Anyone can tell you decluttering your home can seem like a daunting task. However, with the right mindset and a little effort, it can be a very rewarding experience. A clutter-free home not only looks better, but it can also reduce stress and help you feel more organized. That’s why we’ve put together a 30-day decluttering challenge to help you achieve a clutter-free home.
Welcome to the Year Long Thorough Declutter Series! We will be starting in the kitchen this month as we begin our Decluttering Your Home Challenge. Each day is dedicated to spending only 30 minutes decluttering your specific daily task. We will be working 5 days a week, so you can take 2 days to enjoy time with your loved ones.
Ignore the dates within this post. Each year we do the declutter series, so the dates won’t coincide from year to year. If you wish to subscribe and join us as we Declutter a Room in 30 minutes a Day, leave a comment below. You can also find the video below and subscribe via youtube.
Also, you can get the complete digital printable copy of the Year Long Thorough Declutter Series Calendar and Checklists here. The printable digital download is delivered to your email. It includes 25 pages of printable calendar pages and checklists to help you declutter every room in your home using my Decluttering Your Home Challenge. You can sign up here.
Struggling with the daily housekeeping chores and wondering: What Housework Should Be Done Daily? Grab my free ebook to walk you through the process. What Does a Deep Clean Include? One of my best Deep Cleaning Home Tips is to use a House Cleaning Planner. Check out my ebook on this topic, entitled Make Over Your Homemaking. Use this link to get it at a discounted price. Better yet… get it FREE when you subscribe to my site. Also, you can find my room by room Declutter Guide at the end of this post designed to help you learn tips and Decluttering Ideas For Your Home.
30 Day Decluttering Your Home Challenge
Day 1: Start with your closet. Donate or sell any clothes you haven’t worn in the past year.
Day 2: Tackle your bookshelves. Donate or sell any books you haven’t read in the past year.
Day 3: Go through your kitchen cabinets. Get rid of any expired or unused food items.
Day 4: Clear off your countertops. Store any items you don’t use regularly.
Day 5: Sort through your bathroom cabinets. Toss any expired or unused toiletries.
Day 6: Clean out your fridge. Get rid of any expired or spoiled food.
Day 7: Get rid of any old magazines or newspapers.
Day 8: Go through your drawers. Donate or sell any clothes or items you no longer use.
Day 9: Sort through your shoes. Donate or sell any shoes you haven’t worn in the past year.
Day 10: Clear out your medicine cabinet. Toss any expired medication.
Day 11: Sort through your jewelry. Donate or sell any pieces you no longer wear.
Day 12: Clean out your car. Toss any trash and organize any clutter.
Day 13: Go through your linen closet. Donate or sell any towels or linens you no longer use.
Day 14: Tackle your garage. Donate or sell any items you no longer need.
Day 15: Sort through your kids’ toys. Donate or sell any toys they no longer play with.
Day 16: Go through your electronics. Donate or sell any old or unused devices.
Day 17: Clear out your email inbox. Delete any old or unnecessary emails.
Day 18: Sort through your files. Shred any papers you no longer need.
Day 19: Clean out your pantry. Toss any expired or unused items.
Day 20: Get rid of any old or unused decorations.
Day 21: Go through your makeup. Toss any expired or unused products.
Day 22: Sort through your pet supplies. Donate or sell any items you no longer need.
Day 23: Tackle your outdoor space. Donate or sell any items you no longer need.
Day 24: Clear out your desk. Donate or sell any office supplies you no longer use.
Day 25: Sort through your sporting equipment. Donate or sell any items you no longer use.
Day 26: Go through your holiday decorations. Toss any broken or outdated decorations.
Day 27: Clean out your wallet
Day 28: Declutter your computer.
Day 29: Clean out your purse/backpack.
Day 30: Declutter your linen closet.
Maybe your house is clean but cluttered. If so, you need to know a few Declutter Tips and Ideas before you start using the Step By Step Decluttering plan I use. Does a Cluttered House Cause Stress? You Bet! Let’s look at a reputable, mental health site to answer that question and see exactly How Clutter Affects You. Then you can learn Why and How To Start to Purge Your Entire Home.They have given us 8 ways mess leads to stress and exactly How Clutter Affects You. According to Psychology Today:
How Clutter Affects You: Clutter can play a significant role in how we feel about our homes, our workplaces, and ourselves. Can a Messy House Affect Your Mood? You bet! How Does Clutter Affect Your Life? Messy homes and work spaces leave us feeling anxious, helpless, and overwhelmed. Yet, rarely is clutter recognized as a significant source of stress in our lives. (source) But, unnecessary stress is one aspect of How Clutter Affects You.
How Clutter Affects You Mentally can help provide the motivation you need to begin my Decluttering Your Home Challenge. Why does mess lead to so much stress? (source)Getting rid of all of that stress can be one of the best declutter motivation tips you need for some instant Declutter Inspiration.
- Clutter bombards our minds with excessive stimuli (visual, olfactory, tactile), causing our senses to work overtime on stimuli that aren’t necessary or important. (source)
- Clutter distracts us by drawing our attention away from what our focus should be on. (source)
- Clutter makes it more difficult to relax, both physically and mentally.(source)
- Clutter constantly signals to our brains that our work is never done.(source)
- Clutter makes us anxious because we’re never sure what it’s going to take to get through to the bottom of the pile. (source)
- Clutter creates feelings of guilt (“I should be more organized”) and embarrassment, especially when others unexpectedly drop by our homes or work spaces. (source)
- Clutter inhibits creativity and productivity by invading the open spaces that allow most people to think, brainstorm, and problem solve.(source)
- Clutter frustrates us by preventing us from locating what we need quickly (e.g. files and paperwork lost in the “pile” or keys swallowed up by the clutter). (source) So, experiencing constant frustration is another aspect to How Clutter Affects You.
Overwhelmed by a Messy House? It can really affect you negatively. How Do You Deal With a Cluttered Mess? One way is to have a plan, set aside a specific time, and learn the steps to declutter your home. What Cleaning Should Be Done Daily? I have a room by room specific Printable House Cleaning Checklist linked above. Also, you can find my room by room Declutter Guide at the end of this post that I use in the Decluttering Your Home Challenge.
For a clean, simplistic look, one of the best Deep Cleaning Home Tips is to declutter a room before cleaning and then use an Easy House Cleaning Schedule to maintain it. Declutter Checklists can help you learn How to begin to Purge Your Entire Home.
How Does Clutter Affect Your Life? As you can already see, there are at least 8 ways we become negatively affected by clutter. Also, I though it might be thought provoking to look at some statistics on clutter to learn more about How Clutter Affects You.
- US consumers buy 40% of the world’s toys, but bear only 3% of the world’s children.
- Most people wear 20% of their clothing 80% of the time. (source )
- 9.4% of U.S. households rent a storage unit. (source)
- People do not look at 80% of the papers and information they keep.(source)
- The average American house is double the size it was in the 1950s–and getting bigger. (source.)
- The U.S. Department of Energy reports that one-quarter of people with two-car garages have so much stuff in there that they can’t park a car. (https://www.becomingminimalist.com/the-statistics-of-clutter/)
- According to the National Soap and Detergent Association, getting rid of clutter would eliminate 40 percent of housework in the average home.(https://www.becomingminimalist.com/the-statistics-of-clutter/) Wouldn’t eliminating a lot of housework provide some declutter inspiration? Read on for more Decluttering Ideas For Your Home.
Today, we’ll lay out the solutions for the steps to declutter using my tips on Why and How to Declutter a House. Plus, we’ll look at a few ways to answer the concern of How Clutter Affects You and what you can do about it.
A few guidelines to keep you on task:
1.Only spend time on your specific daily task.
2.Do not get side-tracked or distracted.
3.Work within a time of day that you have the most energy and stamina.
4.Avoid thinking too long about whether to keep or discard an item. Recruit help if you are stuck in the decision process.
5.Avoid cleaning during your declutter. Getting rid of the clutter is your priority. Cleaning can be accomplished later.
Your Decluttering Your Home Challenge task today for August 23rd is to: Declutter your seasonal dishes.
Decluttering Your Home Challenge Tips:
- Declutter anything you never use.
- Declutter anything broken beyond repair.
- Get rid of anything that doesn’t fit your style.
Just a quick recap from yesterday, August 22nd. The Task for August 22nd was to declutter your pots, pans, skillets, and lids.
The goal for me was to declutter duplicates and broken or severely rusted pieces that couldn’t be repaired. Read my tip below for using those rusted muffin tins.
I had a few rusted pieces that I could no longer use, so I was able to declutter those and then organize everything else.
Bonus tip: If you have rusted muffin tins, you can still get plenty of life out of those by using cupcake liners. Don’t feel like you have to declutter them if you still use them regularly.
So, how are you enjoying this series? I hope you are still making daily progress. It will bless you and your family when you declutter and organize your home. Think of all of the benefits you’ll gain by having everything in it’s proper place.
These daily, 30 minute tasks may seem like a small step. But, those small steps lead to great progress. Don’t grow fainthearted. By the time you finish this month, you will have decluttered your entire kitchen. That is significant, no matter what the pace.
If you miss a day, don’t “call it quits.” Just jump back in where we are, and keep at it. It’s just like dieting or exercising. If you cheat or miss a day, you still have the progress of your previous efforts. It is the daily habits that create a lifestyle. You are creating a new and organized lifestyle. So, don’t throw in the towel if you have one setback. Just keep on decluttering the next day.
Struggling to decide if an item is clutter? Use these questions below to help you determine whether to keep or toss any item.
Remember, we are right here with you decluttering daily in this Year Long Thorough Declutter Series. I am posting my pics to keep you motivated and to celebrate your progress with you.
If you are just now joining us, we welcome you to the Year Long Thorough Declutter Series. Each day we declutter 30 minutes, 5 days a week. Subscribe to my site to receive your daily task and encouragement and motivation to keep going strong.
Need to deep clean? I have lists for you to guide you along.
My How to Deep Clean Your Kitchen list can be found here.
My How to Deep Clean Your Bathroom list can be found here.
My How to Deep Clean Your Kids’ Rooms list can be found here.
My How to Deep Clean Your Living Room list can be found here.
My How to Deep Clean Your Bedroom list can be found here.
You can get your printable Daily Housekeeping Routine and Deep Cleaning Your House Schedule here. This 15 page printable kit is delivered digitally to your email for you to print and personalize. What Does a Deep Clean Include? It includes a daily schedule, calendar pages, and deep cleaning checklists for every room and area of your home. Below is a sample page of what you’ll get in my printable set designed to help you create your personal Housekeeping Schedule Printable.
Also, to keep up the general housework, you may need to create a daily housekeeping schedule that suits your specific needs. To do so, I have created a helpful series you can read here.
Need to Declutter Every room? I have declutter checklists for every room and every space in your home to guide you along below.
Also, you can get the complete digital printable copy of the Year Long Thorough Declutter Series Calendar and Checklists here. The printable digital download is delivered to your email. It includes 25 pages of printable calendar pages and checklists to help you declutter every room in your home by doing the Decluttering Your Home Challenge. You can sign up here.
How to Declutter the Guest Room or Your Kid’s Room checklist can be found here.
How to Declutter Your Laundry Room and Patio checklist can be found here.
How to Declutter Your Coat Closet/Hall Closet/Linen Closet checklist can be found here.
How to Declutter Your Home Office checklist can be found here.
How to Declutter Your Attic checklist can be found here.
How to Declutter Your Garage checklist can be found here.
How to Declutter Your Living Room checklist can be found here.
How to Declutter Your Kitchen Checklist can be found here.
How to Declutter Your Entry/Foyer/Mudroom checklist can be found here.
How to Declutter Your Clothing checklist can be found here.
How to Declutter Your Bedroom checklist can be found here.
How to Declutter Your Bathroom checklist can be found here.
Happy Decluttering!
To Subscribe to this Declutter Series, drop me a comment below. Your email will be sent to me but will not be posted publicly. You’ll receive a daily declutter task via email for the daily task we are working on. You can unsubscribe at any time.
New to deemiddleton.com and don’t know where to start? I recommend going in this order:
Step 1: Check out this post on the 1st step you should take to get organized. If you don’t have a calendar, you can grab my free weekly printable calendar page here. It is in my shopify store, but it is totally free, so you won’t be prompted to put in any payment information. It is a free download and will be delivered straight to your email.
Also, you can get the complete digital printable copy of the Year Long Thorough Declutter Series Calendar and Checklists here. The printable digital download is delivered to your email. It includes 25 pages of printable calendar pages and checklists to help you declutter every room in your home. You can sign up here.
Step 2: Create a daily Housekeeping Schedule. You can use this series to start to set up your own schedule. You can also use this simplified weekly schedule.If you often ask: What is the fastest way to clean a dirty house? Or, if you struggle to get organized and have tried and failed time and again, you can likely find out which of these 11 reasons cause you to fail to get organized.
Step 3: How do you remove clutter?.…Sign up for the Declutter Series and get your entire home decluttered in just 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week.”Declutter Your Home” checklists are provided in each email.
Step 4: What is the fastest way to clean a dirty house? Use a timer and use the Deep Cleaning Checklists above. They will help you get your home sparkling after you’ve decluttered.
Interested in becoming a full-time blogger like me? Check out my blogging series. At the top of every page on my blog, you’ll find a drop down menu. Just select the BLOGGING category.
Check out the most popular posts on deemiddleton.com:
14 Things That Make Your Home Look Cluttered
How to Create a Daily Housekeeping Schedule
How to Clean House When You Are Completely Overwhelmed By Clutter
What is Preventing You From Getting Organized?
Also, check out a great post on decluttering over here from becomingminimalist.com. Joshua Becker has some great tips on decluttering and minimalism.
For further reading, check out the fly lady here. She has some great cleaning and kitchen decluttering ideas plus excellent organization tips to get you started.
I hope you have benefitted from my Decluttering Your Home Challenge. Leave a comment below to subscribe to my daily declutter task email series.
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