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Tips on decluttering your house


How to Declutter Your Home: 10 Creative Decluttering Tips

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“People rarely succeed unless they have fun in what they are doing.” —Dale Carnegie

The idea of living a simple life with less stuff sounds attractive to many.

But often, they begin to feel overwhelmed, anxious, and defeated around the idea of owning less. That’s too bad.

Learning how to declutter your home and (and as a result, decluttering your life) doesn’t need to be as painful as some make it out to be. And the benefits are numerous.

The Benefits of Decluttering Your Life

There are many benefits to owning fewer possessions. Even then, it’s tough to move into action. That is… until the many benefits of getting rid of clutter reveal themselves:

Less to clean. Cleaning is already enough of a chore, but having to clean around things you have zero emotional attachment to (or worse, actively dislike) makes cleaning the house much more stressful.

Less to organize. Finding things suddenly become easier. Things don’t just “disappear” anymore. You can actually move around your home and enjoy the space, instead of moving around things that are in the way.

Less stress. Looking around at the clutter is a nausea-inducing sight once your home becomes cluttered enough. Wouldn’t it be nice to be able to look around and see a home you love?

Less debt. Spending less time shopping for material possessions and adding to the clutter means your wallet and bank accounts remain fuller, your credit cards’ statements are lower, and your home doesn’t get filled with costly things you don’t need.

More financial freedom. Most American households live paycheck to paycheck (59% according to a recent survey done by Charles Schwab back in May 2019.) Nearly half of those surveyed carry credit card debt. Decluttering, paired with minimalism, will help you build up savings to keep you protected in case of unexpected emergencies.

More energy for your greatest passions. With less debt, more financial freedom, and a clean home, you can now focus your energy on the things you enjoy instead of worrying about “Keeping up with the Joneses.” This will ultimately make you happier.

Ok, so now you know the benefits of decluttering your life, but you may be getting tripped up by the very next question… where in the world do you begin?

10 Creative Decluttering Tips

If you’re struggling and need guidance on how to declutter, you’ll need to get creative with your plans. Here are several interesting decluttering tips to get you started on decluttering your home:

No matter which decluttering tip you choose to get started – whether it be one of these ten or one of countless others – the goal is to take your first step in decluttering your life with excitement behind it.

There is a beautiful world of freedom and fresh breath hiding behind that clutter. Deciding how to declutter your home is up to you.

For more decluttering tips, watch this short video we put together. In it, I provide 10 quick decluttering projects, each completable in just 5 minutes or less:

***

How do I create a decluttering checklist?

Creating a checklist is one of the easiest ways to keep track of what can and still needs to be reduced from your home. We’ve put together a Declutter Your Home Checklist you can use to instantly make a noticeable difference.

Just pick any 5-10 items from the list to start and you will be amazed with how quickly momentum builds up.

Do I need a professional organizer to help me get rid of clutter?

Absolutely not. Getting rid of the clutter in your home can be done by yourself. It can even be a fun family activity when using the decluttering tips found in this article.

How can I declutter quickly? Can it be done in a day?

Removing clutter from our homes and our lives doesn’t need to be rushed or done in a single day. It’s something that can be done over time and may even need to be done on a semi-regular basis. As long as you start the process today, you’re further along than you were yesterday.

Will owning less make my home look empty or boring?

Simple doesn’t mean sparse or boring. The opposite is true. With fewer mess and distractions, your home can become more peaceful. You can view your home as a space for rest and comfort, instead of a source of stress.

What’s the difference between declutter and unclutter?

They’re both interchangeable, though I prefer using “declutter. ” The “de-” hints at being complete and permanent. I like to think of decluttering as something that solves the problem forever.

When should I declutter?

This is a personal question. When you find yourself overwhelmed by your possessions and tied down, it usually means you’re ready to start making a change. Note that this feeling is just a broad litmus test. The feeling of overwhelm can be different for everyone.


How to Declutter Your Home: 6 Best Room-by-Room Methods

Set the overwhelming feeling aside by starting with small steps

By

Elizabeth Larkin

Elizabeth Larkin

Elizabeth Larkin is a professional organizer with a strong interest in productivity, time management, and process refinement. She used her organizational skills and effectiveness to pen articles with helpful information on cleaning, organizing living spaces, and decluttering.

Learn more about The Spruce's Editorial Process

Updated on 09/27/22

Reviewed by

Katherine Picott

Reviewed by Katherine Picott

Katherine is a professional home organizer, certified KonMari consultant, and member of The Spruce's Cleaning and Organizing Review Board. She launched her own professional organizing business, Tidy Milso, in the summer of 2020, to help reorient those feeling overwhelmed with both clutter and disorganization in their homes.

Learn more about The Spruce's Review Board

​The Spruce / Letícia Almeida

Whether you're downsizing or just trying to simplify your life, figuring out how to declutter your home is a big job. The best way to start decluttering when you're overwhelmed is to do it in stages. Make a "declutter your home checklist" to prioritize clutter areas. Focus on one room, or even one zone within a room (e.g., kitchen cabinets), at a time. And complete each job fully before moving on to the next space.

Before you start to declutter your home, have containers defined for the following purposes to sort items:

  • Put away: Items that have crept out of their designated storage spaces
  • Fix/mend: Items that need something before they're put away, such as a shirt with a missing button
  • Recycle: Items that can be recycled
  • Trash: Items to throw away in the household trash
  • Donate: Unwanted items that are still in good condition and can be donated to a charitable organization or another person

Here's how to put these containers to use while decluttering each room in your home.

Click Play to Learn How to Get Rid of Stuff With These Pain-Free Strategies

Creating a Decluttering Timeline

If you don't have a lot of stuff, it might be possible to declutter your house in one day or on a weekend. Or you might want to create a longer timeline to declutter your house in 30 days, for example. You can also plan a decluttering schedule just for the weekends you have in a month if you wish.

Keep your goals realistic and attainable, so you can declutter your home without feeling overwhelmed. Break down the spaces you need to declutter, estimating how long each will take. And then organize that into your overall timeline. Give yourself some buffer time in case something doesn't go according to plan.

What you should not do when decluttering is pull out all of your stuff without a plan for how you're going to sort it. If you do that, you'll likely just waste time wading through all of your disorganized items. In addition, it's often best to clean first before you declutter, so your everyday items are tidy and out of the way.

Consider starting in a room or space with only a small amount of clutter. That way, you can get it done quickly and feel like you're making progress on your overall decluttering timeline, which should in turn motivate you to keep going.

  • 01 of 06

    The Bathroom

    The Spruce / Erica Lang 

    Start with your medicine cabinet. Take everything out, and discard outdated medications, makeup, and skincare products. Put everything you're keeping immediately back into the cabinet, storing the items you use most often at eye level.

    Next, move onto any cabinet drawers. Remove everything, and do a quick evaluation of what you're keeping and what you're tossing. Put the items you're going to keep back into their drawers, with the items you use most often in the top drawers. 

    Now, do the same routine with your shower/tub. Finally, pull everything out from below your bathroom sink, and declutter the items there.

    Lastly, everything that did not have a home can be quickly sorted into the five bins you have staged for the purpose. 

    10 Quick Tips to Organize and Declutter a Bathroom

  • 02 of 06

    The Bedroom

    The Spruce / Letícia Almeida

    First, make your bed. It's hard to feel any progress decluttering a bedroom while an unmade bed stares you in the face. 

    Start with your nightstands. Remove anything on them that doesn’t belong there, and put it in your put-away bin. This may include books you’ve already finished reading, pens and paper, and mail. Throw out or recycle anything that you no longer use, such as empty tissue boxes, pens that have gone dry, or chargers that no longer work.

    Do the same with the tops of your dressers, chests, and/or bureaus. Pay careful attention to any clothing that is strewn about. Anything that needs folding or hanging goes into the put-away bin. If you're afraid it may wrinkle further, you can lay clothes on your bed.

    Go through each bureau, drawer by drawer. Take everything out. Pull out anything that is no longer worn, and put it in your donation bin. Fold and store the clothing you're keeping. 

    If you keep a desk or vanity table in your bedroom, tackle that next. Resist the urge to shove things back into drawers; instead, put them in your put-away bin. Toss or recycle any garbage or anything you haven’t used in more than six months.

    Return items to their proper places. Fold or hang and store any clothing. If you're now eyeing your closet, we'll tackle that next.

    9 Bedroom Organizing Tips to Use Right Now

  • 03 of 06

    Closet and Clothing

    ​The Spruce / Letícia Almeida 

    OK, deep breath. It's time to declutter your closet. The easiest way to tackle a closet is to first declutter your clothing by type. That means start with shoes, then boots, then dresses, then denim, etc.

    It’s much easier to decide to toss or keep a pair of jeans if you’re looking at your entire jeans collection at once. So start pulling out different types of clothing, and decide what you'll toss and keep.

    Once you’ve gone through each type of clothing, you will have four piles to deal with:

    • Put away anything that was simply in the wrong spot. Example: If you had a pair of socks in your closet, put them in your dresser.
    • Put any dirty laundry into the hamper, or bring it to the laundry room.
    • Anything that needs to be repaired should go to the tailor or dry cleaner.
    • To get rid of clothes, take them to a donation center or consignment store.

    How to Declutter the Clothes in Your Closet

  • 04 of 06

    The Entryway, Mudroom, and Foyer

     

    The Spruce / Christopher Lee Foto

    You may not have a traditional mudroom or foyer, but you definitely have an entryway. No matter how small it is, the best way to make an entryway most functional is to declutter it regularly.

    Start with any desk, console, or side tables you have in your entry. Go through each drawer, removing the contents, and make a quick decision to toss or keep each item. Go over the tops of each desk or console as well. Do you have a space for your keys and other important items? Make sure everything is accessible and not too crowded. This will make it easier to leave the house with what you need each morning.

    The hall closet should be decluttered like any other closet: Start with shoes and boots, then jackets, followed by accessories.

    The entry is another area that picks up a lot of clutter from other rooms. Spend time putting away things from other rooms that have made their way to the entry.

    7 Essential Design Elements for a Stylish and Organized Entryway

  • 05 of 06

    The Kitchen

    ​The Spruce / Letícia Almeida 

    Keeping your kitchen clutter-free can be a challenge because so many different activities occur there—cooking, eating, and socializing. As a result, the kitchen has many different types of items stored in it. You can choose to declutter your kitchen by focusing on one category of item at a time (cutting boards, glassware, utensils, or bakeware, for example) or going by zone through each part of the kitchen.

    The first step is to completely empty each space, assess each item, and put everything back where it belongs. Start with your powerhouse storage spaces first, such as the pantry and upper cabinets. Then move onto the lower cabinets, drawers, and the space under the kitchen sink.

    The 11 Best Under-Sink Organizers of 2022

    Finally, concentrate on your countertops. Move as many items as possible off of the countertops and into storage spaces. Keep only what you use every single day on the countertops.

    Finally, take your put-away bin, and return anything that doesn't belong in the kitchen to its rightful storage space elsewhere in the house.

    8 Ways to Declutter a Small Kitchen

  • 06 of 06

    The Living Room

    ​The Spruce / Letícia Almeida

    The living room is one of the hardest rooms in your home to keep neat on a daily basis. That's because it gets a lot of use, and living rooms don't usually offer a lot of storage features. You may have some bookcases and a TV console, but they don’t hide much. The key is to:

    • Decide on permanent storage spaces for commonly used items, such as remote controls, magazines, and books.
    • Declutter this space regularly.

    Start with bookcases, console, and side tables. Then move on to your coffee table and entertainment center. Empty them, assess the items they store, and then return them to their proper storage spaces. Put books away; reduce paper clutter, such as mail; return remote controls to their proper places; fold blankets; etc.

    Move on to electronics. Remove everything that is not connected to your television or home theater system. Are you using it? Does it work? Store items such as chargers and gaming equipment where you use them. 

    Finally, tackle the toys. Assess every toy for wear and tear. Does it still function? Do your kids still play with it? Recycle or store each toy.

    Grab your put-away bin, and return everything that belongs in another room to its proper storage space. 

    How to Organize a Living Room

Where to Dispose of Clutter

For the items you aren’t keeping when you declutter your home, you have some options regarding how to dispose of them. This is where it can be extremely helpful if you’ve already sorted appropriate items into recycle, trash, and donate bins.

Make sure you are aware of your local recycling guidelines, as certain items, such as electronics, often can’t go in the regular recycling. Keep a separate bin for those items to bring them to an appropriate recycling center. Moreover, if you know you’ll be undertaking a major decluttering project, you might want to rent a dumpster in advance for unusable items that must be thrown away. 

Remember that items in good condition can be donated or sold. Besides a donation bin, you also might want to start a collection of items to sell in a garage sale. Furthermore, if you plan to give away certain items to friends and family, it can be helpful to start bins for each person to fill as you declutter.

Watch Now: 8 Easy Things to Get Rid of Now to Declutter Your Home

How to declutter a house, how to quickly clean up an apartment before the New Year, how to quickly clear a house of trash - expert advice, December 2021 | NGS

Usually by the New Year there is a desire to sort out all the mess and throw away everything unnecessary

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Have you already started a global cleanup for the New Year? By the end of the year, as always, there are too many unnecessary things in the house, but which you just want to leave? The space organizer Anastasia Zinger told how to get rid of everything unnecessary in the house in 5 simple steps and at the same time spend a small amount of energy. Further - in detailed instructions from the author.

The New Year is approaching, and, you must agree, you want to enter it completely cleansed and without unnecessary rubbish both in your head and in your house. Before that, we have already discussed how to properly organize the space in your home so that everything is stored conveniently. And today we will talk about how to effectively declutter on the eve of the new year 2022. First, let's define what "trash" is. Trash is not the same as trash. Junk is things that have no functional value and use or emotional value and do not please you.

In simple terms, rubbish is the accumulation of a large number of unnecessary things in a limited space. It makes us unhappy, we constantly shift it, and it steals our time, pulls us into the past. Sometimes rubbish even literally worsens our physical health (for example, expired medicines) and psychological (negative associations).

Why do we need to clutter up at all? Goals can be different, you define them yourself. For example, to make room for the necessary things and make them convenient to use, or in a deeper sense to make room for life. If there is free space in the house, then we have time for more interesting things.

  1. Take a before photo. This will help you monitor progress. This is how we are arranged, we like visibility, tick boxes and see the result. The process of decluttering can be delayed, and the eye can be washed out. Before/after photos will help keep you motivated for further changes.
  2. Get rid of trash as soon as possible . Dismantled the zone of children's toys? Rather rent or give them to those in need. We do not keep packages at home for weeks that we plan to give away.
  3. Throwing away is better than leaving . The process of adding things can be delayed, and they will remain at home. Therefore, it is better to throw it away than to wait for months.
  4. Better to give than sell . Decluttering is a great bonus, but it shouldn't be your primary goal. This means that you are not completely ready to get rid of unnecessary things in your life.
  5. Better to give than to throw away. We care about the environment.
  6. Do not give rubbish to loved ones . It will be just shifting the responsibility for your things to another person and wandering your trash.
  7. To make your life easier, immediately divide things into categories for decluttering and storage : give something to the needy, throw something away, and hand over something for recycling or repair.

But what about things you're not sure about? Then add "time box" to the categories above. This is the box where you set the timer, and there will be things "in question" so that you can see if they are useful to you. But don't overuse this category and be prepared to honestly sort through it and get rid of what you don't need at the end of the term.

  1. We divide all things into categories. For example, large ones like “hall”, “kitchen”, “bedroom” or smaller ones like “clothes”, “toys”.
  2. Within the categories, select subcategories so that you can determine how long it will take to analyze each. It is better that no more than 30 minutes are allocated for each subcategory. This will make it easier for you to allocate time for this and not get tired.
  3. Select one subcategory. Get ALL items from this subcategory. This must be done in order to see the big picture.
  4. Attention to each item in turn, asking two questions. First, rational: do I need it? How often do I use it? What is the condition of this item? And secondly, emotional. Does this thing bring me emotions? Does it make me happy or does it make me happy?
  5. Put things back where they belong by specifying the exact storage location for each category. Remember that proper organization is the key to order at home.

And, in fact, get rid of the rubbish. Limit the period for recycling things so that things do not come back to you again. Freeing up space in your home, freeing up time from constant cleaning, you will get solid pluses: space and time for new hobbies. It will also make it easier for you to focus on what matters. And remember that the most important thing is memories and emotions, not things.

Many couples eschew traditional gender roles because it's so convenient for them: men take care of cleaning and raising children, and women can easily cope with flat tires and a leaky faucet. We talked to couples who have been married for several years and asked who is responsible for what in their family and whether they are climbing to them with unsolicited advice - read their answers.

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Decluttering as a reboot. Why am I scared?

clutter organized house put things in order psychology

Decluttering is such a fashionable and at the same time such a frightening word. If you easily part with things, you can safely consider yourself a happy exception, because for many it is very difficult. What is the matter and how to deal with your fears? Space organizer Elena Larina will help you sort things out, as well as answer the eternal question “what if it comes in handy?”

To begin with, let's figure it out, but what is decluttering?

I know from experience that at the word “clutter” in most people, somewhere on a subconscious level, everything shrinks inside and fear appears. The fear that you will have to throw everything away and there will be nothing left. Fear on an emotional, intuitive level. And I understand why. I myself come from the Soviet Union, and in the Soviet Union nothing can be thrown away. We only save, we only add, we only store. For the future, for dowry, for a rainy day, and for much, much more. Cleaning on weekends (more often on Saturdays), and it was always practically general cleaning, because it was necessary to vacuum, wash the floor in all rooms, wipe the dust (remember those huge lacquer walls along the entire wall of the room, all life was in such walls), water flowers, be sure to wash and many other important things. Now I remember and even goosebumps, it’s so scary to remember it, heavy duty and nothing more.

Today, times have changed radically, and today we spend less and less time on cleaning, weekends for the family, for ourselves, and more and more people think that the important is not stored in our things, but the important is inside us. In our children, parents, husbands, the possession of things fades into the background and we increasingly want space and comfort in our home. Decluttering is the first step towards modern and fast cleaning .


So what is decluttering? Decluttering is the removal of unnecessary unused items from the organized area.

Decluttering doesn't mean throwing everything in the trash. Something you no longer need may be useful to someone else. But more on that later.

In the meantime, let's talk about why we are afraid, why we are so afraid of this word - "clutter". How do we feel when it's time to unwind.

From experience, I have identified several the most common and strong feelings that prevent us from starting to free our home from unnecessary things.

  • And suddenly I will regret, suddenly it will come in handy for me.

  • Guilt “I spent time and money on this thing.”

  • Fear of the future.

  • Sentimentality of a thing.

  • Desire to recoup your expenses.

  • value to another person.

  • Fear of the time that has appeared (a person simply does not know what to spend his time on) and therefore unconsciously keeps a mess in his house, not daring to change.

Sometimes we are attached to things not physically, but emotionally - we are sorry to part with things, we once treasured them, or things that a loved one gave us, or simply with those that evoke pleasant memories and associations. But think about it, you can store memories, not a thing. Emotion for a thing is a pleasant memory in yourself, and no one will take this emotion away from you, regardless of whether the thing is kept at your home or not.

All these are emotional, psychological barriers that prevent you from freeing the house from unnecessary things.


How to litter your house, how to understand that there are unnecessary things in the house, what things are needed and what are not?

Answer a few questions for yourself:

  • Does your space seem crowded?

  • Are you trying to put things in order, but there is no result?

  • Do you often look for things?

  • Do you store things somewhere other than at home?

  • Do you want to purchase an additional wardrobe / chest of drawers for storage?

  • Do you have horizontal surfaces littered? Does it bother you?

  • Do you have “what if it comes in handy, lose weight, gain weight, etc. ”, do you have things for creative projects that you intended to use a long time ago, but never did?

If you answered yes to most of the questions, then YES! Your home needs decluttering.


But what about the feelings described above?

Let's figure it out!

Guilt: “I spent so much time on this thing, it costs a lot of money, it was a gift from……., my son/daughter did it for me, it’s my parents’ thing.

Guilt is our internal barometer when protecting other people's feelings is more important than our own goals.

Let's think: do you have a place to store these things? Will this thing actually be used? Over time, the value of things fades, as well as expiration dates. Do you have time to take care of this thing? Are you willing to continue sacrificing your comfort and space in favor of guilt or fear?

When it comes to money, it is important to understand that a thing without use, without a real purpose, simply takes up useful space that could be used to store something really necessary. Just because the thing is in your house, the money will not be returned; a thing is worthless if it just sits in a box or on a shelf. But you can sell the item at an online or garage sale.


Present! Having received another gift, it may be that you do not like it or do not fit in some other way, and you again begin to feel guilty. But let's think, did the person who gave you a gift want you to experience this feeling? Just think about it, you can imagine yourself in the place of the giver. You found out that your gift is not needed (not liked), and the person feels guilty; fearing to offend you, he simply does not know what to do with this gift. Don't you tell him "God be with him, with this gift, no need to suffer, just get rid of him."

We are grateful to the donor for the emotions that we experienced at the moment of giving, but I am sure that the donor did not intend to add problems to you or your home with his gift. No one but you can decide what will be stored in your home and what will not.

To reveal the whole topic at once is as unrealistic as to litter your house in one Sabbath.

But I want you to understand: decluttering is not about throwing it away, but about deciding what is important to you and finding a place for it.


Where do you start if you're scared?

Ask yourself questions:

Do I really need this item? What is the likelihood that I will need this item? Think about the situation in which this can happen? What is the likelihood of this situation occurring? What can you replace it with if you need a thing? And what's the worst that can happen if you don't have this thing? If the thing reminds of good things, think about the fact that memories are stored in our hearts, and not in things. Imagine that you are moving to another country, for example - what will you take with you?

Weigh the benefit of owning this thing against the harm of taking up usable space because it can be used to store something that you use regularly.

For example:

You have a closet in the kitchen full of items that you bought (because your neighbor, girlfriend, mom, every hostess has it ... etc.). Items that were given to you, which may someday come in handy, which “I bought, I don’t use, well, don’t throw it away” - from this series. And there is nowhere to place the items that you use daily, and here they are on your countertop and every day you have to disassemble it before starting cooking to make room.

Or another example: You have been dreaming of running or going to fitness for several years, but you just can't bring yourself to go out for your first run. Just because you have running clothes in your closet won't make you want to go outside. These clothes just take up valuable space. Until you have motivation, you won't start running or go to the gym. Live for today and finally get rid of this form! Every time you open a closet, you may reproach yourself for the fact that you have been dreaming for several years, but nothing has changed.

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