Clearing out clutter? Let me share with you a Declutter DIY Hack or two for each room. I want to help you learn the Step By Step Decluttering plan I created to Declutter and Organize Your Home.Or, Maybe You are wondering… How Do You Clean and Declutter a Room Step By Step: Are you stuck in the decluttering process and lacking declutter motivation?

Welcome to the Year Long Thorough Declutter Series! We will be starting by decluttering specific daily 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.

If you are new to the blog, welcome! I blog about cleaning, decluttering, and organizing. You can find my free printables to help you get organized in the drop down menu under the Printables category.

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.

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 own schedule to provide Help for Dirty, Cluttered Homes. You’ll also find my Step By Step DIY Declutter List for every room linked below.

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. Better yet, get it FREE when you subscribe.

Maybe your house is clean but cluttered. If so, you need to know a few declutter motivation tips or a Declutter DIY Hack or two before you start using the Step By Step Decluttering plan I use. Does a Cluttered House Cause Stress? Let’s look at a reputable, mental health site to answer that question. They have given us 8 ways mess leads to stress. According to Psychology Today:

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)

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.

1. 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)
2. Clutter distracts us by drawing our attention away from what our focus should be on. (source)
3. Clutter makes it more difficult to relax, both physically and mentally.(source)
4. Clutter constantly signals to our brains that our work is never done.(source)
5. 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)
6. Clutter creates feelings of guilt (“I should be more organized”) and embarrassment, especially when others unexpectedly drop by our homes or work spaces. (source)
7. Clutter inhibits creativity and productivity by invading the open spaces that allow most people to think, brainstorm, and problem solve.(source)
8. 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)

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 Step By Step Decluttering plan I use for Clearing Out Clutter. Plus, it never hurts to learn a Declutter DIY Hack or two. What Cleaning Should Be Done Daily? I have a room by room specific Printable House Cleaning Checklist linked above.

How I Get Help With Decluttering My House: 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.

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.

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 )
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.)

• 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 motivation?

Today, we’ll lay out the solutions to get you some Help for Cluttered Homes using my tips on How To Tackle Clutter. Plus, we’ll look at a few ways to answer the question:What Cleaning Should Be Done Daily? A Printable House Cleaning Checklist will help you keep your home clean and maintained. I’ll even give you my Deep Clean Checklist and House Cleaning Tips to help you get started.

Maybe you are thinking: My House Is So Cluttered, I Don’t Know Where to Start. How can I recognize clutter? Let’s address those questions. I have a visual below using some questions to help. Also, check out these 5 Important Guidelines I use to to keep me focused and motivated as I begin the process of getting my home decluttered.

5 IMPORTANT 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.

More Steps to Declutter and Organize Your Home and Easy Decluttering Techniques can be found below. Knowing How to Be Ruthless When Decluttering can certainly speed the process. Maybe you are wondering: Should I Clean or Declutter First? My opinion is to declutter, first. What is the Proper Way to Clean Your House? I always declutter a room first. Why? Often, a clean room doesn’t look clean if it’s filled with clutter. Let’s look at a few questions, below, to help you better understand what to keep or toss as you begin Clearing Out Clutter.

When overwhelmed by a Messy House, you need to know how How To Clean a Dirty House in the easiest way possible. How Do you Make an Easy House Cleaning Schedule? What Cleaning Should Be Done Daily? My recommendation is once weekly on the areas I’ll outline in my House Cleaning Planner. Can a Messy House Affect Your Mood and Cause Stress? It certainly does when you can’t find anything.

How Do You begin Clearing Out Clutter? We’re going to work on creating a schedule and a “home” for everything, so you always know where to find your things. This is one important solution I provide to readers looking for specific Step By Step Decluttering ideas. Much of the clutter we create is because we have simply laid something down and not given it a proper home. If you do this repeatedly, your home will become a clutter magnet. Even worse, you won’t be able to find anything.

Easy Decluttering Techniques: What is the Proper Way to Clean Your House? I suggest decluttering before cleaning. What Should I Declutter First? One of the simplest declutter motivation tips is to start small, such as one shelf or one drawer.

How Do You Deal With all the Junk in Your House and start Clearing Out Clutter? Start with these tasks below.

  HOW TO Start Step By Step Decluttering:

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

How about some declutter motivation tips to get you moving?

 Declutter DIY Hack: I like to put on some upbeat music. You’ll also want to dress for cleaning. Don’t wear your nice clothes and shoes. Instead, grab some clothes you can bend and move in, and wear comfortable tennis shoes. How To Clean a Dirty House using an Easy House Cleaning Schedule can be done in simple weekly steps I’ll outline below. How Does Clutter Affect Your Life? A Messy House Affect Your Mood and Cause Stress. One way it causes stress is that it creates the feeling that your work is never done. To fix that, let’s start with a small project. Again, start with an easy project, so you can see instant progress. One shelf or one drawer is a good place to start.

How To Start Clearing Out Clutter in Your House using this Declutter DIY Hack: 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.

What Do You Throw Away When Decluttering? How Do You Know If Your House Is Cluttered? An honest outsider can help you see what you have become accustomed to. How Does Clutter Affect Your Life? Finding Help With Decluttering My House is easier if you admit you need help, first. Invite an honest friend or family member to help you answer that question. Perhaps you are dealing with years of accumulated clutter. You may even be a hoarder.

Can a Messy House Affect Your Mood and Cause Stress? It certainly does cause undue stress when the mess is a large one. It can be very overwhelming. Often, we get stuck because we don’t know where to start or How To Dejunk Your House. The Steps to Declutter and Organize Your Home can be easy if we take it in small steps. I want to show you how to take a baby step approach to decluttering. I want to help you make it easier. If you lack time, I have a blog post providing a quick solution for Help for Cluttered Homes on the One Day Declutter process I use. You’ll find the link to that post at the end of this article.

If You feel Overwhelmed by a Messy House, I want to help try to ease the overwhelm. How Do You Declutter Without Being Overwhelmed? With my DIY Hacks to Declutter, we’re going to do it slowly and thoroughly in just 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week. How Do You Get Rid of Clutter In Your Home? 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.

Another great Declutter DIY Hack is to go ahead and schedule a donation pick-up from a local charity. 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.

Bonus: Here is a video with ideas for some tips and declutter hacks I have found useful when looking for Declutter Motivation Tips. For me, I can’t think clearly when surrounded by clutter and messes. Maybe this describes you, too. Check out this great video I found that will show you how to organize your home using simple steps.

If You’re Looking for an Easy Decluttering Plan… – Maybe you just need a simple, step- by- step process like this and my DIY Declutter List for each room.

What Should I Declutter First? How To Motivate Yourself to Declutter Your Home: We’ve already stated that a small area is a good place to start. It can be done quickly and gives you instant gratification. Think of one small area in your home that you use daily that could use a makeover.

How To Motivate Yourself and How To Dejunk Your House: Another Declutter DIY Hack is to Start Small. Instantly, I think of my top bathroom drawer and my kitchen silverware drawer. Another idea would be to declutter one shelf. In my own kitchen, the shelf that needs the most attention right now is one of my pantry shelves.

Overwhelmed by a Messy House? A Cluttered House Can Cause Stress. It is stressful for me to lose time searching for things because I don’t have a clear idea of where these items belong. Declutter DIY Hack: It helps to remove everything from that shelf or drawer as you get started. Then, you can see what is actually in there and only put back the items you plan to use.

5 Steps for How To Begin Clearing Out Clutter

How to Declutter with my Easy Step By Step Decluttering Plan:

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 Attic this week. Your task today for today, May 4th, is to: Declutter any outdated and unused equipment.

Here are some tips for Decluttering the Attic from bargain dumpster.com(source)

Declutter DIY Hack:These decluttering tips will have your attic looking brand new and you might have some more storage space available.(source)

1. Clear It Out(source)

Clear that attic out! It may seem like a big job to tackle, but once you start it does not seem as massive as you think. Labeling things would be a great system to clear out the attic. Decide on what to keep, get rid of and what to donate. Use labels to decide and watch the clutter to dwindle away little by little

2. Time to Clean(source)

Once you have the attic cleared out, time to sweep and clean away the dirt. Time to start the cleaning process and make sure all the dirt and dust is long gone. A good tip is try using a vacuum if there is a lot of dust, because a broom might keep spreading it around.

3. Inspection(source)

Next, have the attic inspected for insulation. It never hurts to have an inspection on the attic and a well insulated attic is key to a well insulated home. This is easier to do in a decluttered attic.

4. Sort Items Out(source)

Once everything is in order, it is time to put the belongings back in the attic. Sort the items out with a system, so you know where everything is whenever you go back up in the attic. Only deal with once section at a time. This prevents confusion and more disorganization.

5. Keeping It Clean(source)

Keep each item where it belongs. Do not go switching things around or just throwing an item to the closest bin. Cleaning the attic monthly will insure that dust does not pile up and your items are well taken care of through the years. Keep that attic decluttered.

How about another Declutter DIY Hack: Let’s look at 7 Things You Should Never Store in Your Attic according to goodhousekeeping.com:

1. Delicate fabrics
Mice, insects, temperature fluctuations, and water damage are all reasons to keep them in a closet instead. And beware, your beloved summer linen pants or cotton shirts are prone to moth infestation. “Often, people think it’s just wool and are surprised to know that moths go after plant-based fibers, as well,” says Lexie Sachs, textiles product analyst in the Good Housekeeping Institute.(source)

Fur and leather need a reliably cool climate to stay looking their best. And vintage pieces, wedding gowns, sentimental baby clothing, and fine linens should all be cleaned and packaged by a professional cleaner, then kept in the main part of the house.(source)

2. Furniture and décor made from natural materials(source)
Wood and upholstered furniture don’t belong in the attic, basement, or garage. Wood mildews (you can try to bleach it, but may have to toss it). And area rugs, mattresses, and even plush toys are too susceptible to moisture damage to hold up for very long. “They all need dry, moderate temperatures for proper storage, and dampness from humidity or water leakage is a problem for everything,”says Carolyn Forte, director of the cleaning lab at the GHI. “It ruins items and promotes mold growth.”

3. Important papers(source)
Birth certificates, passports, marriage licenses, and school and medical records don’t belong in boxes where they could become wet or illegible, says Bonnie Silverman, Broker Associate, RE/MAX Diamond, Realtors in Edison, NJ. “If important papers must be filed in the basement, put them into plastic containers up on a shelf. But a safe or a closet is a much better decision.”

The same holds true for photos, books, and artwork, which can be ruined by moisture and extreme heat. “If they’re not properly stored, they can suffer discoloration, staining, or even mold,” she says.

4. Food (unless you store it carefully)(source)
“If you use your basement for provisions other than root vegetables, make sure those dry goods are in airtight canisters,” says Sean Meredith of SM Inspection Services in Indianapolis. In fact, pack perishables in airtight plastic bags before the hard plastic containers to ward off insects and discourage mildew and rot.

5. Electronics(source)
Extreme heat and moisture can wreck even the most well-made items.

6. Candles(source)
Avoid putting extra tapers and pillars in the attic, where they’re likely to melt during warmer months.

7. Anything flammable (near heat sources)(source)
Paints, turpentine, cleaning products, gasoline, propane, kerosene, or other hazardous chemicals should never be located near anything gas-related (the furnace, water heater, dryer, fireplace, or a stove or oven) or in attic that tends to get very warm. “Many people tend to store these things in utility rooms near appliances and risk fire or possible destruction,” Meredith says.

Here’s what you can store in the basement or attic:(source)
This bonus space is still a must-have for many homeowners. Use it to stash items including holiday decorations, kitchen supplies (like pots, pans, serving dishes, and plates), suitcases, and patio furniture, and take care to store what you can in air-tight containers — especially in the basement.

Emergency Clean Deep Cleaning Home Tips: Overwhelmed by a Messy House? Need to work fast? If you have company coming over and you have been given little notice, you are going to want to just do an emergency sweep (a quick Declutter DIY Hack for How To quickly begin Clearing Out Clutter) of your home. You won’t use a DIY Declutter List at this time. You’ll just try and grab visual clutter quickly. This is just a surface clean, and it will make your home “guest ready” in a short time.

How To Dejunk Your House fast: To do that quick sweep, use this Declutter DIY Hack: grab an empty laundry basket or a large box and go throughout the living area grabbing anything that is out of place and tossing that into you basket. This is just a temporary fix I use to Help With Decluttering My House, but it is intended to give you some immediate satisfaction just by clearing the room of clutter. When you have time to deep clean, I have a Homemaking Checklist for each room below.

Next, grab some multi-surface spray and wipe every counter top and toilet seat from the kitchen to the bathrooms. Then, make each bed. Don’t have time to make beds? Just close the bedroom doors. If you have time, focus on the floors. If you have guests coming over for a visit, just focus on the main living area floors. Don’t do a “full sweep, vacuum, and mop job” if you are in a time crunch. Instead, just sweep and spot clean. Again, this is just a quick fix. When you have the time, I have my Deep Clean Checklist below.

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.

Struggling to decide if an item is clutter? Another Declutter DIY Hack is to use these questions below to help you determine whether to keep or toss any item.

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 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.

I hope you have benefitted from my Declutter DIY Hack post in this cleaning and decluttering series . Leave a comment below to subscribe to my daily declutter task email series.