If you’ve got a spare room that’s turned into a dumping ground, it’s probably bothering you more than you admit. We all dream of having more space, and you might have had visions of how you'd use a hypothetical spare bedroom for years. But maybe you've now bought a bigger house, those plans haven't worked out? I know that when we bought our home, the incredible shared office space me and my husband envisioned took a longgg time to happen, that room sat as a storage space for the best part of 18 months. And once it gets full of clutter and boxes, shutting the door becomes the easiest option. But you feel so accomplished once it's sorted, you get a whole extra space in your home to use and enjoy, and thats why you moved to a bigger home! If you've been putting off this task for a while, here's how to tackle it.
Don’t just tidy it. Empty it
First things first, you need to empty the room completely. This is usually the most difficult bit if the room has become a clutter or junk room as you have to find a home for things. Work out what can go in the attic, the shed, the cupboard under the stairs? See what needs keeping in the room, then you can buy the right kind of furniture to store it- anything from Ikea Kallax to fully built in units. If you’ve got bulky furniture that’s in the way or items you want out of the house entirely, it might be worth getting help from a proper removals company rather than trying to haul it all out yourself. It’s easier to stay motivated when you're not stuck wrestling with heavy cupboards or figuring out how to get a sofa downstairs.
Deep Clean and Decorate
Once it’s empty, clean it properly- wipe down the skirting boards, hoover corners, clean the window and wash curtains if you're keeping them. A room like this is such a dust trap, you might have a ton of dust, cobwebs and spiders to clear out! If it's in need of redecorating, giving it a new coat of paint or some wallpaper and freshening up the paintwork is a lot easier once it's empty.
Decide on the Purpose
A spare room can be whatever you want it to be, but choose the function based on what actually works for your lifestyle. You might love the idea of a home gym but if you'll never use it then how about a laundry or reading room instead? A guest bedroom is usually a good idea for most homes with a spare room, or an office now that so many of us work from home. Even if you don't, having an office to sit and do your life admin tasks like paying bills is useful. Especially if it's a quiet zone away from the kids and their clutter! Pick one main purpose. If you try to make it do five things at once, it’ll turn back into a storage room within weeks.
Make it easy to keep using
If you’re turning it into a workspace, have somewhere to charge your laptop. If it’s a guest room, keep the bedding stored in the same room so you’re not running around the house the night before someone arrives. If it’s where the ironing gets done, leave the board set up if you can and hang a wall mounted drying rack. The room doesn’t just need to look impressive but it's nice if it does (and you'll probably be more inclined to use it). It needs to work as that’s the difference between something that gets used and something that will just slowly fill up with clutter again.
