really obvious. So you want to containerize, ideally clear boxes if you can. You also want to be able to see in there. So some stick on lights. I will put a link in show notes for some that I think are really useful.

So you want to be able to see in there very easily, just the push button that you can turn on off when you're in there. You want labels on everything. So they are reminders for future you when executive function is struggling because you're not organising for the day that you're motivated. You're designing for the day that you're not motivated. You're designing for a day when you are at your lowest energy and lowest spoons and is this keep on top able that's what you wanted to get from it.

So I hope that has given you some things to think about. Until next time, remember you're not alone, be kind to yourself and keep untangling.