British householders currently hoard £2.5 billion worth of clutter. We're exhorting you to do two good things at once: clear up your home with our seven-point guide to de-cluttering, and secondly, to help older people by donating your unwanted goods to Help the Aged.

Clutter equals mess, stress and wasted time. Many people regularly spend time looking for keys, the remote control or unpaid bills. They have a growing pile of shoes and bags by the front door, and can't get to their bed without tripping over clothes and books. Added to this, as people get older or retire, they often feel a need to simplify and lighten their lives but may feel overwhelmed when they realise how much stuff they've accumulated over the years. They would feel mentally freer if they cleared the attic, garage or just the wardrobe – but how?

Seven-step plan for de-cluttering

1. Identify your clutter
Systematically go through every room, cupboard and drawer in your home and just take a look at what's there – you might like to make a list. Cast your eye over each area for things you neither use nor love. Identify where you've put objects that are useful but are stored so badly that they never see the light of day. And keep a look out for areas where you've stuffed different types of items together in no discernible order, say the cupboard under the stairs. These are the areas you'll need to work on.

2. Start with an easy task
Clearing away clutter can be very emotional, and that's the reason why many people never start. Make life easy by starting with your sock drawer rather than choosing to trawl through old photographs or letters. The idea is to free yourself up for the future rather than to dwell on the past.

3. Spend 15 minutes a day, every day
If your house is in a real mess, it's too daunting and depressing to think about spending all day with your sleeves rolled up. Instead, set a timer, put on some upbeat music and work solidly on your sock drawer for 15 minutes. Don't get distracted and start chucking out old papers and toys at the same time – the key is to focus.

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4. Be tough with yourself
Throw out anything you don't intend to mend, use or wear; anything you haven't used for several years; and anything you've told yourself might come in handy 'some day'. You don't have to throw away valuable or sentimental items or make yourself miserable in the process. Just clear enough space so that you can get around your home easily and efficiently.

5. Take it to your nearest Help the Aged shop
Help the Aged shops accept all sorts of items including clothes, furnishings, bric-a-brac, toys and games, CDs, DVDs, videos and accessories. Please drop off your items at your nearest Help the Aged shop.
Find out more about what to donate

6. Don't give up
If it's taken you a lifetime to amass so many things, you won't get rid of it all in a day. Keep on sorting, dumping, tidying and you'll win the battle in the end.

7. Stop new clutter from building up
To save going through the whole process again, identify your worst cluttering sins and make an effort to change your habits. Open post when it arrives and either bin it, file it or deal with it straight away. Always put your keys and your wallet in the same place when you come in. Resolve to recycle one old item of clothing whenever you buy something new. And make sure that everything – down to paperclips – has a designated space in which to live.