If your home is looking like a cluttered mess right now, it might seem overwhelming to undertake this task. But what if you could clear it all in just one day?

The benefits of this home decluttering are immediate: reduced stress, increased productivity, and a more inviting home atmosphere.

If this sounds like the kind of benefits you would enjoy, then keep on reading. Today, we will tell you how to declutter your house in one day, so that you can get this task out of the way and get on with your life in a more organized and fresher environment.

1. What Do You Need to Declutter Your House in One Day?
2. How to Start Decluttering Your Home?
3. Room-by-Room Decluttering Checklist
4. How to Sort Items While Decluttering?
5. Quick Tips to Declutter Your Home Fast?
6. How to Use Apps to Help Declutter?
7. What to Do with Old Books When Decluttering?
8. How to Maintain a Clutter-Free Home
9. Boost Your Well-Being and Productivity

What Do You Need to Declutter Your House in One Day?

Before you start, you will need to gather the right tools and supplies to make the process as smooth and fast as possible.

Here’s what you will need:

• Organizing boxes or bins for sorting items.
• Trash bags for discarded items.
• Cleaning supplies to tidy up spaces as they get decluttered.
• Labels and markers to tag items for keeping, donating, or selling.

How to Start Decluttering Your Home?

Start by defining a clear objective for each room or area of your home.

Make sure to schedule some breaks in between to avoid feeling burnt out or losing motivation. You could use the Pomodoro method, which allows for a 5-minute break after 25 minutes of focusing on your task (of decluttering, in this case). Or you can just decide on a time (let’s say 2 pm), when you get to take a longer break – a lunch break to gather more energy for the rest of the day, for example.

Having a vision of what your ideal space looks like can be great too – with that image in mind, you can stay inspired and focused on your goal throughout the day.

Room-by-Room Decluttering Checklist

Now that you know how to get started (overall), you might still be wondering how to set goals for the individual rooms and what that could look like.

You want to go with a methodical approach with the following focused steps –  that way, nothing is going to get overlooked:

• Kitchen: Clear countertops, organize pantry items, and sort through appliances.
• Living Room: Manage entertainment items, declutter shelves, and sort through decorations to declutter your room.
• Bedrooms: Go through closets, organize drawers, and review under-bed storage.

Ideally, you want to make a detailed decluttering checklist for each room or area you’re tackling.

How to Sort Items While Decluttering?

We know that deciding what to keep and what to let go of can be challenging. But if you know the best decluttering strategies to use, it can be easy – and maybe even enjoyable.

So, use the following tips on how to declutter your home fast:

• Create piles or use bins for “Keep”, “Donate”, “Sell”, and “Trash”.
• Be honest about usage — haven’t used it in a year? It might be time to say goodbye.
• Consider the condition and value of items, especially when deciding between selling or donating.

When you use a structured and thought-out approach like this, you’ll be able to dramatically transform your home – even in a single day.

Quick Tips to Declutter Your Home Fast

You might feel like this task is too big to be done in one day, but you might be wrong…

All you need are  a few quick tips on how to declutter your house in one day and really accomplish everything you want to:

• Set a timer for each room to help you stay on track and prevent lingering over decisions.
• Tackle the easiest room first to gain momentum and boost your motivation.
• Employ the four-box method by sorting items into four categories: keep, donate, sell, or trash.
• Position a donation box near your exit to remind you to drop off items.

How to Use Apps to Help Declutter?

Decluttering can be more efficient when it’s done with the help of technology – even if it seems like a task that doesn’t have anything to do with your phone at first. Of course, in general it is a great practice to put your phone to the side so you can focus on the task at hand. But did you know that there are various apps that can help you organize the decluttering process? How? They can help you schedule tasks or set reminders.

For example, apps for selling items can reduce the issues of having to find buyers, while others can direct you to local charities for donations. These tools can make it easier to keep track of what you need to do, and this can increase the efficiency of your decluttering efforts. You can feel free to check out our recommended declutter apps.

Also, putting on your favorite music (maybe even creating a “decluttering playlist” beforehand) or an interesting podcast or audiobook (check audiobook apps), can be a great way to keep yourself entertained while you’re decluttering.

What to Do with Old Books When Decluttering?

If you don’t know what to do with old books, this can pose a unique challenge when decluttering. There are several options that you have for dealing with them.

• Sell: Check out bookselling websites or local bookstores to sell your used books.
• Donate: Consider giving books to libraries, schools, or charities that could use them.
• Recycle: Recycle books that are too damaged for further use, ensuring they don’t end up in a landfill.

If you’re looking for more advice, you can find our detailed guide on how to declutter books for more insights and suggestions. Additionally, you can explore our article on ideas on how to organize books for more specific tips on this topic.

How to Maintain a Clutter-Free Home

Once you have created a clutter-free environment, you’ll obviously want to maintain this organized home. Here’s how you can do it:

• Adopt a “one in, one out” rule to keep your belongings in check. Every time a new item comes into your home, another one leaves.
• Schedule regular decluttering sessions. By doing mini-decluttering sessions monthly or quarterly, you can prevent clutter from piling up.
• Designate specific places for your most frequently used items. This habit can help keep your spaces tidy and your belongings organized.

Boost Your Well-Being and Productivity

Now that you know how to declutter your house in one day, we hope that you will put this advice into practice. It really is worth it – just to be able to breathe and live better in your own space. See it as a day of spring (or summer) cleaning. Actually, decluttering will feel great during any season!

If you have already done it, great job on decluttering your house! Continue to keep up the good habits that keep your space organized and enjoy the clarity that comes with a well-ordered home.

I know 2025 has already begun, but you can still act on your resolutions or make a new one. If organizing your home or room is on your to-do list for the year, it’s time to talk about decluttering!

After all, wouldn’t you like to live in a space that’s pleasing to the eye and brings you a sense of peacefulness and structure?

Let’s explore some fresh and practical decluttering ideas for decluttering that can help you organize and simplify your environment (and your mind)!

Wardrobe Capsule

A minimalist wardrobe – often known as a capsule wardrobe – means choosing simplicity in your clothing and reducing the number of clothes you own to as much as you can still comfortably live with.

Don’t worry; this doesn’t mean you must completely give up fashion. You have to focus on picking out the items in your wardrobe that are essential and timeless – the ones that work together to create multiple outfit combinations.

If clothes are not the only thing you want to cut down on, then feel free to explore our checklist of things to declutter for more decluttering ideas.

Eco-Friendly Decluttering

Instead of just tossing things out, why not choose better alternatives for the environment?

Here’s how you do it: give away items that are still useful to charities or second-hand stores. Recycling is another good move – many things like electronics, paper, and plastics can avoid landfills.

Selling stuff, particularly those things with a bit of value (like books, tech gadgets, or clothes), isn’t just kind to the planet – it might also put some extra cash in your pocket. Check out our article on how to sell unwanted items for more ideas on making money from things you no longer need.

Book Decluttering

What do you do with the books that you have read and won’t be reading again anytime soon? You sell them! BookScouter.com can help you do just that. This platform is great at finding you the most favorable deals for selling your pre-loved books.

Whether they are textbooks from courses you’ve finished, cookbooks you no longer flip through (or maybe you have all your favorite recipes memorized already), or comic books you’ve moved past, BookScouter.com simplifies the process.

All you have to do is type in your book’s ISBN, title, or author and you’ll see comparisons of buyback prices from over 30 vendors. This way, not only can you declutter your space, but you can also make money by selling books.

One-Minute Decluttering Rule

Are you great at procrastinating? Welcome to the club! Many people will put off a task because it doesn’t seem urgent enough, and it feels like it will be overwhelming to complete it. Your home or room might be so disorganized that you feel like decluttering it will take you days or more…so you never even start.

If that sounds like you, try the one-minute rule for an easy and fast method to maintain orderliness in your space.

The concept is quite straightforward: if you can complete a task in under a minute, tackle it immediately. Actions like hanging your jacket, shelving a book, cleaning a couple of dishes, or organizing a document fall under this category.

Adopting this rule helps prevent the accumulation of minor tasks into overwhelmingly large chores. It’s a practical approach to keep your surroundings orderly and manageable daily.

Zone-Based Decluttering

Zone-based decluttering is a practical way to tidy your living space. Instead of tackling your entire home in one go, focus on one specific area at a time.

Allocate a session for areas like your kitchen, bedroom, or living room. This way, you become more focused and effective throughout the cleaning and organizing. It makes the task less overwhelming and more fruitful.

Learn quick and efficient strategies with our guide on how to declutter your home fast.

Decluttering Apps and Tools

A variety of apps and tools can make decluttering less scary. They can assist in organizing your efforts and tracking your progress and can even spark some inspiration for maintaining tidy spaces.

Try apps like “Clutterfree”, which provides personalized step-by-step decluttering plans, or “Tody”, which assists in crafting cleaning schedules that are tailored to your home’s specific areas.

Utilizing tools like these can transform decluttering from a dreadful task into a more doable and enjoyable activity.

The Four-Box Method

The Four-Box Method is a simple yet practical way to tackle decluttering. Imagine having four boxes (or designated areas) with labels: Keep, Donate/Sell, Store, and Trash.

As you go through your belongings, each item gets placed in one of these categories. This forces you to evaluate each item’s usefulness, emotional value, and necessity. You’ll be much more efficient because you will have to make fast decisions, and you only have so many options (four).

Paperless Solutions

Going for paperless solutions can significantly reduce clutter. What does that mean? Start by turning your important documents into digital forms and choosing electronic versions for bills, statements, and receipts.

Use cloud storage services and document scanning apps at your fingertips – it’s easy. Going for paperless methods not only clears up physical space but also protects the environment by cutting down on paper waste.

Make 2025 Your Most Organized Year Yet

Decluttering doesn’t have to be an annoying chore. As weird as it may sound at first, it can be a fun activity that brings you closer to living in a more orderly and peaceful home.

Tidying up your space can also tidy up your mind and bring clarity and calm into every day.

So, let’s make 2025 the year we reduce clutter and create more room for the things that truly make our lives better. Use these decluttering ideas this year to start fresh and live a simpler life.

For more decluttering ideas and insights, read through our articles on how to declutter books, declutter and organize in 5 steps, 7 creative and practical book storage ideas.

Moving into a new home can be a fresh start—an exciting adventure to begin a new chapter in your life. It can also be a nerve-wracking, stressful experience and a daunting task.

While you could simply throw everything you own into boxes and hope for the best, this approach is a recipe for disaster down the line, including but not limited to disorder, lack of space, and excess boxes everywhere.

That is why one of the most critical aspects ahead of moving day is decluttering your home fast and getting rid of some of your belongings. It’s the perfect opportunity to evaluate what you own, accept what you must keep, and let go of things that no longer serve your life goals.

This article outlines the nine essential steps to declutter before moving day to ensure a stress-free decluttering experience that helps you start your new life journey on the right foot.

1. Combine Motivation and Strategy

Decluttering before moving day requires both your brain and your heart.

Motivation without a strategy is a breeding ground for chaos—you will lose track of what you’re doing and where you keep your things. Might even end up frustrated midway, making your early drive a short-lived ordeal.

On the other hand, strategy without motivation is a slacker’s playground. You will micromanage everything to the last minute and delay executing your plans until too late.

To get the best of both worlds, consider starting with a detailed yet realistic plan—establish manageable steps and potential timelines, then visualize the ambiance you want in your new home. There’s no better motivation than that!

2. The Goal: Downsizing

As you establish your vision for your new home, remember that this decluttering journey only has one goal: downsizing.

Moving into a new home is the perfect opportunity to start over with a clean slate. You have to pack everything away, so you might as well evaluate what you have and let go of the possessions you do not truly need. It’s the start of a new era, and a little bit of rebranding isn’t that bad.

If you’re less decoration-oriented and far more practical, remember that packing your stuff is much easier if you have fewer things to pack. Giving your motivation and strategy the final goal of being as minimalistic as possible will make it easier to declutter before moving.

3. No Time for Maybes

Considering that downsizing is the main goal, hesitation is not a luxury you can afford. To ensure your decluttering is as efficient as possible, ditch the “maybes”, metaphorically and literally.

As you organize your possessions and pack them before moving, sort them into two main categories: keep or give away. You can expand these main categories as much as you want—for example, separate into “donate” or “sell” subdivisions.

However, the rule of thumb is to avoid “maybes”: you keep an item or you don’t. A box labeled as maybe only delays the inevitable and makes your decluttering less efficient than it could be.

For example, by decluttering your books, you can start by sorting through your books and deciding which ones you want to keep, donate, or recycle. Consider donating used books to local libraries, schools, or book charities where they can be of use to others. For reads that are too worn or damaged to donate, recycling books would be a sustainable option. You can also declutter used novels by selling books online or having a yard sale. By decluttering your books before moving, you can reduce your load and start fresh in your new home. Be sure to check tips on how to pack books for moving properly.

In short? Be swift and merciless. 

4. Go Room by Room—and Start With What You Visit the Least

When decluttering ahead of a moving day, it’s best practice to go room by room. Not only does it help you remain organized, but it also makes it easier to keep track of what you need to do and allows you to visualize your progress much more quickly.

To get an extra boost of productivity, start with the rooms you frequent the least. The garage, attic, or storage rooms are always packed with items you may not need as much as you think, so focus on them first and give yourself plenty of time to sort it out.

By the time you’re done, you’ll have downsized quite a bit and perhaps even started packing.

5. Browse Your Items and Make Easy Choices First

Once you have chosen the room you’ll start with, it’s time to browse the items you’ll find there. This is where things get tricky.

Going through your possessions and deciding which one you must get rid of is never easy. That is why trying to declutter before moving is so dreadful: you must browse hundreds of items and carefully consider their utility and emotional value.

Your best bet is to start on an easy level. Broken items, things you no longer use, or expired products are easy to get rid of and don’t require much thinking, so starting with them can make decluttering faster and motivate you to keep going.

Leave memorabilia and items with emotional value for later—once you have consistently downsized other items and got on track with your decluttering goals. By then, it’ll be much easier to make the choice.

6. Schedule Your Declutter Time

Consistency is critical if you want to succeed as you declutter before moving. Many people attempt to start with huge efforts and dedicate a whole day to downsizing their homes, but only a few can consistently maintain that pace throughout the following weeks.

The solution? Make it a routine and set aside a specific time for decluttering. Whether it is just five minutes or five hours, be sure it matches your time constraints and fits the amount of decluttering you must go through.

Making this activity a routine is the best way to do a little bit every day and achieve consistent results without rushing.

7. Write Things Down

People make a common mistake when decluttering and downsizing by relying on their memory. While you may be fantastic at remembering birthdays and important dates, a pen and a piece of paper will be your best allies this time.

Writing down a list of things to declutter is a great way to keep track of your progress. Likewise, making a list of the items you own can help you spot duplicates and visualize what you truly need, which makes it easier to part ways with your items.

8. Bring Friends and Family

The more, the merrier, and preparing before moving out is taxing for just one person.

If possible, ask family members or friends to give you a hand. Share with them your strategy and checklist, and alongside them, you might browse through rooms and items much faster than you’d do otherwise.

Best part? Having company over makes things less boring and much more engaging, which keeps you motivated. If you have children, this is a wonderful opportunity to let them see what you own and teach them the importance of order and letting go.

9. Don’t Be Afraid to Call the Professionals

Everyone’s circumstances are different.

Some people own too many things, others have difficulty letting go of emotions, and more than a few may feel overwhelmed when forced to go through this all alone.

If so, consider hiring expert help. Plenty of professional organizers have insider knowledge to help you declutter before moving. With their help, you can craft a realistic strategy, a doable timeline, and manageable goals. Their neutral perspective can also give you insight that you may not have been able to perceive on your own.

Declutter Before Moving to Start Anew

Moving is a new beginning, and your utilities and items reflect that. It’s a wonderful opportunity to evaluate what you have and what you wish to keep with you from now on. These tips can help you manage what you own and outline the future you want, but keep in mind that only you know what makes you happy.

Downsizing and decluttering is not about minimalism—it is about bringing with you only those things that bring you joy, comfort, and assistance, whichever they might be.

The year is still in its infancy, however there are lots of things that have already gone out of hand. A good example is the clutter harboring your home. You might not realize it yet but your home will look a lot better when you take out time to rid it of unnecessary and space-consuming clutter.

The one obstacle to this, however, is that not everyone knows what clutter is. Some do but can’t identify all of it. Luckily for you, we’ve got more than enough examples of things to declutter for more space. So, if you are looking for a decluttering checklist, pay attention because we’ve got a long list you’ll not want to miss.

• Sentimental Clutter
• Paper Clutter
• Closet Clutter
• Kitchen Clutter
• Bedroom Clutter
• Garage Clutter
• Random and Trashy Clutter

We’ve got a total of 52 things to throw away for instant decluttering. To make it easier, we’ve also grouped the clutter into different categories. That way, you can get rid of items one at a time, and from different parts of the apartment.

Sentimental Clutter

The hardest set of things to declutter are those that hold sentimental value. Because these items hold a spot in your heart, it’s hard to get rid of them. However, they take up more space than your heart has to give so you need to add them to your decluttering list.

1. Old Calendars

There’s no need to hold on to calendars from past years. They don’t serve their use and are only still there due to the emotions attached to the person who gifted them to you.

2. Old Gift Items in The Attic

Still, on the issue of old gift items, some have served their time and are no longer needed. Some gifts don’t even get to be used and just go straight up to the attic.

3. Old Toys

These are some of the most common things to throw away for instant decluttering. Kids come with the need to get a lot of toys and as they grow, their preferences change and so, more toys come in. When making a decluttering checklist, be sure to add all the toys that have been tossed aside for shiny new ones.

4. Old Birthday and Christmas Cards

Declutter old Birthday and Christmas cards by sorting through and keeping sentimental cards and repurpose the rest for crafts or donate them to schools/art programs.

5. Old Journals

Review the journals and identify any important memories or lessons you want to keep. Then, digitize or scan the pages to save space while preserving the content.

6. Travel Cards

Consider digitizing travel cards through mobile apps or consolidating them onto a single multi-purpose card to minimize clutter and simplify your travel experience.

Paper Clutter

The most common clutter in some households comes from paper items. Every piece of paper has its lifespan, so you should know when to add paper clutter to your decluttering checklist.

7. Old and Used Textbooks

These are the most common clutter pieces found among students. Their rooms are littered with used books, making them inhabitable. What to do with old textbooks? You can do, at this point, donate or sell books for cash; you don’t necessarily have to throw them away.

8. Magazines

Magazines are no doubt things to declutter due to the way they become obsolete quickly. So, if you’re hoarding old magazines, it’s about time you threw them out or gave them away in garage sales.

9. Old Report Cards and Children’s School Reports

These will probably make their way to the sentimental category in some other decluttering checklist but when they begin to pile up with every session and kid, they simply become huge wastes of space. It’s also quite hard to store them so why not just throw them out?

10. Stacks of Novels You’ve Read

Some novels have high re-read values while others are usually dumped for the latest juicy story. If you’ve got a stack of novels and don’t plan to create a library, learn how to recycle books, where to donate used books, or just sell books if your books have any resale value. Following your book decluttering session, learn how to organize books and streamline your space with effective book storage ideas.

11. Random Pieces of Paper

The single step to declutter random pieces of paper is to sort through them and discard any that are no longer needed or relevant.

12. Old Coupons

Sort through your coupon collection and discard any expired or for stores/items you no longer use. This helps simplify the selection so you only have usable options remaining.

13. Spoilt Pictures

Spoilt or damaged pictures that are beyond repair can be safely decluttered. Keeping them will only add clutter with no benefit.

14. Old bills and Receipts

Go through your paperwork, shredding or discarding old bills and receipts, and keep only those necessary for tax purposes or in case of disputes. Scanning important documents can help declutter physical files while still allowing you to digitally retain necessary records.

Closet Clutter

Move deeper and you’ll discover a hub of things to throw away for instant decluttering. While the closet is a safe space for all your clothes, shoes, bags, and the rest, it’s only a matter of time before you’re getting swallowed by the closet clutter. So, what do we have here for your decluttering checklist?

15. Clothes That Don’t Fit Anymore

Once clothes aren’t your size anymore, there’s no point holding on. Just fold them up and proceed to the nearest donation center or hand them down to your siblings.

16. Clothes You Haven’t Worn in Years

Some clothes get so lost in the closet that you have no need for them or in some cases, they become completely forgotten. Once you go through the closet and find them, it’s time to say goodbye.

17. Shoes That Don’t Fit

Even old shoes, no matter how fly they are, need to make way for new items and precious space.

18. Torn Clothes

Donate any torn clothing that is still wearable by others to a second-hand charity shop. Many will accept clothes with small rips or holes as they can be mended.

19. Clothes or Attires You no Longer Need

To get rid of clothes or attire you no longer need, donate them to a local charity or thrift store or organize a clothing swap with friends or family.

20. Duplicate Items

Repurpose duplicate items for DIY projects, exchange them through online communities or swapping events, or recycle them if they are unsuitable for reuse.

Kitchen Clutter

Cooking messes aren’t the only sources of kitchen cleanups. Here are some things to declutter from the kitchen.

21. Excess Cutleries

If you have more forks, knives, and spoons than your household needs, sort through them and donate any extra matching sets or scattered pieces in good condition to a women’s shelter or other organization where they will be appreciated.

22. Plates You Don’t Use Anymore

Sell your lightly used extra plates that don’t match your regular dishes a lot on Facebook Marketplace or your local Buy Nothing group so they can be enjoyed by someone else rather than taking up space in your cabinets.

23. Old Mugs and Cups

Any chipped, cracked, or stained mugs can be thrown away safely. Keep only your favorites in good condition.

24. Expired Foods in the Fridge

Take everything out of the fridge and check expiration dates, then discard anything past its use-by or best-by date to avoid potential foodborne illness. Compose fruits and vegetables that have gone bad and throw away expired packaged foods in sealed trash bags.

25. Stored Food You no Longer Need Because It’ll Only Rot and Mess up the Kitchen’s Odor.

Clear out all stored dried goods, canned foods, and other pantry items that have expired or passed their best consumption dates to prevent them from spoiling and contaminating the rest of your food storage with an unpleasant smell.

26. Small Kitchen Appliances That Haven’t Been Used in a Long While

Sell or donate small kitchen appliances that haven’t been used in a long while to allow someone else to benefit.

Bedroom Clutter

27. Old and Unused Jewelry

Over time, we get over some pieces of jewelry, so rather than starting a collection of things you’ll never need, you should look to get rid of them.

28. Pins and School Items You No Longer Need

Decluttering your room can be made easier by identifying items that merely occupy space on your desks, often leading to a cluttered environment. Incorporate them into your decluttering checklist to ensure a tidy living space

29. Torn Up and Useless Sheets

Bedsheets and pillowcases take up a lot of space and are, no doubt, the biggest items in the bedroom. So, when they get torn or stained beyond redemption, you should get rid immediately.

30. Old and Unused Towels

The bathroom is your safe space and a place to relax and wash off the day’s stress. What you don’t need is a ton of stuff like towels you’ll never use.

31. Hoarded Items

If you’ve got a stash of collectibles that add no real aesthetic or value to your room, you’ll need to consider them as things to throw out for instant decluttering.

32. Sporting Gear You Never Use

“it’ll come in handy at some point…” yeah, it’s time to move on from this deception and get on with moving on those items that suck up space in your bedroom.

33. Junk Drawers

Repurpose old junk drawers by using them for storage in your garage, home office, or craft room.

34. Expired Bathroom Products

When faced with expired bathroom products, it is best to dispose of them properly and safely according to local guidelines for hazardous waste.

35.  Storage Containers

Organize your storage containers by donating reusable bins and boxes in good condition, recycling damaged plastic containers, and consolidating the items you keep into the spaces available to prevent future clutter from unused storage items accumulating.

Garage Clutter

Okay, now you know how to declutter your home fast, and the next step is the garage!

36. Old Stacked Up CDs

They remind you of the old times and bring good melodies but with the advent of digital media, stacking up old CDs is just asking for more clutter in your household.

37. Old Utilities You Don’t Need Anymore

Ropes, broken farming tools, used up or damaged car parts, old items, and so on; just reduce the amount of valuable space in the garage or storehouse. Where they need to be instead is on your decluttering checklist and out of the house.

38. Cleaning Items

Old vacuum cleaners, broken brooms, mops, and expired cleaning agents; there’s no need to keep these items when they offer nothing to your apartment.

39. Old Halloween Costumes

Halloween decors and costumes are only useful on one day out of the entire year and chances are that they won’t be repeated, especially the costumes. So be sure they don’t take up any space in the apartment.

40. Gardening Equipment That is Damaged

If your gardening equipment is damaged, you should repair or replace it to ensure effective and safe use.

41. Old Decor and Ornaments

To declutter old decor and ornaments, carefully assess each item to repurpose them creatively, such as using them in DIY projects or upcycling them into new decorative pieces that suit your current preferences.

42. Empty Paint Buckets and Old Used Brushes

Empty, dried out paint buckets can often be recycled alongside other rigid plastics, while hardened brushes that can no longer be cleaned should be placed in the trash.

43. Used Electronic Devices and Gadgets

Check if any old electronic devices or gadgets still function and consider donating the working ones to charities. If not, fully discharge batteries and review your local city’s guidelines for electronics recycling drop-off facilities. Improperly disposing of used electronic items, particularly those containing batteries, in regular trash is unsafe due to fire hazards and the potential release of toxic materials.

44. Old and Cranky Electrical Devices

Be sure to fully discharge any batteries, such as those in phones or laptops, before disposing of electronic devices for safety. Check your city’s hazardous waste programs, as many offer e-waste drop-off locations for responsible recycling of old electronics.

Random And Trashy Clutter

Some items don’t have a specific category of clutter and just appear just about anywhere and everywhere. They range from trash to poorly kept items that make their way to the decluttering list.

45. Used Vases

Not only flowers, even the vases they’re kept in lose purpose as time goes on. That might be due to them breaking or fading and so on.

46. Trash in the Room

It’s quite easy to build up a pile of garbage in and around the house. They reduce the aesthetics of the house, create an unhygienic environment, and take away space.

47. Old Plastics

Rather than have them litter the apartment, you should recycle any used plastic. This will reduce the amount of waste in the household and offer more to the community.

48. Bent Hangers

Hangers become useless when they get bent. Throw them out and replace them with new ones.

49. Misplaced Water Bottles

These too can be recycled instead of having them piled up in the fridge or closets.

50. Scented Candles

You can repurpose scented candles by melting the remaining wax and pouring it into new containers or using it to create new candles with different scents.

51. Old Accessories

When decluttering old accessories, assess which ones you no longer use, and consider donating them to local shelters, community organizations, or friends who may appreciate them. Alternatively, you can recycle them responsibly to minimize waste and reduce environmental impact.

52. Old Batteries

Check if your local recycling center accepts batteries for safe disposal. You can also research battery recycling drop-off locations in your area. Properly getting rid of old batteries ensures they don’t end up in the regular trash where they could leak harmful chemicals.

Decluttering Checklist: Wrapping Up

We’ve given you enough items to put on your decluttering checklist. However, we know you can’t get rid of all immediately but a consistent attitude will have you levelling up your apartment in no time.

We’re in the new year, but the same problems have sneaked in with us. While resolutions were being drafted for the new year, a lot of people forgot to chip in the one issue that lingers in every home, the one issue that springs up almost too easily we’re talking about the issue of a cluttered home.

While a cluttered household can’t be as bad as damp or fire accidents, you shouldn’t underestimate the level of stress that comes with it. Believe us, only a few things annoy homeowners more than having to navigate through messes and choked-up rooms.

So, if you need a quick fix, we’re glad to tell you that you’re in the right place and right on time, too, because the quicker you act, the faster you are at decluttering your household.

But first things first, to learn how to declutter your home fast, you must learn to know when it’s necessary to do so.

How Do You Know You Have A Clutter Crisis?

Once again, there’s a difference between a simple mess and a clutter crisis. A lot of people mistake one for the other and in so doing, leave things to pile up and make things harder for themselves. If you don’t want to be left with a mountain of clutter to climb, here’s what you should look out for:

·         Less Space in the Home: The most common sign of a home that needs immediate decluttering is the lack of space in and around the household. When there are too many items in the living room, bedroom, and so on, it’s increasingly difficult to store new items or even walk around your home. Knowing how to declutter your room becomes even more important when you’re a student and live in a dorm.

·         Crowded Storage Spaces Like Closets and Shelves: Knowing how to declutter your home fast depends on monitoring your storage compartments to see when they’re choked up. At some point, your cupboards and drawers will be bulging, waiting to explode with all the items cramped into them.

·         More Useless Items Everywhere: Many people fail to organize or get rid of items properly and as a result, you’re left constantly kicking or tripping over toys and misplaced items as you walk. BTW, you can sell unwanted items you got as gifts.

·         Difficulty Finding What You Need: The final nail in the coffin is when searching for items becomes a thing of sweat and tears. You hardly remember where they are, and even when you do, they’re most likely lost in a sea of clutter. That’s when you know you have to declutter your home immediately.

What Are The Simple Ways To Declutter Your Home Fast?

So let’s dive right into it – how to declutter your home fast. What do you need to know? How do you get started? Here’s a 10-step guide for the easiest and quickest decluttering process your home badly needs:

1. Create A Fool-Proof Plan

Firstly, your decluttering mission can’t proceed without a well-thought-out plan. This first step forms the blueprint for your cleaning process. Just like this article guides you on everything you need to know about decluttering, the plan you make will guide every step of your sorting and organization.

The plan should consist of:

It serves as a checklist to work with and saves you time and energy while giving you a more accomplished feeling.

2. Create A Decluttering Schedule

Once the plan has been drafted, take your time to create a cleaning schedule. This will ensure your decluttering is more systemic and better organized. You don’t want to waste time or energy so be sure to choose a day that works best. The weekend is best advised, especially on Saturday that’s a natural cleaning day.

Your schedule should consist of start time, end time, timers for each room, and breaks in between to keep the energy levels high.

3. Decide The Areas That Need To Be Decluttered

This next step is part preparatory and part action. What you do is take a look at each room and decide where your focus will be. In most cases, you can’t declutter your home in one go. However, dividing the process into sections makes it less bulky and more achievable.

Once you note the rooms, you decide where to start, set a timer for each room, and work towards meeting those set times. To boost your cleaning process, take a picture of the rooms before decluttering and work to improve the visuals for a good “before and after” effect.

4. Organise The Clutter Into 3 Categories

Once the decluttering process starts properly, organization becomes key. You’ll need to sort out every item in every room into 3 separate boxes or baskets depending on what you have. Each is labeled differently with Keep, Toss, and Donate. By creating these labels, you can easily sort your items, retain what’s dear to you, and get rid of what’s lived past its use.

5. Know What You Want To Keep

While the boxes will help you organize your items better, you still need to know what is important and what needs to be thrown away. A lot of times, we allow items to stay beyond their time due to sentiments and so on. However, with your home space on the line, it’s time to sort out what you need from what you feel like keeping.

6. It’s Time To Move On From Old Items

Moving on from the 5^th step, you should also decide what needs to go. There are two ways to get rid of items you don’t need anymore. The first is to look for places and people you can donate them to. For instance, old books, toys, and clothes can be given to the nearest libraries, schools, and community centers. That way, there’s a feeling of satisfaction that nothing is going to waste.

On the other hand, you should also toss out things when the need arises. For example, used-up bottles, plastics, and so on, can be recycled instead of taking up space in the house.

7. Get Rid Of The Trash Immediately

Once the items have been sorted into Keep, Toss, and Donate, you should ensure you toss out what needs to go immediately. Emphasis on immediately because the longer you stay without getting rid of the trash, the more vulnerable your home is to more clutter.

So, get a trash bag, say your goodbyes, and throw in everything that has served you well into it. You might even need more than one bag, especially if you’ve been swimming in clutter. The bottom line is that you should toss out trash as soon as possible to create more space in your home.

8. Create A Storage System For Easy Organization

Storage compartments are cheat codes for any decluttering process. They make the difference between random cleaning and efficient decluttering. Here are the tips for creating optimal storage systems:

For all bookworms, we recommend checking out the article with 7 creative book storage ideas.

9. Tackle The Decluttering Process One Room At A Time

To truly learn how to declutter your home fast, you must master the art of tackling your clutter one room at a time. Start with the bedroom to get rid of books and clean your workspace before moving on to the closets and drawers.

From there, you can move on over to the kitchen to sort out pantries, cupboards, and storage compartments. Finally, the bathroom supplies and every other room in the house follow. Using the one-room-at-a-time approach ensures a fast and efficient process.

10. Take A Break Once In A While And Reward Yourself After

Don’t forget to take water breaks and rest when you’re cleaning for the whole day. While you might think it’s a good idea to take on the cleaning process in one quick sweep, it’s only a recipe for instant fatigue that, in turn, reduces your efficiency. Once the work is done, don’t forget to treat yourself for a work well done.

Why Is Decluttering Your Home Necessary?

Feel free to explore the power of decluttering books as invaluable resources for achieving an organized living space. You may also be interested in practical tips for properly packing books when moving to a new home.

How to Declutter Your Home Fast: Bottom Line

Learning how to declutter your home fast has no doubt been made easier with these 10 easy steps. Those steps highlight the core aspects of decluttering, which are proper planning, organization, and time management. When you combine these factors, it becomes easier to transform your home from a cave of clutter into a sight to behold.

To declutter and organize your space, start by sorting your items into three categories – keep, donate, or discard. Focus on one area at a time and use storage solutions to maintain order. It is also important to revisit and declutter regularly to prevent clutter buildup.

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Is there any part of your home as important as the bedroom? It’s the most used room and serves as a “home within the home”. So, it’s important to ensure a clean, tidy, and clutter-free bedroom. Not only is it very important, but it’s also the room you spend the most time in.

Imagine waking up, and the first you do is kick a box of stuff. Or right beside you on the bed lie pieces of clothing? Yeah, no one wants that. The other issue with a cluttered room is how it makes the bedroom space look smaller than it truly is.

However, there are simple tips for decluttering your room. From clearing out old books to rearranging the furniture, here’s how to declutter your room in 15 steps.

15 Cool Steps To Decluttering Your Room

1. Start With A Proper Clear Out

Firstly, declutter and organize your space! You’ll want to clear out your room to get the decluttering process started. Consider getting rid of those items you don’t use anymore or items that shouldn’t be in a bedroom in the first place. For instance, you can stack up old toys and books and store them in the attic or just sell used books and other items you no longer need on reselling platforms. Here’s a quick guide on what to do with unwanted gifts.

Also, since your bedroom is a place of relaxation, you’ll need to make it conducive by being as minimalistic as possible with items in the room.

2. Reconsider Your Furniture Arrangement

Another source of clutter is the presence of bulky furniture. Regardless of their purposes, having too many pieces of furniture in the room leads to reduced bedroom space. This makes it hard to navigate your bedroom while also providing a hub for more clutter.

A simple alternative is to use multi-purpose furniture for your bedroom. For instance, you can get a mini box that doubles as a seat. Also, consider replacing your nightstand with a wall lamp to make room for more floor space.

3. Rearrange Your Display Items

Your bedroom always looks better when it’s well arranged, but at the same time, it’s important not to lose sight of the aesthetic side of things. In essence, you need to find a balance between clutter-free and aesthetically pleasing rooms.

A good way to achieve this is by reducing the number of display items on your nightstand or reading table. Instead of a cluster of little items, opt for fewer but bigger items i.e. a flower vase and family frame.

4. Group Belongings

Still, on the topic of arranging display items, it’s important to group your personal belongings in a neat but easy-to-find manner. If you want to know how to declutter your room, you need to know how to group items with similar purposes.

Grouping belongings is also important for easy access. It wouldn’t make sense if you arranged your bedroom and still went out late because you were stuck looking for, let’s say cuff links. A great tip for decluttering is to group items in odd numbers to create a more aesthetic appeal.

5. Incorporate Different Forms of Storage

If you just happen to be blessed with a ton of essential items, then you need to think differently about how you store them. A great idea is to incorporate other methods of storing your personal belongings. It’s a great step for maintaining a neat room while ensuring functionality.

For example, you can get chic baskets, small boxes, and containers to hold nifty items like jewelry, socks, keys, and all kinds of mini items. Finding a stackable design is also a practical way to keep a clutter-free bedroom.

6. Closet Clear-Out

Okay, time to head to the closet. Most times, we fall guilty to throwing clothes and items into the closet only to forget about them for months. That’s why the closet is usually the most cluttered part of any bedroom.

So you’re going to start by folding and stacking clothes to make room. Also, you should get cloth hangers to save more horizontal space. You’d be surprised by how much closet space you can save just by sorting and arranging the contents.

7. Get Rid Of Old And Used Books

What’s a cluttered room without a bunch of books lying around? Used and worn-out books are usually space eaters, and clearing them out is essential for restoring lost bedroom space. Check out our guide on how to declutter books.

Try getting rid of books you don’t need anymore by selling them or giving them away. You can try online platforms that offer book buyback price comparisons so you know whether your books have resale value and what all your books are worth. An example of such a site is BookScouter.com which collects data from multiple sources to give the best possible offer for a used book. If some of your books are in bad shape or are outdated with no value at all, it’s probably time to recycle them.

8. Make Use of the Space Under Your Bed

It’s no debate that beds are the biggest space eaters of any bedroom. But what most people don’t realize is that your bed also offers another form of space for storing items. In cases where you have items you seldom use but can’t get rid of, simply keep them in boxes to store under the bed.

This “under-the-bed” space is a game-changer for decluttering your room because not only do you get extra storage but your room gets that minimalistic look. After all, the items going under the bed are also going out of sight.

9. Clear Your Bedroom Floors

We all have our lazy days when we’re guilty of dumping items on the floor. However, if you know how to declutter your room, you know how important it is to keep the bedroom floor neat.

Therefore, avoid leaving items such as school supplies, clothes, or shoes on the floor. One huge difference this makes is that it makes the bedroom floor look bigger. At least now you won’t go around kicking Legos all over the place.

10. Take Advantage of Open Shelving

Another trick to effective decluttering is to adopt open-plan closets or floating shelves. Having shelves hang on the wall saves a ton of space in your bedroom. Also, for better results, you should hang these open shelves higher up the walls.

That’s because the higher the shelves, the bigger the floor space looks. Hanging them close to the floor makes the bedroom look more compact. Open shelves are also economical so that’s a plus to the tidiness they offer.

11. Use Lidded Storage

A cluttered room can also result from having several forms of storage in the room. Also, if those different storages are open, it creates the illusion of a cramped room. To solve this problem, you should switch to lidded storage to create that “hidden” look.

Along with drawers and closets, having a storage format that hides your items from the eyes is great for decluttering your room.

12. Ceiling Spaces Are Also Good Spaces

Most of the spaces we need are often in places we don’t notice. A good example is the space close to the ceiling. These are often spaces above the closet or wardrobes that can be utilized properly. These spaces also make good spots for storing extra items like kid toys, shoes, or even books.

13. Donate Old Clothing

Having lots of clothes also contributes to the issue of cluttered rooms. If you fall victim to this, you’ll need to find ways to get rid of those clothes. A great way to do this is to put them up for donation.

Several donation centers and book charities in the US are looking for generous individuals to give out useful items, including clothes and books. So, when you feel like your time with some clothes is up, don’t hesitate to donate them.

14. Set Up a Backyard Sale

One way you can give up excess items and gain from them is by having a garage sale. This involves putting up a variety of items for sale at a discount price. It also serves as a way to see your items moved without them going to waste.

Garage sales are great because you can clean your room, get rid of items you don’t need, and still make some bucks from it all. Huge W if you ask us.

15. Baskets 

For a more calm-looking bedroom, you’ll need to adopt the use of baskets. These baskets are useful because they help sort your items into meaningful compartments. For instance, you can put shoes in one basket, blankets in another, some socks and underwear in one, and so on.

For better results, use boxes of similar color and materials for visual appeal. This helps reduce visual clutter as well. You can make things a lot easier by labeling each basket for quick identification.

Other Tips For Effective Decluttering

There are certain tips to follow if you want to know how to declutter your room properly.

• Firstly, always have a plan and follow it diligently to promote time management.
• Always get rid of useless items before they clutter the room
• Don’t leave the mess for later
• You mustn’t always sell items. This will ensure you don’t hold on to items longer than required.
• Ensure you don’t get distracted during the decluttering process so you don’t end up cleaning for the whole day.

Conclusion 

A messy room is never a good sight. To ensure a calm and visually appealing room, ensure to declutter your room early enough. With the steps and tips above, you can transform the decluttering process into an exciting and productive chore.