When it comes to selling a home, there’s a simple way to add thousands of pounds to the price you achieve – and that’s to get rid of your clutter.

By being a little bit ruthless with yourself, and those you live with, you really can achieve a quicker and more lucrative sale.

Here are five ways to say toodle-oo to your old toot.

The first step is often the hardest, especially if you have a strong emotional attachment to the property. Make things easier by focusing on a single cupboard or box – and building up from there. Move on to other boxes, cupboards or shelves in the same room before progressing onto other rooms in the property.

You don’t have to bin everything, but you do have to be honest. Will a buyer be impressed by your fishing rod collection, or your stash of Queen Mum memorabilia? Probably not. Buyers are looking for a property they can put their stamp on and might be turned off by your ‘special interests’. Put your beloved items into storage.

It’s amazing how many items we never use but keep ‘just in case’. Exercise equipment, camping gear, and sewing machines top the ‘I swear I’ll use it one day’ list. Consider selling these items online. That way someone else will get joy out of them – and you’ll earn some extra cash.

Before you start decluttering a room, take a quick snap of it in all its crowded glory. Once you’ve finished in a room, take an ‘after shot’. You’ll be surprised at how much more spacious the room looks, providing useful inspiration to keep going on your decluttering mission.

It can be stressful – and even emotional – getting rid of things that you’ve had for a long time. When you finish decluttering a room, reward yourself with a nice meal out, a walk with a friend or trip to the cinema.