Clutter, Clutter everywhere. It’s literally everywhere at times. It can build up SO fast and so sneakily, that you have no idea where it even came from or when it arrived in your home! Having clutter around costs you time, causes you stress, and can even cost you money! It’s time to get your home back in order and get all the clutter out. Don’t know where to start? Well, lucky for you, I’ve come up with a list of easy ideas to declutter your home today. Use my guide to help you get started decluttering in your home.
Why Should We De-Clutter?
But my house is clean enough. Why do I have to bother with de-cluttering?
Well, first things first, your house being clean and clutter-free are two entirely different things. De-cluttering is all about getting all the excess stuff out of your way and out of your home.
Clutter causes Stress
First and foremost, clutter causes stress. It’s not pleasant to look at and makes your space look junky. It can be overwhelming because you don’t know where to start to get things organized and tidy again. It can get in the way of you doing hobbies and activities you love that help you de-stress when there is too much clutter to be able to do those activities. According to this article from The New York Times, clutter can truly impact your mental wellbeing.
Clutter Costs You Time
Clutter can be a total thief of time. You can spend SO much wasted time looking for items you need among the clutter. You could spend time looking for your keys, wallet, sunglasses, etc. every single day because you keep putting them wherever space is available, and not the same consistent spot each day.
Or how about that piece of paper you need for your kid’s school trip? Maybe the bill you are looking for to pay? Or that slip of paper you put on your desk 3 weeks ago but now can’t find?
You can spend SO much wasted time looking for things just because everything is cluttered up and not orderly. Don’t waste your time because of clutter!
Clutter Costs You Money
Clutter can even cost you MONEY. It can make you late on bills. It can make it hard to find the documents you need when you need them. Too much clutter can even cost you money if you are paying to STORE your clutter elsewhere!
Bills
What happens when you let your desk pile up with papers all over it and you forget, at the bottom of that pile, were a few bills that needed to be paid. So now, you’ve gotten late notices and fees on those bills that you totally forgot were even in that chaotic stack on your desk. That’s a total bummer to spend your money on fees like that!
And when tax time rolls around and you need all your documentation? And you can’t find it? Or it’s in huge piles? Shew. No thank you.
How Can You Fix All Your Clutter?
So, how can you fix all this clutter in your home? Lucky for you, I’ve got a list of 53 ideas to declutter your home right now. This list is all the places you should start to get rid of unused items around your home.
Overwhelmed by this List?
Don’t get overwhelmed by this list! If you are overwhelmed in general, take a look at this post about Overcoming Overwhelm before you get started. Then, pick one thing at a time to de-clutter! Slow and steady will win the race. Pick an item a day or even each week to work on. Get one area neat and orderly and make sure you KEEP it that way as you move on down the list.
You’ll still want to run through this entire list once, even maybe twice, per year to make sure clutter hasn’t crept back up on you. But it’s totally worth it to have a clutter-free home that runs like a total dream.
Where Should You Start?
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Let’s go room by room, and task by task.
Kitchen:
My favorite place to start is the kitchen. It’s the heart of the home, it’s where you spend a ton of your time AND it’s got several quick wins for you in the decluttering department!
Countertops
My most giant house pet peeve is a cluttered kitchen countertop. So, this is where I’d suggest starting your decluttering project. A neat and organized kitchen is SO much more enjoyable to come home to AND to cook in. No one wants to cook in a room with nowhere to put anything!
So, if you have piles of papers on the counter, find another designated spot for those papers to go. I have a basket that hangs on the wall where I put all papers during the week. Then once a week I go through it and deal with it accordingly.
Assess What’s On The Counters
Are there too many things sitting on the counter to begin with? Get rid of what you don’t need. Do you make toast every day? Then keep the toaster on the counter! Make toast once a month? Then put the toaster in a cabinet and get it out when you need it!
Now, I get it, there is a certain amount of “STUFF” that just needs to be around and must go somewhere. I get it. I have a 3 tier stand in the corner of the kitchen that is a landing place for all that kind of thing. The reading glasses, the tape, the extra sunglasses, suntan lotion for the kids, etc. This looks cute on my counter AND stores all the extra stuff that needs to go somewhere.
Fridge and Freezer
How’s your fridge and freezer look? Is it time to clean them out? Too much stuff in the freezer? I’m the QUEEN of this issue. I keep putting stuff in the freezer and then don’t use it or forget about it. Don’t be like me!
Here’s what I like to do:
First, go through the fridge and toss any expired products. Wipe out the fridge as you go and neatly put stuff back. Voila! First task done.
For the freezer, do the same, and as I put stuff back in the freezer, I like to make note of what I have in the freezer and put it on the fridge. That way I know what is in there that needs to be used up. So that way it’s not so out of sight, out of mind for me. I waste a lot less food that way.
Pantry:
Just like the fridge and freezer, go through your pantry and get rid of any expired products. And from there, get organized. Put it all back in the pantry in good order so you can see everything you have on hand.
And if you are like me and find you have about 18 cans of tomato products and every kind of canned bean lurking in there, plan your dinner menus for the next several weeks accordingly!
Kitchen Cabinets and Drawers
You might want to space this out over a few days unless you have time to jump in for an entire day. Because this might take a while! Really go through your cabinets and get rid of things you don’t use, don’t need, duplicate items or multiple items.
Coffee Mugs
Do you have 50 coffee cups? Why??!! How many can you use at once! Keep a reasonable amount that you like and donate the rest. Or have a yard sale. Do whatever you want, but don’t keep them in the cabinet taking up space.
Spice Cabinet
How about your spice cabinet? Do you have a bunch of expired spices? Or do you have 3 open containers of parsley that you could combine? How about spices you used for one recipe you tried a year ago and haven’t used since? Go through all of the spice cabinet and get it in order and cleaned out.
Old Pots and Pans
How about old pots and pans? Non-stick pans that aren’t non-stick anymore? Pots that have scratches and dents? I say keep the pots that are the newest and work best, and either donate or trash the old ones. If they have tons of scratches on them, especially if they are non-stick, it’s time to throw them out. How many pots could you conceivably have on the stove at one time? You don’t need MUCH more than that in your pots and pan cabinet.
Utensil Drawer
This drawer is the same as your pots and pans. If it’s old, broken, scratched or duplicated, it’s time to let it go. Or if you’ve never used it and it’s been in the drawer for years, it’s time to get it out of there. You’ve got your chosen favorite utensils. Get the others out of your way.
Cookbooks
I love a good cookbook. I love to page through them and get ideas. And I’m not saying you have to get rid of them. BUT, if they are taking up valuable space, either consider moving them to another location in the house (like to your bookshelves) or consider at least thinning them out. You probably don’t need all the ones you have. And for sure, if you have one or two recipes in a book and that’s all you use it for, copy the recipes down, scan them or take a photo to save them and then get rid of the book! Plus, you know which ones your favorite cookbooks and which you use time after time by now. Donate the rest or sell them to a used book store.
Tupperware
Tupperware is my 2nd kitchen pet peeve. If it doesn’t have a lid or a lid doesn’t have a bottom, GET RID OF IT. It’s just taking up precious space otherwise. I’m not one for saving a ton of Tupperware. Don’t get me wrong, have plenty to save your leftovers and take your lunches. But don’t keep a hundred different sizes and shapes. You just don’t need that much!
Kitchen Wrap Up & Supply List:
That should pretty much de-clutter your kitchen! By now you should be in total de-cluttering mode! These are all items I found helpful (I have every single one in my kitchen!!) to declutter the kitchen:
- Refrigerator Organizer Bins
- Refrigerator Shelf Liner
- Cabinet Adjustable Shelving
- Spice Cabinet Shelves
- Adjustable Drawer Dividers
Living Areas
Your living room and dens are probably one of the places you spend the most time in your home. You don’t want it to look cluttery and crappy while you are watching tv or relaxing with a book. And I totally understand, if you have young children, there’s going to be toys everywhere. I get it. I’m there myself. Just try to mitigate the clutter as best you can for the toddler years!
Book Shelves:
Go through your bookshelves. By all means, keep the books you love and that have great meaning to you. And certainly, keep the books you still want to read. But if you have a ton of books you have already read and won’t be reading again, it’s time to let those go. Donate them to your library or take them to sell at your local used book shop. Don’t let them sit there cluttering up your bookshelves.
Kids Books
Also, make sure to thin out your children’s books. If you have a bunch of baby books and your kids have grown out of them, donate them so other families can have nice books for their kids. No need to keep them piling up at your house.
Shelves
Sometimes people have more than just books on their shelves. If you have a ton of knick-knacks on the shelves, it’s time to get that under control too. It’s completely fine to have a few items to decorate, but don’t have so many that it looks cluttered. I’m a big fan of having a basket for some things on the shelf. That way it looks neat and tidy and you still have your stuff where you want it to be, but it’s in a basket and looks presentable.
Coffee Tables, Sofa Tables and End Tables
Make sure your tables look nice and non-cluttered. It’s great to have a décor item or two and leave room for whatever else you might want to put on the tables in daily life, like your coffee or a book. Currently my tables have nothing on them at all because I have two little boys who like to play with their toys on them. Who know an end table could be such an awesome race car track?
Office Areas
Your office area is where you get all your work done. You don’t want it to look cluttered and disorderly. That’s just stressful. (I’m pointing to MYSELF on this one…)
Desk
Clean off your desktop of all the clutter and get it all organized. Throw away anything you don’t need and use some baskets and containers to help keep the rest tidy and organized. Toss out all junk mail you’ve accumulated (and the expired coupons too!).
Once you have the desktop under control, it’s time to go through all the drawers. Again, toss out the trash and the items you aren’t using. Only put things you’ll actually use back in the drawers.
Files and Filing
It’s time to go through your filing cabinets and clean it out. If it is old enough to be thrown out, do so. Shred it first if you need to. If you need to keep it, but not necessarily right there in your file drawers, make a box to stick in a closet, the basement, or the attic. As for the papers you need to keep, make sure all the loose paper is now filed and everything is labeled and it’s in the correct place.
PS – If it’s a manual for something you no longer own, or even if you do, those are all online these days. Recycle those things and get them out of your way!
Paper
What do you do with the daily mail that comes in? Bills, menus, coupons, receipts, school papers, flyers, etc.? It can all stack up in a hurry and be a huge clutter of junk in your home. We have a TON of this stuff each day. I bought a filing basket to stick on the wall in the kitchen. Everything goes in it all week (unless it needs immediate attention) and then on the weekend I go through the basket, see what needs taking care of and what needs filing. Or simply what needs to go in the recycle bin.
This has worked really well for us. It keeps paper clutter out of the way. I know exactly where it is if I need to go hunting for something and it keeps the kitchen and counters free of all that paper clutter!
Books, Magazines and Newspapers
I’m a big fan of all these things, but they can really pile up if you don’t keep on top of the situation.
For books you have read, unless they are of special significance to you, pass them on to friends, donate them, or take them to the second-hand bookstore. Lots of nursing homes and assisted living facilities have small libraries. That’s my favorite place to donate.
I’m the world’s worst magazine hoarder. I admit it. But my newest tactic has been to enjoy and read the magazine. And then if there’s an idea or recipe I want to try, chances are you can find it (or something very similar) on Pinterest. I’ll pin it to the appropriate board and pass the magazine on to friends or recycle it.
Newspapers
Newspapers pile up quickly. It’s easiest just to take them to the recycling center once a week so they don’t pile up too much. When they pile up too much, I find the task seems too overwhelming and I keep ignoring it. And then the pile gets bigger and even bigger. Don’t do that. Just take some as you go each week and it will never pile up!
Office Organizing Items:
Closets
Closet time!!!! Man, a lot of extra junk can accumulate in closets too! Especially those pesky linen and coat closets. I find it easiest to pull everything out of the closet I’m working on and go through everything.
Coat Closets:
If you have coats you can not or have not worn in years, take them to the donation center. Someone could use those coats for sure. And get yourself extra space. Some of mine were so out of style and didn’t fit. I finally culled through and got rid of quite a few this past Spring and it made so much extra room in the coat closet!
Linen Closet
Do all your sheet sets have all their pieces? Are there towels that have seen better days? Are there any products in there that are expired? Get everything out, go through it all, and then neatly put it all back in the closet. Sometimes just re-folding and neatly stacking can open up a ton of space in a closet.
Bathrooms
Now it’s time for the bathrooms. We are moving right along on the decluttering!! I don’t know about you, but our bathroom seems to always have a lot of clutter in it. Mostly from my hair and makeup products. My solution to everyday clutter was to get a couple of cute baskets to store all of my products in. So, I can stick them in the bathroom closet when I’m done and it keeps them out of the way and keeps the counters looking neat and organized. And definitely less cluttered!
Bathroom Cabinets and Drawers
It’s time to go through your cabinets and drawers and see what hasn’t been used in a long time, what’s expired, what’s never going to be used, and start purging. Go through all your drawers and cabinets in the bathroom and do a good purge of stuff.
I always like to go through my make up at least twice a year, because I tend to keep makeup for way too long, and this helps me to toss out some of the older stuff that I’m not going to use.
Make sure to take a look at the medicine cabinet. There’s bound to be some meds that are expired in there. You don’t want to use them for sure.
Bathroom Closets
If you have a bathroom closet, do the same for it and pull out all the contents and then you can do a good look through before you put everything back in. I like to make sure I have room for everything I need and also I like to go through the towels. If the towels are getting worn and old, I might put them in a different spot for cleaning up around the house or for spills rather than using them for bath towels.
Bedrooms
Now, moving on to the bedrooms in the house! This can be quite an undertaking. Don’t get overwhelmed, just do one room at a time, and a little bit at a time. Over that time, you’ll see huge progress and lots less clutter.
Nightstands
A good place to start is the nightstands. Those are usually quick and easy to go through. I like to make sure the tops of them are clean and tidy as well. I just feel like the room looks a lot more organized if the nightstands look clean and organized.
Furniture and Drawers
Go through all the bedroom furniture and pull out any clothes and other items that are either worn out or not being used. If you have too many t-shirts to fit in the drawer, pull some out and donate them. You want to be able to put up laundry without a huge struggle to fit in the clean clothes and shut the drawers.
Bedroom Closets
This is another opportunity to really go through your clothes and get rid of items you aren’t wearing and aren’t going to wear. If you haven’t touched it in a year, you know it’s time to donate it or get rid of it. And if you are keeping it for if/when you lose weight, I’d suggest just going ahead and donating those clothes. When you lose weight, you can treat yourself to new clothes.
Something I like to do to help me keep track of what I’m wearing and not wearing, is turn all your clothes on hangers and hang them from behind the curtain rods. As you wear and re-hang clothes, turn the hanger on the usual/correct side of the rod. That way you can quickly see as time goes by, which clothing items you aren’t wearing that might be good candidates for donations.
Jewelry
My jewelry gets all kinds of disorganized over time. And it makes me crazy. I try to get it all in order a few times a year. If there’s any you aren’t wearing and don’t see yourself wearing, donate it if it’s reusable or go ahead and toss it if it’s seen better days. It’s also a good time to clean your jewelry and polish it up if anything is tarnished.
Accessories
While you are at it, it’s a good time to go through your accessories. Toss any socks that don’t have matches. Go through old ties, belts, scarves, gloves, hats, and shoes while you are at it and get rid of anything that’s worn out or out of style. Donate what you can and throw out the rest.
Pillows
I’m a fan of replacing bed pillows that you lay on each night at least once a year. It’s just a good idea to replace them. Pillows can carry all kinds of dust and they get lumpy. So if your pillows are past due, get some new ones. They are super inexpensive and easy to replace.
Wrap Up – All The Bedrooms
Work on each bedroom in the house as you have time. Your decluttering journey is coming right along!!
Kids Items
Of course, you’ll want to go through your kid’s closets. Kids’ stuff seems to accumulate faster than anywhere or anything else in the house. At least to me, it does. They outgrow their clothes so fast, it’s important to keep on top of their closets and drawers to pull out clothes that don’t fit.
Toys
If you have toys that are too young for your kids, go through and get them all together and either donate them or give them to someone with kids younger than yours.
And if you have toys, games, and puzzles that are missing too many pieces to play, it’s time to let those go. No need to take up space with stuff your kids can’t really play with anymore. The same applies to broken toys too.
Electronics
Entertainment Electronics
Do you have a bunch of electronics that you aren’t using? Like, do you still have a VHS player? It might be time to let that go. We don’t even have a DVD player anymore in the house. Almost everything we would ever need is on one of the streaming services we have for our tv.
DVD’s
Do you also have old DVDs and VHS tapes taking up space? It might be time to let those be donated as well. Those can take up a lot of space that you could definitely use for other stuff around the house.
CD’s
How about old cd’s? My new car doesn’t even have a cd player in it! I was shocked to find that. Then I felt really, REALLY old. If you don’t have anything to play cd’s on, it’s time to let them go!
Chargers and cords
If you have tons of chargers and cords that you don’t know what they belong to, either toss them or get them wound up neatly and stored. I’m always afraid to throw out a charger… cause, what if I need it? But chances are, if I need it, I’m already using it in daily life!
Computers
Keeping up your computers is also pretty important. I like to make sure mine doesn’t have a ton of files all over the place. I like to make sure I’m keeping up with backups and getting pictures safely stored as well.
Emails
Cluttered up email makes me nuts. It happens and it’s hard to avoid. But I try to keep it clean most days. If it gets out of hand, I’ll spend some time sweeping out the account and getting rid of junk.
If there are companies you don’t want to hear from, you can always unsubscribe from their mailing lists.
Attic/Basement/Storage/Laundry Room/Bonus Rooms:
Here’s the grand finale of categories. Everyone has at least ONE of these rooms. The room where everything that has no place goes. The place where old stuff goes to die. And it’s a room that everyone just tries to shut the door on and ignore. We’ve all got one!
Do the best you can with these rooms. Get some good space set up if you can. Add some shelves. Stack some stuff. Get big tote containers. Whatever you need to get things organized.
Chances are there are old decorations, beach gear, hobby gear, sports equipment, and more in these rooms. As you can, go through and declutter and either toss or donate old items that aren’t being used. Try to get everything organized so your storage area isn’t going to be in such mess and chaos. Even though these rooms are storing lots of stuff, they don’t have to look super scattered and cluttered.
Wrap Up – Easy Ideas to Declutter Your Home Today
So, how about that. We came up with ALL those ways you can go about decluttering your home. And all of these are easy! Sure, they will take a little time and effort. But not all of them have to be done at once. Take a few months to declutter and just pick one or two things on this list a week to tackle. Don’t get overwhelmed and then by being overwhelmed never start the project. Just take a few little steps at a time and before you know it? Boom – freshly organized and decluttered house! I hope this helps you! Be sure to get your free checklist guide to decluttering your home! As always, just keep shuffling!
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- The Complete Home Cleaning Checklist
- The Daily Self-Care Routine Checklist
- How to Have a Clean House By Lunchtime Today
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