Cleaning, decluttering and reorganising can help create a living space that reflects your personality and provides a real refuge from workday and commuting woes.

"Because we tend to spend more time indoors during January and February, it is a great time to get the new year off to a great start and shake things up in the home, " says Dawna Walter, author, television presenter, Reiki teacher, healer and founder of The Holding Company, the UK's first specialist retailer of savvy storage products.

Here she shares her top 10 tips on decluttering the home? 1. Clean up Giving your home a thorough clean can really enhance your abode.

"Simple things like dusting the light bulbs and cleaning the windows can immediately brighten up the look and feel of every room in your home. It's a great time to move all the furniture and clean away the dust, including kitchen appliances, " says Walter.

2. Clear out "Most people could get rid of about 30% of their possessions without missing them, " argues Walter, whose book The Great Office Detox has just been published by Penguin Michael Joseph.

"My rule of thumb is that if you haven't used it or looked at it for the last 12 months, it should go, along with anything that is broken and stained."

3. Time-manage your decluttering offensive Rather than making an enormous effort to tackle the entire house, Walter suggests breaking your cleaning and decluttering campaign into manageable one- or two-hour chunks. This will mean you're not overwhelmed by having to finish an enormous job in one go. She advises setting aside uninterrupted time for the task.

"Pick a specific small area and give yourself uninterrupted time to complete the task."

Enlisting some help will speed things up and Walter suggests taking before and after photos to serve as a reward for your efforts. This will motivate you to prevent clutter from accumulating again.

4. Invest in smart storage Smart storage is vital in open plan and small spaces. Assess your needs and invest in some key kit such as coffee tables incorporating storage; underbed boxes; floor-to-ceiling wardrobes and hall cupboards; and room dividers that double as bookshelves.

Sofas with in-built storage are a hot trend while foldaway offices are the business for home-workers. Stylish shelving will enhance bathrooms while old office storage is savvy for children's bedrooms.

"Store things that you use most frequently in the most accessible areas of your home, for example, pots and pans should be by the stove, " says Walter.

"Use high-level storage for things that you use occasionally. Think about packing your out-of-season clean clothes away in the attic, wellprotected.

"Invest in good hangers.

They make a huge difference in the amount of washing you will have to do and will help you to realise longer wear out of your investment.

"Bookshelves are a great place to store not only books, but objects that you really like. Edit books often and always have spare room for new books, " she advises.

"Expanding files are easily found at all stationary stores and are a great place to keep your bills or general household information such as guarantees and appliance information.

"Think about vertical storage such as a rack for CDs or DVDs. They take up little space and can hold lots of media in an organised way. If you store things under your bed, be sure to do so in an organised fashion.

"Mess under the bed can make for a bad night's sleep.

Use rolling plastic or wooden drawers to keep things neatly organised."

5. Tidy objects after use "Put things away immediately. Clutter attracts more clutter and the longer things stay out, the more likely it will get out of control, " Walter counsels.

6. Edit clutter daily, weekly and monthly Deal with your post daily.

Recycle envelopes, inserts to bills and all junk mail. Prepare your bills for payment when you get them.

"Get rid of daily newspapers daily and weekend papers within a day or two.

After reading monthly magazines, cut out any articles you wish to keep and put the magazine in the recycling bin.

Pass on all books that you have read and won't refer to again. Keeping space in your bookshelf allows you to save room for new ideas, " Walter counsels.

7. Stop hoarding Hoarders should stop holding onto things 'just in case' they might need them in the future, Walter says. "If there is no legal requirement to keep something and you haven't used it or looked at it in a year, get rid of it.

"Loft space, cellars or basements, garages and garden sheds are the place we put things to die. Be realistic about what you really need and clear out the space. If you haven't finished a project such as repairing something, get rid of it."

8. Divide and conquer "Keeping like things together in your home helps you to instantly be able to find things. It also prevents you from duplicating purchases, thus saving money, " Walter says.

9. Re-energise rooms "So many people move into a home and rarely rearrange the furnishings or even change the colour of their walls, " observes Walter. "A new coat of paint goes a long way in freshening up your home and changing colours will alter the mood of a room.

Adding accessories such as cushions or lamps can make a room feel more comfortable.

Experiment to see if you can use pieces of furniture from one room in a different location to give things a different look."

10. Stick to a routine The entrance to your home is the most important room, Walter says. "It is the first impression you get when you walk in the house. If it is cluttered and chaotic, you will instantly feel on edge when you get home."

Bedrooms, Walter remarks, are another key area to tackle. "Make your bed daily and be sure to hang up your clothing when you are finished with it for the day. It will cut down on laundry time, dry-cleaning bills and will also help to preserve the life of your clothing. A tidy bedroom makes it easier to sleep more restfully. Never bring work-related papers into the bedroom, " she advises.

"House prices are the highest they have ever been so why pay premium prices to store junk?" she asks. "The more you are able to pare down your possessions to what you love and what you use, the less time you will spend cleaning. You will also have maximum space to relax or entertain."