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Learning to live with less is something I work on all the time. Cleaning out and de-cluttering 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 allow me to be less stressed!
De-cluttering 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 de-clutter my home, practice minimalism, and keep it that way!
While de-cluttering, 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!
Some of my favorite tools to use while cleaning are:
- Homemade dusting spray
- Cotton cleaning towels
- Other homemade cleaning supplies
- Boxes to sort donates, sell, and trash (more eco-friendly than garbage bags)
- My favorite playlist!
- And of course, the basics like a vacuum, broom, mop, etc.
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
Kitchen
- 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
Related Post: Lists to Make When You Are Feeling Overwhelmed and Like You Need to Get Your Life Organized
Bedroom
- 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 golves
- 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
Bathroom
- Expired, Old, or Make-up you don’t use
- Expired skin care products
- Expired hair products
- Expired medications
- Worn out towels/wash cloths
- Old nail polish
- Old lotions/perfumes you no longer use
- Old toothbrushes
- Expired sunscreen
- Travel size toiletries (from hotels)
- Expired Bug Spray
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
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Living Room
- Knick knacks you don’t need
- Decorative pillows
- DVD’s you don’t watch
- Old VHS tapes
- Magazines
- Puzzles & board games with missing pieces
- Old remote controls
- Old/torn dog toys
Garage/Attic
- 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
Miscellaneous
- 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
The objective of cleaning is not just to clean, but to feel happiness living within that environment.
Marie Kondo
I hope this de-cluttering list has motivated you to get started cleaning out and organizing your home. I also hope it has given you a better idea of what to clean out and where to start.
Is there something else you think we should add to this list? Drop a comment below! I would love to hear all of your ideas and helpful tips.
Until next time,
Catherine
These are great ideas!!!! I definitely need to continue going through things, I just started my minimalism journey!
I started about a year ago and it has been an amazing journey so far!
I LOVE this checklist! De-Cluttering is my thing and I love going through lists like this to make sure I’m really doing a good job.. right now I’m hoping to declutter for the last time but I have a toddler who gets spoiled by family, haha!
I love to de-clutter as well! It makes me feel good. Sometimes with kids it can be a little more difficult… Lol.
These are all fantastic tips! I recently de-cluttered my kitchen, and wow! It was crazy how many things I had in cabinets that were completely useless. It was a lot of work but now I can walk into my kitchen and feel calm and relaxed and not completely overwhelmed. Now it’s on to the rest of the house! Thanks for these amazing checklists!
It really is crazy the amount of stuff we accumulate that is pointless! Just do one room at a time and it will make the process not seem so bad! Good luck!
I have been thinking about doing this again. About a year ago I went on a de-cluttering and organizing rampage and loved it, but now things are cluttered again. It finally has sunk in why it’s called spring cleaning as it needs to be done yearly. Yep that makes sense. Thanks for the list!
Yep! It’s called Spring cleaning because it needs to be done once a year! Unfortunately!
Great post!! I need to work on this so bad. I love how you broke it up by areas in the home also. This always makes it seem less of a big job
It really does help when you break it up into separate rooms! I usually devote one room a day or one room a weekend. Whichever is easiest for you!
Wow! Now I really want to go clean my house. Now if I could only train my dogs and husband to de-clutter. Hmm…
Wouldn’t that be amazing!!
This is such a great list to help organize everything that you should do for spring cleaning. I often get overwhelmed when I try to start spring cleaning, because I am not sure where I should even start. But, this list makes it much easier!
I hope this list helps!
I’m in desperate need of a decluttering session or sessions!! Thank you so much for the tips. I can’t wait to get started!!
Wishing you good luck during your de-clutter journey!
I am so bad at de-cluttering! This list is very helpful!
I’m glad you find it helpful! 🙂
Very well thought out! There were items on here that I would not have thought of myself. Did you recently do some de-cluttering in your home?
Yes I did! I started my minimalism journey about a year ago and started with de-cluttering my home! The difference it makes is amazing!
Decluttering is not my favorite thing to do. But I have gotten rid of a lot more stuff in the last year and a half. I even bring some items to the Senior Bingo for prizes when they win a BINGO.
That’s wonderful! What a great way to get rid of things you don’t need! 🙂
I love lists! I am still trying to find a system that works for me as far as decluttering goes so I can’t wait to try out your system!
I find it easiest to work from one room to another! You will find what works best for you. Just keep trying out different things!
Now, these are very helpful tips! As someone who embraced minimalist lifestyle years ago, I think these are the basics to not just cleaning a house but cleaning entire life, so to say. Thanks for sharing!
I think so too! It’s a great place to start.
Thank you for this comprehensive list! Sometimes I think my clutter multiplies itself while I’m asleep.
I think that happens, too! Lol.
This is a great check list!
Thank you!
Great tips! I recently bought a condo and at first was focusing on trying to get a lot of things to put into it but quickly realized that’s too expensive and not even practical. It’s freeing in a way having less and creating open spaces. Thank you for sharing!
It is easy to fill spaces quickly and it is definitely expensive! I hope this post gave you some inspiration 🙂
Thanks for sharing, i need to go through these lists one at a time. Clutter is a never-ending battle in my house.
Going through each list one at a time is the best way to not get overwhelmed.
Thanks for sharing this! We desperately need de-cluttering our house. Everything that we use a couple of times per year – needs to go. Also, kids’ toys that they don’t use anymore – out. There is a bunch of stuff that can be done. The hard part is to start.
I agree that the hard part is to start. But once you do, you won’t stop! It will feel great to get some of the clutter out.
Your tips to declutter the kitchen are my absolute favorite.
Thank you! I’m glad I could help 🙂
A well written and engaging article. Thank you for sharing to this topic is such a personal way!
Thank you for reading!
You’ve given me inspiration to tackle some cupboards this weekend. I keep putting it off! I also need to take a trip to the thrift shop to donate some items. Great post!
I hope you were able to get to those cupboards! The kitchen is my least favorite to de-clutter but it’s probably the room that always needs it the most! I like coffee cups… A LOT lol
Great list! I totally agree that decluttering feels so good!!! Thanks for the inspiration!
Thank you!! 🙂
An organized home makes me happy. Great ideas for helping me keep it that way!
It makes me happy too!
Very useful checklist to start decluttering!
Thank you!
great tips to decluttering
Thank you!
i am in the midst of decluttering. This is so helpful! Thanks
Good luck!
great tips! A lot of the seniors I work with need their family to help them do these things!! 🙂
Yes, they do! They get to where they cannot do it themselves and need some help.
Such great tips! I agree with your post so much – a clean home makes me feel so much happier and at peace!
It does me too!
De-cluttering is absolutely essential to an organized home. I like your breakdown of rooms and how best to declutter each one.
I agree! Thank you 🙂
Wonderful lists to follow. Great motivation to get started with decluttering.
Thank you!
I love this post! These are great, useful tips! Decluttering your space/home can make the world of a difference!
I agree!