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Chinese New Year Home Decluttering in 1 Week

Jan 28, 2019

Chinese New Year (CNY) is around the corner! Spring Clean is one of the many CNY traditions that Chinese still adopt. Inspired by the current famous decluttering genius, Marie Kondo, who owns a show Tidying Up with Marie Kondo on Netflix, Team 513 Paint Diary would love to present you a simple guide to decluttering and organizing your space in 1 week! (there are only 8 days till CNY!)

Photo from Netflix 

Day 1-3: Decluttering

 Decluttering is the first key step to reorganize your home. There are actually many ways to do it. Every time you find an item that you do not use it daily or recently, you can ask yourself several questions:
1. Does this item still applicable to you?
2. Are you sure you will use it in the future? 
And you can ask what Marie Kondo likes to ask: 
Does this item spark joy?
Once you have figured out which item to keep, which to ditch, you are ready to go to the next important step: Organizing.
 

Day 4-6: Organizing

Spaces are often very limited in homes of Hong Kong. That is why organizing effectively can be tricky! If you are already worrying where to store the clutter on the floor after decluttering, don’t be! Our team proudly present you a list of storage ideas:

Baskets/ Boxes
They can be in all sizes and colours! Put and organize your things in them according to categories. For instances, T-shirts, underwear, socks and cardigans; electronic items, cameras, colour pencils and pocket tissues. Tuck the baskets or boxes in the corners of rooms, beneath shelves and tables. In this way, your things are covered and easy to clean up!

If you do not feel like putting boxes inside shelves, you can also DIY your own box wardrobe! All you need to do is to stack several wooden boxes up. The weight of the boxes will keep them nicely together, or it is advised to store items according to their weight to avoid overhang. You can also use bulldog clips to keep them together. 

To make the box wardrobe looks less dull, you may even paint it with colours that suit the interior of your house. Check out our blog Upcycling for Beginners: Painting Furniture for some painting tips. 
Photos from A Pair and Spare 

Photo from Style By Emily Henderson Blog

Trays
When it comes to cosmetics, skin cares and small items that you use it daily, trays are the best option to store them. Pop them into shelves and just pull them out every time you need them. Want to maximize spaces in every tray? Besides buying plastic (not so eco-friendly!) dividers available in household shops, you can actually create your personalized pretty dividers! Use leftover food boxes such as cereal boxes and wrap them up with colourful wrapping papers. There you go, personalized nicely divided trays! For detailed DIY steps, go check out iheartOrganizing! 

Photos from iheartOrganizing

Photo from Style By Emily Henderson Blog

Shelves
Shelves must have given you an impression of tall and bulky ones. Luckily, many furniture shops now offer skinny shelves, which are the greatest choice for Hong Kong cramped homes!

Photo from Style By Emily Henderson Blog

Labelled jars
I am sure this will not be unfamiliar with people who love to cook! Organize your seasonings and snacks into elegant glass jars and have them labelled! This is at the same time eco-friendly and stylish as well! Don’t be limited to the kitchen area, you can also apply jars in your bathroom. Use your creativity!

 

Photo from A Pair & A Spare 

Now, you have your refreshing organized home. What are you going to do on your 7th day? Remember all the items you eliminated on the first 3 days? You can either share the usable items to your community (Read Resources sharing for Green Living) or upcycle them! (forgot what is Upcycling? Refer to our previous blog entry on Upcycling for Beginners: Painting Furniture!)  Upgrade your unused items to something useful according to your style. In 1 week, you have done your spring clean by decluttering, organizing and creating new household items that are eco-friendly! 

Team 513 wish you all a Happy Chinese New Year!

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