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Learning to live with less is something I work on all the time. Cleaning out and the decluttering process makes me feel refreshed. It makes me feel like I can breathe better in my home. There’s just something about throwing away or getting rid of the old that brings peace.

Cleaning out and getting rid of material things also gives me fewer options which allows me to be less stressed!  

Decluttering means less stuff which means less stuff to clean. 

This year, I am going to focus on de-cluttering every room in my home. All the drawers. All the closets. All the small spaces. My goal is to declutter my home, practice minimalism, and keep it that way!

While decluttering, I also like to work on organizing and cleaning. It’s easy to do them all simultaneously! Take everything out of the drawer or closet, go through the items, clean the space, and only put back what you NEED! Get rid of broken items, unwanted items, and items that you no longer have a use for. 

You don’t need a professional organizer to make your home organized and decluttered. You have all the resources you need. You can do this!

What Does it Mean to Declutter?

Decluttering is the process of putting the things around you where they go or creating a new place for items that don’t have one.

It also means to get rid of things you no longer need or want in your home. Decluttering is an essential step to being more productive, less overwhelmed, and having a clutter-free home. 

What do I Need to Declutter?

While decluttering, I usually sort items by keep, throw away, and donate. As I am going through each room of my house, I put items in cardboard boxes for each of these categories. The things that I plan to keep, I will put them back in the right place once I am finished cleaning. 

I also like to have my favorite cleaning supplies:

• Homemade dusting spray
• Cotton cleaning towels
• Other homemade cleaning supplies
• And of course, the basics like a vacuum, broom, mop, etc.

And lastly, my favorite playlist! Cleaning and decluttering are so much more enjoyable with your favorite music going. 

What if I Don’t Have Much Storage Space?

If you don’t have much storage space, you need to make sure the space you do have is organized space! Declutter the storage areas in your home, and then organize them. Only keep the items you need and use! 

Invest in some storage bins that can fit under your bed, or vacuum storage bags that don’t take up much space (these are great for storing thick sweaters or winter coats). 

​The best way to get the most out of the storage space you have is to not have too many things taking up that space. 

What Do I Do With Sentimental Items I Don’t Use?

I didn’t used to be very sentimental until I lost someone very important in my life. I acquired several things that are now very sentimental to me. 

An easy way to store sentimental items is to make them into something! There are a lot of ideas for making sentimental items into something even more meaningful. I love to make scrapbooks, use items for decor, or put them in my Hope chest. 

Don’t get rid of something special to you just because you don’t use it regularly. Find the perfect place for it and let that place be its new home. 

What Do I Do With Items I No Longer Want?

It’s always a good idea to keep items out of the landfill unless they are broken and need to be thrown away. I love to donate items that are in good condition to thrift stores or someone in need. 

I’ve also tried to sell items that may be in very good condition at a garage sale or yard sale and sometimes I even sell things online if I have time (these are for like-new items)! It can be a good way to make some extra cash for things you don’t use anymore but are still in good condition. 

It really depends on how much time you have and what you’d like to do with the items you are getting rid of. 

Why Should I Declutter Before Organizing?

You should declutter before organizing so that you don’t have as much stuff to deal with in your home. Just because you have everything organized doesn’t mean that you need all those things! Make some extra space in your home that you don’t have anything sitting in! 

Just because you have things packed neatly in a bin or stored neatly in a closet doesn’t mean that your home is clutter-free. It makes the organizing process easier and leads to a more minimalist lifestyle if you declutter before organizing your home.

Related Post: 91 Lists to Make to Get Organized When You Are Overwhelmed

De-cluttering can be overwhelming, so start with that one small thing. Clean out your junk drawers. It can lead to so many more beautiful things. Start there, and you’ll find yourself cleaning the whole rest of the house.

Bobby Berk

Things to Declutter in Your Home

Kitchen

The kitchen can easily pile up things you no longer need! We often store bowls, lids, cups, and small appliances in the cabinets. Out of sight, out of mind? It happens to me all the time! Our junk drawer happens to be located in our kitchen. Clean out the junk drawer and only keep the junk you will use!

• Storage containers with no lids/lids with no containers
• Containers you don’t use or have room for
• Expired/Empty seasonings
• Extra coffee mugs
• Take out menus
• Anything chipped (cups, plates, bowls)
• Expired Food
• Cooking tools, appliances, or utensils you haven’t used in a while
• Broken appliances or kitchen tools
• Worn out sponges
• Towels with holes or ones that are worn out
• Old magnets/things on the fridge
• Old sauce packets
• Old lunch boxes
• Non-essential kitchen items
• Single-use tools that you don’t use

Bedroom

Having a decluttered and organized bedroom is so important to me. It’s a space where I like to feel calm and relaxed, and I can’t feel that way with so much clutter. 

• Clothes that don’t fit
• Worn out/ratty clothing
• Free advertising t-shirts
• Clothes/shoes you haven’t worn in 6 months or more
• Ties you don’t wear/like
• Old belts
• Things your child has grown out of
• Excess coat hangers/wire ones
• Worn-out hair ties
• Unmatched earrings
• Jewelry you don’t wear
• Old sunglasses
• Make-up bags you don’t use
• Scarves you never wear
• Unmatched gloves
• Purses you never use
• Mismatched socks/Single socks
• Bras that are stretched or worn out
• Spare buttons
• Worn out sheets
• Damaged sheets/blankets
• Extra top sheets
• Old pillows
• Kids’ toys they no longer play with
• Old Sheets
• Old Pillowcases
• Old Blankets

Related Post: 17 Best Tools for Organizing Your Bathroom

Bathroom

If you’re anything like me, it’s easy to forget about the items you have stored in your bathroom cabinets and medicine cabinet.  When was the last time you actually used some of those products?

Also, don’t forget to go through the linen closet if that’s included in your bathroom! 

• Expired, Old, or Make-up you don’t use
• Expired skin care products
• Expired hair products
• Expired medications
• Worn-out towels or washcloths
• Old nail polish
• Old lotions/perfumes you no longer use
• Old toothbrushes
• Expired sunscreen
• Travel size toiletries (from hotels)
• Expired Bug Spray
• Old Toothbrushes
• Bath toys your kids no longer use
• Old Hair Tools
• Anything in the cabinets you no longer use

Home Office

The home office is where a lot of paper clutter will accumulate over time. Be sure to dispose of any paper clutter with sensitive information on it the correct way. it’s also where I keep all the crafting supplies, books, and papers (that don’t have a home elsewhere in the house). 

This is the perfect time to go through everything in your home office, declutter it, and create a system for your home office.   

• Craft supplies you don’t use or need
• Office supplies you don’t use or that don’t work
• Phonebooks
• Manuals for products you no longer own
• Old calendars
• Unfinished craft projects
• Old Schoolwork
• Books you don’t like or will never read again
• Expired paperwork you no longer need
• Old cables that you don’t know what they go to
• Old textbooks
• Old magazines
• Other paper clutter

Living Room

Between all the extra blankets, DVDs in the cabinet, and household items, I’m sure some things are cluttering up your space! 

• Knick knacks you don’t need
• Decorative pillows
• DVDs you don’t watch
• Old VHS tapes
• DVD players, VHS players, or old cable boxes you no longer use
• Magazines
• Puzzles & board games with missing pieces
• Old remote controls
• Old/torn dog toys
• Furniture you don’t love
• Paper clutter

Related Post: How to Revamp Your Office Space for More Effective Work

Garage/Attic

The two places we put things that we know we are never going to use again! Except for my Christmas decorations (I store them in the attic), I have never gotten up there for something else I stored in the attic. It’s mostly sentimental things from my husband’s and my childhood that we store in the attic. 

We don’t have a garage, but I’ve seen people who do. And they’re usually full of things that are no longer needed. Make sure to give yourself a lot of time to go through the items in the attic and garage and only keep the things you need and will use. Then, come up with storage solutions for the items you keep so everything stays organized and tidy!

A label maker is great for the garage and attic because you can label boxes, bins, and tubs so that you know what is in them. 

• Old paint
• Unused exercise equipment
• Broken toys
• Repair parts for items you no longer own
• Christmas lights that don’t work
• Holiday decorations you no longer use
• Ornaments (broken, no longer wanted)
• Broken light bulbs
• Garden supplies you don’t need
• Lawn care/equipment you no longer use
• Old furniture you no longer need

Miscellaneous

These are things that you may or may not have in your home. They are miscellaneous things to clean out and de-clutter that could be anywhere in your home. 

• Anything you don’t like or don’t use anymore
• Empty/Expired gift cards
• Anything broken
• Bad photos
• Anything you have duplicates of
• Anything you wouldn’t buy now at the store
• Items you haven’t used in over a year
• Don’t keep anything because it was a gift
• Old cell phones/electronics
• Cables you don’t need
• Store reward cards you don’t use
• Burned up candles
• Expired coupons
• Old CDs/CD cases
• CDs or movies that are scratched
• Old tissue paper/bags
• Scraps of wrapping paper
• Old cleaning supplies
• Old Receipts
• Home decor you no longer use

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The objective of cleaning is not just to clean, but to feel happiness living within that environment.

Marie Kondo

I hope this decluttering list has motivated you to get started with cleaning out each room and area of your home. I hope it has given you a better idea of what to clean out and where to start. 

Once you have decluttered your home, you can begin organizing! It will make the organization process much easier.

Do you have a favorite or any helpful tips for decluttering and cleaning out your home? I’d love to hear about it. 

Until next time,

Catherine