Dejunk your house this Chinese New Year with these suggestions

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The Chinese New Year celebration is all about ushering in the new year and part of that prep is spring cleaning which happens in all household, which is essentially a nationwide declutter-fest. Whether you believe in ancient legends and want to get with Chinese traditions or simply want to use this as a great excuse to get the family involved in some decluttering, here are some tips to get you started:

Where do I begin?

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Oftentimes, we find ourselves squirrelling away objects, clothes and junk we just don't need; from unworn sale purchases collecting dust and moth holes in the wardrobe to granny's gaudy china set. The truth is, we could all live with a lot less stuff. Furthermore, your junk could go to other people who might make good use of it. 

Decide why you want to declutter. Write it down so it keeps you focused. Set aside some old clothes for you and your family to wear. Get a stock of big plastic bags such as heavy-duty garden sacks in different colours, plastic storage boxes and files for stationery.

Get the containers ready. If you have lots of books, get a few cardboard boxes. For clothes, towels or sheets, a few of those large plastic bags from your local bric-a-brac shop or your rarely used duffel bags will come in handy. 

Set a time limit each day. It's vital to have a goal or treat at the end of each day so you have something to look forward to.

All prepared. Now what?

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List down the rooms you want to tackle in order of priority, ie. most urgent first. Don't try and do it all at once. Always do one room completely before you go on to the next; otherwise you are just making more clutter. 

Organise rubbish into recyclable and non-recyclable (straight into the plastic bags). Around 60 per cent of your household waste can now be recycled (including paper, cardboard, wood, plastics, old computers, batteries, textiles, glass, cans and other electrical appliances), so make sure you keep this separate from a charity shop and genuine rubbish. 

Here are five key points to bear in mind:

1. Start with big objects in each room first, then move on to the small trinkets.

2. If you haven't worn or used something for a year, ditch it.

3. Organise as you go along. 

4. Store all off-season clothes away in suitcases, quality vacuum packs or bags.

5. Once you've completed the dejunk task set aside half an hour every day to keep it up. You need to be disciplined.

Where do I take all my stuff?

The first stop for most people considering doing something positive with their reusable things is to give straight to charity. The big name in the recycling world of Beijing is Roundabout. A social enterprise run by volunteers, Roundabout accepts donations of clothing, books, household goods and more, and either give the items direct to people in need or sells them on to raise funds. 

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