She’s made a career out of helping people declutter their homes, and now Stacey Solomon is applying the same rules to Pickle Cottage – much to the chagrin of husband Joe Swash.
An insider tells Closer, ‘Stacey is a firm believer that a messy house creates a messy mind. She finds herself completely overwhelmed and anxious if things aren’t in order. She’s been ruthless this year at Pickle Cottage, completely decluttering the house from top to bottom.
‘She’s been hoping that Joe will follow her lead and start trying to sort his life out at home, too. She has joked about how messy he is and that opposites attract, but the reality is that seeing his stuff laying around their bedroom can drive her mad.
‘She does a lot for him, but in the New Year she’s going to really put her foot down and tell him to get his act together, start organising his clothes more and get rid of any unwanted stuff from his “man cave”. She’s joked about him having so many hoodies and T-shirts that all look the same, gadgets that he’s never used, and gardening tools collecting dust. She’s ordered him to do an inventory of it all and completely sort the house with her. She wants them to be more of a team, so it’s not always about her nagging him and instead about getting him onto the same page as her in 2025.’
Having hosted the National Television Award-winning show Sort Your Life Out since 2021, Stacey, 35, is well-placed to clear the decks when it comes to Pickle Cottage. And with six kids between her and Joe – Harry, 17, Zachary, 16, Leighton, 12, Rex, five, Rose, three, and Belle, one – five of whom live at the £1.2million property in Essex alongside dogs Teddy and Peanut, as well as ducks Daisy and Delilah, a declutter ahead of spring is likely a good idea.
The New Year is already looking incredibly hectic for both Joe, 42, and Stacey, with the release of their reality TV series that began filming in October and, as Closer previously reported, it has been a major source of stress for the couple, along with plans to expand her haircare brand REHAB and Joe’s Channel 4 show, Buy It, Batch It, Cook It.
The source explains, ‘Stacey likes the feeling of knowing she’s going to start 2025 with a clean slate and no baggage, and that anything that’s no longer serving her is going to be out of her life. Whether that’s past insecurities, emotional baggage, or even a bunch of toys that the kids no longer play with – she wants rid of it. It has made her feel really calm and strong.
‘There have been a lot of ups and downs this year and she knows 2025 will throw a few curveballs her way, too – but as long as she feels like she’s got her home in order, Stacey feels like she can handle just about anything.’
As part of her winter clear out, this year Stacey – who has been open about her struggles with both depression and anxiety – made the conscious decision not to add to the clutter in her home at Christmas time.
She previously shared on Instagram, ‘We don’t do loads of presents because I hate it. I just think they unwrap one and then unwrap the other, and then they’re crazy kids. So we do one big present – I’m doing up an old playhouse for the girls – and then they’ll get little stocking fillers and stuff.
‘But family members just love a toy, don’t they? I literally did a big charity collection a couple of days ago, because you have to. If you want to sort out your playrooms and wardrobes, start letting go of stuff now before Christmas when you get new bits and bobs.’
Our source adds, ‘The family have been mocking her that she’s like a sergeant major when it comes to cleaning the house out, but Stacey can’t stand the feeling of going into another year with everything in chaos after a busy Christmas.
‘She doesn’t ever want to feel like she’s spoiling the kids either. Yes, they have a very privileged life, but she hates the feeling of excess stuff when there’s no need for any of it. She also wants her children to grow up knowing the importance and value of things, earning privileges, tidying up after themselves and just keeping themselves in order. This mentality has really helped Stacey get through some tough times in life and she hopes that can be the same for the children as well.’