Clutter, the silent intruder that stealthily invades our living spaces, can unknowingly contribute to stress, overwhelm, and a sense of disarray. The good news is that decluttering doesn’t have to be an arduous task that requires hours of effort. In fact, there are plenty of “no-brainer” items you can start decluttering today to instantly breathe new life into your space. Let’s dive into the 20 no-brainer things to declutter for a refreshed and organized environment.
Welcome to the Year Long Thorough Declutter Series! We will be starting decluttering specific tasks. 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.
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 find that here.
Struggling with the daily housekeeping chores? Check out my ebook on this topic, entitled Make Over Your Homemaking. Use this link to get it at a discounted price.
20 No-Brainer Things to Declutter for a Refreshed Space
1. Expired Food and Spices: Begin in the heart of your home—the kitchen. Check your pantry and spice rack for expired items that are just taking up space.
2. Old Magazines and Newspapers: Bid adieu to stacks of old reading material that have already served their purpose.
3. Worn-Out or Mismatched Socks: Clear out those single socks or socks with holes that have been lingering in your drawers.
4. Outdated Electronics: Part ways with old chargers, cables, and gadgets you no longer use.
5. Unused Beauty Products: If you haven’t touched that shade of lipstick in over a year, it’s probably time to let it go.
6. Excess Coffee Mugs and Cups: Keep only the ones you truly use and love; the rest can find new homes.
7. Broken or Unwanted Jewelry: Sort through your jewelry collection and say goodbye to broken pieces or items you no longer wear.
8. Expired Medications: Check your medicine cabinet for medications that have passed their expiration dates.
9. Duplicates: Whether it’s kitchen utensils, office supplies, or clothing items, duplicates are often unnecessary.
10. Unworn Clothing: If you haven’t worn that shirt or pair of jeans in the last year, chances are you won’t wear them again.
11. Excess Hangers: Keep only the hangers you need and donate the rest.
12. Old Greeting Cards and Invitations: While sentiment is important, holding onto every card from the past decade can lead to clutter.
13. Outgrown Children’s Toys: Children’s interests change quickly, so regularly declutter toys they no longer play with.
14. Expired Toiletries: Clear out your bathroom cabinets of expired lotions, creams, and other toiletries.
15. Unused Kitchen Appliances: That juicer you used once? It might be time to find it a new home.
16. Scraps of Wrapping Paper and Gift Bags: They can accumulate over time—keep a few favorites and let go of the rest.
17. Unused Exercise Equipment: If that treadmill has become a clothing rack, it might be time to consider letting it go.
18. Excessive Stationery Supplies: Declutter your desk by donating excess pens, sticky notes, and other stationery items.
19. Worn-Out Linens: Old towels, sheets, and blankets can make way for fresher options.
20. Outdated Technology Manuals: In the age of the internet, most manuals can be found online, making physical copies unnecessary.
Decluttering doesn’t have to be an overwhelming task. By focusing on these no-brainer items, you can gradually create a space that’s more organized, easier to navigate, and conducive to a sense of calm. Remember, the goal is not to eliminate everything, but to curate your belongings so that you’re surrounded only by items that serve a purpose or bring you joy. Happy decluttering!
A few decluttering 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.
Struggling to decide if an item is clutter? Use these questions below to help you determine whether to keep or toss any item.
Complete Home Declutter: HOW TO DECLUTTER:
Supplies Needed:
1. boxes -preferably ones you can donate (Avoid plastic storage bins because you may be tempted to just store the items and not part with them.)
2. sturdy trash bags
3. marker/pen to label boxes
Decluttering Tip: Avoid using storage bins to declutter. Storage bins tend to tell your brain to “store” the items for later. That is just delaying decisions. If you aren’t getting rid of items when you declutter, you are not truly decluttering. This is why I recommend a trash bag, also. A trash bag tells your brain to “trash” the item.
Obviously, recycle if you have that option. The boxes you use should be ones you are willing to part with, so I recommend sturdy cardboard boxes. As to donations, there are many charities that will come pick up your items for you at your home.
I use one in particular where you can book an appointment for pick-up online. This is so convenient, as it saves you the hassle of hauling stuff away yourself. Scheduling that pick-up also motivates you to declutter by a certain date.
How to Declutter:
1. Start by eliminating trash first- use a sturdy trash bag
2. Sort items by category if needed so you can see what you have
3.Get rid of duplicate items, broken items, outgrown clothes and shoes, anything you’ll never use again
4. Box up the donations and trash/recycle the rest
5.Select a charity to donate your items and schedule the pick-up if that is an option
We are working in the home office this week. Your task today for today, February 10th is to: Declutter any receipts for items you no longer own or items that are past the return date.
Bonus tip: Scan all your paper files all with your smart phone into my favorite “paperless” phone app – Evernote. Even if you plan to keep some important documents, this a great way to keep those items stored digitally in case of a fire or natural disaster.
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 Housekeeping Schedule for Home printables.
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. 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. 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 decluttering ideas plus excellent organization tips to get you started.
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