SPRING cleaning expert Clare Baker says a good declutter can uncover hidden treasures.

The businesswoman has made a career out of clearing clutter from people's homes and once helped find a first edition Beatrix Potter book worth £6,500.

She said: "I practise what I preach and have regular clutter clearing sessions.

"When I was unhappy in my job I wondered what I could do that I would enjoy and what I was good at doing. I worked out how I was good at clearing my clutter and then keeping it under control.

"When I moved to Banbury two years ago my husband and I had a huge declutter before we moved - it saved money on moving costs and meant we instantly had more space in our new home.

"My husband didn't understand what I did for a living and he became one of my most challenging clients."

After spotting a trend in America, Mrs Baker set up The Clutter Clearing Consultancy in Oxfordshire four years ago and is taking on consultants across the country.

She works closely with estate agents when clients' clutter is causing a problem for potential buyers - and claims to have helped one woman save thousands of pounds.

She said: "One lady contacted us because she'd received a quote for an extension to her house - primarily to create more storage space for her clutter. The quote was £13,000 so she contacted us to find out whether investing in a clutter consultation might enable her to save some money by needing a smaller extension.

"By the time we had finished, not only did she not need any extra space, she had also made enough money from the lost treasures to pay for a pampering weekend at a health spa."

She added: "Helping people clear clutter is not about doing it for them, it's about enabling them to make the decisions and giving them a process to follow - it's not my place to make judgements on other people's belongings.

"If it was as simple as that, I'd save them some money and tell them to get a skip."

Tips include: Give yourself time. It took you months if not years to accumulate, so it's likely to take you more than a weekend to clear up.

Do a little at a time. Never do more than two hours at once.

Give yourself more options about what to do with your clutter other than keeping it or throwing it away.

Don't take on responsibility for other people's clutter. Deal with your own and set the example.

Reward yourself once you have done between one hour and two hours' clearing.

Be very clear about any help you want. Friends and family mean well, but it often ends in tears.