Declutter – Feel Happier with a Decluttered Home and Office
Decluttering your home can be a great way to clean and organize as well as decrease your stress level. There are a few things to consider before getting started, and we’re going to help you prepare for a great experience in decluttering.
Decluttering is getting rid of stuff around your home that you don’t need and takes up space. You can start big or small, in one room or your entire home, use a service or ask for help, and having a timeline is an important thing to consider.
Do you look around your home and feel stressed by the amount of stuff? Do you need help on getting rid of all of the stuff?
What Is Decluttering?
Decluttering is getting rid of the extra stuff around your home that you don’t use or don’t need. It’s paring down decorations, extra linens, clothing, collectibles, anything you consider as clutter. Decluttering helps with decreasing the stuff, decreasing cleaning time, and keeping your home clean and organized.
Decluttering your home can create a more organized, peaceful, and functional living space. Here are some tips to get you started:
- Start small – Focus on one area or category at a time to prevent overwhelming yourself.
- Set clear coals – Define the purpose and desired outcome of decluttering.
- Donate – Schedule a donation pickup or drop-off or list items for sale online.
- Be mindful of sentimental items – Consider their value and keep only things with deep meaning or memories.
- Maintain minimalist habits – To prevent clutter from accumulating, keep up minimalist habits over time.
How To Declutter Your Home
When it comes to getting rid of the extra stuff, it’s not easy to do. In order to most effectively declutter your home, it helps to come up with a plan. The first step is looking at where to start decluttering your home.
Where to Start Decluttering Your Home
Look around your home and think about which space is the most cluttered, or brings you the most stress. Create a plan, take inventory of your home, and decide what your goals are. Decide what you’d like to sell, donate, keep, or trash. Some of the most common places to get started decluttering are the following:
- Closets
- Kitchen
- Bedrooms
Once you decide where you’d like to start, it is a good idea to look at some tips to help you be successful.
Decluttering Your Home Tips
Decluttering Checklist
A decluttering checklist can be a great way to come up with a plan and stick to it. Your checklist should include the types of things you’d like to keep, donate, sell, and trash, what rooms you’d like to declutter, and where you’d like to start. You can also use a checklist to stay on track of what’s done and what’s next. This will make decluttering so much easier than just tackling the clutter willy-nilly!
Decluttering Services
If you don’t feel like you can take care of the clutter yourself or you feel overwhelmed just by the thought of it, you can take advantage of decluttering services. From cleaning and organizing to junk removal and decluttering experts, there are a multitude of available services to help you redo your home, regardless of its current state. No job is too big or too small for these professionals!
Decluttering and Organizing
There’s no better time to organize your home than while you’re decluttering. Oftentimes we create or buy organizing systems to accommodate all of our belongings (and clutter!), and decluttering can lead to needing different organizing systems. Decluttering can help create new space and free up some much needed space. Use this time to organize the way you see best fit!
Decluttering for Hoarders
People who accumulate a great deal of stuff can have a truly difficult time trying to even think about decluttering. A support system is important to have in place to help them to identify the need to start decluttering and support them throughout the process. This is always a difficult scenario because there’s usually some degree of hazard involved, mental illness, and potential for injuries. Sensitivity, guidance, and support are a must when it comes to decluttering for hoarders.
Decluttering Your Home Timeline
You’ve learned that having a plan is important when it comes to decluttering your home, so now let’s look at the next important piece to success: timelines. Always set a timeline that is feasible for your situation!
Decluttering in 30 days
30 days is a good timeline for decluttering a home. Depending on the purpose for your decluttering and the amount you need to declutter, a month is usually an easy and relaxed pace even for an entire home. Especially if you have other people to help you-decluttering in 30 days can even be fun and exhilarating!
Decluttering in 1 day
If you’re planning on decluttering in 1 day, this can be challenging unless you have a small amount to declutter. You can get a surprising amount done in 1 day, and having friends and family to help you can make it quick and easy. As long as there’s a plan in place, you stick to the plan, and there’s no issues you can declutter your home in 1 day!
Decluttering a Room in 30 minutes
Yes, you can plan on decluttering a room in 30 minutes! Some rooms are easier than others of course, and this depends on how much (or how little) decluttering you want to complete. Smaller rooms are the easiest to declutter in a limited amount of time, but larger rooms can also be decluttered in 30 minutes with some help!
Decluttering To Sell Your Home
Decluttering to sell your home is important in the real estate market. People touring homes want to be able to see the home, not your stuff. Clutter can make a space feel small and too personal to an outsider. So if you need to sell your home, you’ll need to envision it as a model home or spec home to declutter effectively. Just think about decorating your new home!
Decluttering Your Home by Rooms
Regardless of whether you’re decluttering your entire home or a single room, there are some things to consider when creating your plan. We’re going to look at these things room by room, even outdoors.
Decluttering The Living Area and Office
Living areas and offices are notorious for collecting clutter. Items like blankets, shoes, remotes, and charge cords can contribute. Extra papers, pens, charge cords, books, trash, and junk mail need to have a home to keep your office clean and non-distracting. Pick up non-essential items and store them away while not in use. Get rid of trash and things that don’t belong and keep the rooms tidy so they’re comfortable and cozy rather than stressful and overwhelming.
Get rid of trash and things that don’t belong and keep the rooms tidy so they’re comfortable and cozy rather than stressful and overwhelming.
Decluttering The Kitchen
It’s easy to clutter up a kitchen with appliances, dishes, cups, and utensils. When decluttering the kitchen, clear out the extra dishes and cups you don’t need and use the space to store small appliances. Put utensils in drawers where they’re easily accessible for cooking. Don’t leave dirty dishes in the sink-wash and put them away or put them in the dishwasher.
Decluttering The Bedrooms
As a mother of teenagers, I’ll tell you bedrooms can be the worst. Bedrooms are often cluttered with dirty clothing and dishes, trash, decorations, and toys and it’s overwhelming to open that door. Clear out the trash, get rid of the stuff that doesn’t fit your taste or your space, put laundry away, and make the bed! Find creative storage solutions that work for you (or your kids) and use spaces like closet shelves or under the bed to keep things when not in use.
Decluttering The Bathrooms
For decluttering the bathroom, dispose of old makeup products and brushes, hair tools and products that are expired or not used. Hang up towels, place products in medicine cabinets and drawers, and use any available space under the sink for storing clean towels and hair appliances.
Decluttering The Indoor Storage Areas
When decluttering the indoor storage areas, get rid of the things not used in 6 months. Except for seasonal items-if you haven’t worn it or used it then you probably won’t, so it’s best to donate/sell/dispose of these items and free up some space. Keep items in these storage areas that will be used near that area (i.e. keep jackets in the hall closet by the front door, office supplies in the office closet) to make it more convenient and save space for the items that will be used.
Decluttering The Outdoor Storage Areas
Decluttering outdoor storage areas should be completed at least twice a year-once in the spring and again in the fall, or basically as the outdoor needs change. Dispose of broken tools, seeds from last year, and any trash that may have accumulated throughout the seasons. Use storage solutions to keep outdoor cushions clean during cold weather, and tarps and furniture covers in good shape during warm weather.
The helpful video below offers 13 decluttering hacks.
Related Insights
What Is the First Step To Decluttering?
The first step to decluttering is to identify the need to declutter!
How Do I Declutter a Lot of Stuff?
To declutter a lot of stuff, separate the stuff into what you need, what you want, and what you want to get rid of. Then decide what you can donate, what you can sell, and what you should dispose of.
What Are the Steps To Decluttering?
For simplicity, the steps to decluttering are:
- Identify the need to declutter
- Decide which room(s)
- Create a timeline
- Ask for help
- Assign needs/wants/non-essentials
- Donate/sell/dispose
- Clean and organize
How Real People Declutter Their Homes
I asked several family and friends what 3 easy ways that they declutter their homes. Do they use organization to ensure everything has a place? Do they have few objects on the counters? Here is what they shared and what I learned from the poll:
| Ways To Declutter | Tally of Family/Friends |
| Keep stuff off of counters | 4 |
| Everything has a home | 5 |
| Put things back when finished with them | 3 |
| If not used or worn in 6 months, get rid of it | 2 |
| Reassess every season | 2 |
| Keep a decluttering/cleaning schedule | 3 |
| Organization stores (Ikea, Container Store) | 2 |
| Avoid shopping clearance | 2 |
Other Resources:
- Minimalism – The Benefits and Joys of Minimalist Living
- Clutter – Causes, Fixes, and Methods for Simple Living
- Decluttering Your Life – Easy Methods for a Simpler Living
- Decluttering Tips – My Experienced Guide to Cleaner Spaces
Decluttering your home can be challenging but rewarding once the job is done. From deciding which rooms to getting rid of the clutter, setting realistic goals can help you get the decluttering done without a great deal of stress. Which room will you start with first?
