Ten Minute Tidy - scruffy shelf

While I've been away, I've been doing a few little tasks that needed attention around the house.

This is a shelf on the dresser in my kitchen. It's not untidy, as such, but it is not looking its best - there are manuals for the oven and hob in tatty plastic folders, a ring binder that's seen better days and cookery books I don't use. (Random fact - my mother works in a charity shop and says the type of book most often donated is cookery books). I tend to get recipes from the internet now (they're in the purple folder).

Calling this a ten minute tidy is a little bit sneaky, as first I assessed the situation, and then when I was next out shopping, I bought the little beauty on the right (from here, currently out of stock on the website). The blue ring binder on the shelf has various papers like the council recycling and waste collecting calendar, local information, my master shopping list (so I don't forget anything when I'm making a list) and other stuff which needed to be neatly kept. Just not in that ugly (and old) blue folder.

Also pictured to the left are the tatty plastic folders with the manuals - these have been rehomed with all the rest of the applicance manuals.

I was then able to sort through the contents of the blue folder, some of which was recycled, and the rest put into rough categories and filed in my beautiful new file.

A couple of the cookery books that I wasn't using were put in the charity shop bag, and everything was then put back on the shelf.

And here is the end result. Much better.

The actual tidying did only take about 10 minutes, not including the time taken to go and buy the new folder.

Happy decluttering!

Lemons xx