Today, we’ll address the top things to declutter in each room. But, if your home is cluttered, it is probably already affecting your health, your finances, and your relationships. If you are ready to jump right in and get started decluttering, check out my plan here. Today, we’ll look at my closet declutter checklist.

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 like the one shown here to help you declutter every room in your home. You can find that here.

You can subscribe to the video series below by subscribing to the youtube channel.

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.

Before we begin clearing clutter with my closet declutter checklist, I though it might be thought provoking to look at some statistics on clutter.

1. US consumers buy 40% of the world’s toys, but bear only 3% of the world’s children.
2. Most people wear 20% of their clothing 80% of the time. (source ) A clutter free closet ensures you aren’t wasting space by keeping items you don’t need.
3. 9.4% of U.S. households rent a storage unit. (source)
4. People do not look at 80% of the papers and information they keep.(source)
5. The average American house is double the size it was in the 1950s–and getting bigger. (source.)

You can find my closet declutter checklist below.

• 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/)

CLOSET DECLUTTER CHECKLIST

1.SHEETS, BEDDING, BLANKETS

2.CLEANING SUPPLIES

3.OUTGROWN OUTERWEAR

4.HATS, GLOVES, SCARVES

5.BROKEN UMBRELLAS

6.OUTGROWN BOOTS

7.CLEANING RAGS & CLEANING TOOLS

8.ANYTHING BROKEN OR OUTDATED

9.DUPLICATES

10.DATED HOLIDAY DECOR

11.DAMAGED AIR MATTRESSES

12.DATED LUGGAGE

13.VACUUMS WITH LOW SUCTION

14.GAMES WITH MISSING PIECES

15.OUTDATED ELECTRONICS &CORDS

16.EXCESS GIFT WRAP

17.BACKPACKS AND BAGS

18.SPORTS EQUIPMENT

19.GYM BAGS AND FITNESS GEAR

20.MOVIES, MEDIA, AND DVDS

HOW TO DECLUTTER using my CLOSET DECLUTTER CHECKLIST

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. Garbage bags tell 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 and finish that closet clean out by a certain date.

As you are clearing away the clutter from your home, I want you to take notice of the common types of clutter you find lying about. Chances are, you have the same type of clutter you find yourself clearing daily.

For example, I have a kitchen countertop that daily becomes a clutter magnet. The types of clutter that appear here might be mail, packages to return to the store, projects that need to be completed, etc. If you will pay attention to the type of clutter you are clearing daily, it will show you what areas of your home need the most organization.

For example, mail piling up on the counter will reveal that you need to develop a “home” for your daily mail. I have a financial binder that I put all of the bills inside as soon as I bring them in the house. Mail that needs to be filed and kept goes into my daily file basket. Papers that need attention go into my daily planner.

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. Put similar items together.

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

A decluttered closet can be done in a day if you are short on time. If you feel overwhelmed, start with a small closet. Ensure you assign a home to every item as you begin putting everything back. This will ensure your decluttered closet stays neat. The best way to start a large decluttering project is to start with a small area. You will feel good seeing all the progress you’ve made.

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 make a Housekeeping Schedule for Your Home.

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.

Need some Inspiration to Declutter? Join us for the Year Long Through Declutter Series by subscribing by email below. Leave a comment below to subscribe.

Happy Decluttering!

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 Do A 1 Day Declutter

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.