IF you have already found the urge to get out in the garden or garage for a spot of spring cleaning, take a closer look at what you found while rummaging around.

Many of us are hoarding clutter that could be easily turned into cash for charity.

Gas company Calor is urging people all around the country to sort through the rubbish in their sheds, garages and gardens to look for empty gas cylinders.

Why?

Because for every Calor gas cylinder that is returned to a Calor Gas Direct outlet, Calor will donate £5 to the children's charity ChildLine as part of its year long `Gift of the Gas' fundraising campaign.

Andrea Price, for Calor, said: "Our research shows that there are around 12 million empty and unwanted Calor gas cylinders. "These are from appliances like barbecues and patio heaters.

"They are sitting in garages and sheds all around the country.

"If just a fraction of these cylinders were to be returned to a Calor Gas Direct outlet in exchange for a £5 donation each to ChildLine, imagine how much money could be raised to help children in danger and distress."

Calor gas cylinders can be returned to any participating Calor Gas Direct dealer until 31 October . To locate your nearest participating outlet, telephone 0800-626-626 or visit www.caloralfresco. co.uk.

* ChildLine is a free, 24-hour helpline for children in danger and distress. Trained volunteer counsellors comfort, advise and protect children and young people. The number for children to call is 0800-1111.

* Decide where you want to start, how much you want to do, and what you want to achieve. It takes longer than you think to clear out a cluttered garage, so why not start with a corner cupboard.

* Be clear about what categories of things you may find and decide what you're going to do with them. For example, what will you do with old bikes no longer in use?

* Be clear about where items are going to be stored when you've finished. You may have some garden tools in both the shed and the garage, but wouldn't it be easier to know what you've got if they were all kept in the same place?

* Reward yourself each time you've spent about an hour clearing up!

* Make sure you only put back those things that you will definitely use in the coming year. We all have good ideas and intentions of using things that we forgot we had, yet never do.