Declutter Your Home Checklist And 7 Easy Decluttering Tips

Last Updated on February 26, 2024

Want to join in my declutter your home challenge? During the entire month of January, from the living room to the bathroom, to the fridge, I’m going decrapifying my house. New year, clean home! To keep the process organized, I’ve created a handy dandy, free declutter your home checklist that will be sent to your inbox if you sign up for the weekly newsletter (fill out the email sign-up below). The checklist covers the entire decluttering process and is filled with tips you can download and print so we can maintain a clutter-free home together! Let’s do this!

7 Easy Steps To Declutter Your Home And Keep It That Way

1. Block Out 1 Hour A Day

It can be overwhelming to even think about how to declutter your entire house in a week, let alone a day. This is not HGTV, so we need to set realistic goals, and no, this does not mean go out and hire a professional organizer. The first step is to start small by focusing on one room or area at a time. I’ve learned that I’m more efficient if I schedule and time block certain tasks.

I use this timer to stay focused during scheduled tasks. Pick the room you’d like to declutter from the cleaning checklist printable, and let’s get to work. You can also assign a family member to a specific room or small space.

Set your timer for one hour and commit to only decluttering the specified room during that time. Put the phone away. No TikTokking or texting. Turn off the TV. (Tunes are acceptable and highly encouraged. Check out my music playlists if you want a fun mixtape.) If a room takes longer than one hour and you have extra time, set the timer for another hour. If you do not have time, reschedule to continue the process.

2. Set The Goal

What is your goal behind decluttering the room? Do you want to create more storage space or simply rid your home of unnecessary items? Mine is a bit of both. Since closing the vintage shop and being cooped up during lockdown, I feel like we have accumulated a lot of stuff we no longer need. Makeshift classrooms have turned into chaotic craft tables.

The Boy is a chucker — he sees my ADHD piles and chucks them into drawers or cabinets. On the surface, my home looks clean, but there’s zero organization. Yes, even I need to declutter and better storage solutions. 

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3. Create Keep, Toss, and Donate Piles

I’m going to try using the 90/90 minimalist method, but as Marie Kondo says, choose whatever sparks joy and start making piles of what you want to keep, toss, and donate or sell. Just remember, if you want to sell it, you’ll be holding onto the junk longer, and you might need a place to store it. When selling an item during this process, my advice to you is to price it cheap, so it sells fast. Also, store the item in a large plastic bin instead of keeping it in the room you are decluttering.

The 90/90 decluttering method is simple. Ask yourself if you’ve used the item within the last 90 days. If the answer is yes, keep it. If the answer is no, ask yourself if you will use it within the next 90 days. The item goes in the toss or donate pile if the answer is no.

If it is trash, put it in a trash bag. Bags = trash; you’re getting rid of it. Cardboard boxes = things you might care about. It’s important to remember that whatever you have deemed to be trash stays trash. 

You can also create separate piles of keep (including sentimental items), toss, and donate.  

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4. Be Honest With Yourself

No one is judging you, so be honest with yourself. Marie Kondo will gently remind you to ask, “Does this item spark joy?” If that bundt pan brings you joy or adds value to your life, it’s a keeper even if you don’t see yourself using it in 6 months. I make a special coffee cake once a year, and it’s baked in a bundt pan. Even though the pan is not part of my daily routine, I will eventually use it. 

The key takeaway here is to find a designated spot for occasional items. Use drawer dividers in your kitchen cabinets to separate similar items that are not used often from everyday items organized within the space. 

5. Storage Solutions

Invest in storage solutions, such as shelves, bins, and baskets, to help keep your belongings organized and easy to access. In the living room, you’ll want baskets for cozy throws, lazy susan trays in the pantry, and decorative boxes to wrangle remote controls. In the bathroom, you’ll want under-the-sink storage bins and small container dividers to organize things like makeup and hair ties. These drawer organizers are a smart storage solution and a great way to wrangle a lot of clutter, especially in a junk drawer or home office. 

Here are a few of my favorite organizing and storage bins:

Get creative with storage and check out your existing furniture. The Dorothy Draper chest in my foyer is home for all our winter gear, like hats, mittens, and snow pants.

I will tell you that renting a storage unit for unused items is NOT a good solution. Take it from this former vintage shop owner who has two units. You’re moving the clutter from your home to another space to sit in the dark. Take the bull by the horns, make hard decisions, and purge. I guarantee you’ll feel a sense of accomplishment and less stress after finishing your decluttering project.

Scroll to check out a few more favorites:

6. Get Rid Of Duplicates

During the closet remodel, I found so many duplicates hidden away in drawers. No one needs 84 pairs of jeans — ya, I’m not kidding. It may sound time-consuming, but the easy way to complete this task is to pull everything out, try it on, and keep only what fits. I used to look in my closet and think, I have nothing to wear, but after a good rogering, I realize I have so many amazing outfits. I just couldn’t find them because they were hidden under a lot of clutter.

Trust me. It’s worth the time and effort. Along with tossing duplicates and other unwanted items, look for socks missing their mates. Toss those as well. The biggest challenge here will be time. Closets can take a long time, so it’s a good idea to time block properly. This will set you up for success. 

Here are a few of my closet favorites:

7. Maintain A Clutter Free Home

Once you have decluttered your home, the next step is maintaining a clutter-free space. This means every item needs a home. EVERYTHING. If you wind up with items that don’t have a dedicated space, bin, or basket, return to tip #3. Ask yourself again, does this spark joy? Have you used it within 90 days? If it’s a special keepsake, maybe you need a memento storage bin. As long as every item in your home has a proper place to live, you can keep your entire home clutter-free. I promise.

If it had a home before, put it back where you found it. Also, consider setting limits on the number of items you bring into your home to prevent clutter from building up again. I love a good estate sale, but while vintage hunting, I’ve learned that if the shiny object that catches my eye doesn’t have an immediate home, the treasure should not come home with me. Once you’ve put all this hard work into decluttering, keep it tidy. The good news is that maintaining this clean slate is simple. All you do is set aside 15 minutes a week to remove the accumulated clutter. Badda bing! Badda boom! Your entire home is organized.

TOP TIP: I should also add that every evening before going to bed, I do a quick pick-up of our main floor living space. The dog toys go into a basket. The sofa pillows are arranged nicely, and the throw is folded. The kids’ toys are put away. Mind you, I’m not cleaning an entire room but rather giving the living room and kitchen a good 5-minute once-over. This ensures a decluttered home and avoids the daunting task of redoing all my hard work.

THAT’S IT! YOU DID IT! I’m giving you a virtual high five. But now that you’ve decluttered your home, it’s time to schedule you’re next decluttering session. I like to block out a tentative week within 3-6 months because decluttering is not a one-and-done process. It’s ongoing if you want to maintain a tidy, organized home.

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