Keeping your house clean and organized, means it should remain clutter-free. When you have a lot of clutter in your home, life becomes messy and disorganized!
Today I am going to help you figure out 134 things to declutter in your home.
Decluttering your house has become an essential aspect of maintaining a clean, organized, and stress-free living environment.
Are you tired of seeing piles and piles of clutter that are taking up precious space in your home?
I am going to walk you one step at a time, through each room in your house, and give you a list of certain household items you could potentially be getting rid of.
I know decluttering can be pretty overwhelming, but trust me; it’s actually quite a therapeutic process.
Believe it or not, you will actually start to feel good when you see the difference decluttering will make in your home.
At the end of the day, you’ll create more space and reduce stress in your home.
In this blog post, I am going to show you the various items and areas in your home where decluttering can make a significant impact!
Things to Declutter In Your Home Today!
- Junk Drawer.
- Spices.
- Small Appliances
- Chipped dishes
- Food storage containers that are warped.
- Cupboards & shelves,
- Towels & Sheets that have seen better days.
- Old make up and brushes.
Things to Declutter in the Kitchen
When it comes to figuring out what to get rid of and where you will make the most impact, I like to start in the kitchen! For whatever reason, our kitchen always seems to keep hold of unnecessary and unwanted stuff!
So let’s start there, here is my best declutter list for your kitchen:
- Chipped dishes
- Excess water bottles (I have 2 water bottles for each member of my family, I have found that to be adequate).
- Excess coffee mugs and water glasses.
- Plastic storage containers that are old and stained.
- Tupperware without lids.
- Duplicate kitchen items like whisks, measuring spoons, wooden spoons etc.
- Excess bread ties.
- Cleaning products that are expred or empty.
- Junk mail sitting in a drawer.
- Kitchen scissors that no longer cut.
- Travel mugs you don’t need.
- Small appliances you have duplicates of.
- Expired food in the fridge.
- Spices that are out of date.
- Pots and pans past their prime.
- Small appliances you NEVER USE!
- Recipe books you never open (most recipes can be found online)
- Get rid of expired food items in the pantry
- Serving dishes you no longer use.
- Magnets that are broken.
- Remove items from your pantry that your family no longer use.
- Old tea towels that are ripped and torn.
- Recycle kids cups they no longer use
- Clutter on the outside of your fridge.
These kitchen items have made a huge difference in my life when it comes to helping me organize my kitchen and pantry better. I got my cans off the shelves with this stackable organizer, which freed up lots of space for myself, and these baskets for snacks help a bunch too.
If your junk drawer is a mess, here’s an article that can help you to get that sorted!
Things to Declutter In Your Living Room
The living room often accumulates a variety of items, making it essential to declutter regularly.
Start by going through your bookcases and magazines, donating, recycling, or disposing of items that you no longer needing your life or read.
The living room is usually where your pets hang out, so you will probably have pet toys that are chewed or past their prime.
Other common things that should be decluttered in the living room include:
- Old magazines and books from the coffee table
- Board games you no longer use or that have broken pieces.
- Unused or broken toys.
- Old electronics you no longer use.
- VHS tapes.
- Blankets and throw pillows from other rooms
- Old receipts, food wrappers, and other trash.
- Pet toys that are broken and old.
- Art decor and home decor you have gone off.
- Excess throw blankets and pillows.
- Throw pillows and blankets that are past their due date.
- Coasters that are torn and ripped.
- Remotes for old electronics you no longer use.
- Old candles.
- Seasonal decor you no longer enjoy.
- Anything on your coffee table that does not belong.
- Broken or unused toys.
Things to Declutter in Your Mudroom
Mudrooms tend to get cluttered very quickly, I recommend focusing some time here.
Get rid of things that no longer work, or shoes that no longer fit. Get rid of athletic bags that are broken or torn, and accessories the kids no longer use.
As most mud rooms are an entryway into your house, if your mud room is messy, your house will look messy. If you have an excess of umbrellas, maybe pick the best ones and get rid of the others.
I like to keep my umbrellas organized with something like this, so they have a place to go.
Here are items to declutter in your mudroom:
- Old umbrellas
- Rain gear you no longer wear.
- Excess shoes and footwear.
- Extra bags and backpacks.
- Dated outerwear and accessories.
- Get rid of shoes that no longer fit.
- Jackets and coats you and the kids no longer wear.
- Hats that are worn out.
- Lunchboxes that are old and past their prime.
- Old backpacks.
- Anything else that doesn’t belong.
Things to Declutter In Your Bedroom
Begin decluttering your personal space by focusing on your bedroom. Look for items that are no longer needed, such as old or broken jewellery, underwear that is old or torn, throw pillows that have seen better days.
Check your dresser for things like old magazines you no longer read, or nail polish laying around, or food items that shouldn’t be in your room, pens that don’t need to be there.
Make a pile of things you need to get rid of, or donate, or move to their proper place.
Here’s your declutter list for your bedroom:
- Water bottles moved to their proper place.
- Get rid of clutter on your bedside table.
- Travel mugs that need to be moved to the kitchen.
- Worn out throw blankets and throw pillows.
- Stuff that shouldn’t be in your bedroom.
- Organize your loose change
- Return excess books to their proper place.
- Batteries that are dead.
- Get rid of old receipts.
- Decor you no longer like.
- Family heirlooms that don’t really suit your style.
- Candles that are old.
- Old phone cases you no longer use.
- Grocery coupons (get them out of your room and put them here instead).
Our closet is the one area where we always seem to have a lot of clutter.
Is this you?
Clothes piled up, hangers tangled together, shoes scattered all around, and a pile of clothes on the floor.
We’re going to get all that cleaned up today.
Here’s a declutter checklist for your closet:
- Get rid of holy socks and underwear past its prime.
- Get rid of shoes you no longer wear.
- Clothes you haven’t work in the past year.
- Old electronics you no longer use.
- Hats that have seen better days.
- Belts you no longer use.
- Torn panty hose.
- Broken hangers.
- Remove excess jeans/yoga pants/tshirts (how many do you really need).
- Unworn sweaters.
- Any clothes you can’t remember the last time you wore.
- Empty shoe boxes you no longer need.
- Swimsuits that are old and worn out.
- Handbags that are broken or old and worn out.
- Winter clothes, as well as seasonal clothes you haven’t worn in years.
Keep only what you actually wear!
Honestly, we keep so many clothing items in our closet because we ‘think’ we might wear them at some point, but we never actually do!
Things to Declutter In Your Linen Closet
I don’t know about you, but my linen closet is a haven for things I don’t know where else to put them.
This is where you store all the linen essentials in your home – blankets, towels, sheets, and comforters, but you may also store batteries, candles, wrapping paper and other supplies.
Naturally, over time, your linen closet can become become cluttered with too many things that you probably don’t even use!
Today, we’re going to declutter your linen closet, so it only houses what it should!
Your declutter checklist for your linen closet
- Old batteries
- Old bed clothes you no longer use.
- Towels that are torn and ripped.
- Sleeping bags with broken zips.
- Appliances you no longer use.
- Gifts you never wanted.
- Holiday linens you never really use.
- Mismatched bed linens.
- Excess bed linens.
- Tatty old pillows you won’t ever use again.
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Things to Declutter In Your Bathroom
Your bathroom can accumulate clutter over time from old nail polish, to broken jewellery, to stretched out hair ties.
Start by going through your medicine cabinet, removing expired beauty products, outdated cleaning supplies from under the sink, cleaning products you no longer use and unused candles. Old towels and washcloths can be donated or recycled.
Items to get rid of in your bathroom:
- Expired medication.
- Remove anything that should not be in your medicine cabinet.
- Stretched out hair ties.
- Empty bottles.
- Expired beauty products.
- Expired perfume and sunscreen.
- Old toothbrushes (keep one for cleaning purposes).
- Toiletries you no longer use.
- Empty boxes.
- Old hair brushes you no longer use.
- Old makeup brushes.
- Nail polish that is past its prime, and nail polish you are never going to use.
- Cleaning supplies that are empty or expired.
- Cleaning supplies you bought, but never actually used.
- Empty or dried up shampoo and conditioner bottles.
Home Office Declutter Checklist
Your home office can quickly become cluttered with items like unused office supplies, art supplies, outdated cookbooks, and old video games. Sort through these items and decide which items can be donated or discarded. Look for expired food, old condiments, and stubby pencils that can be thrown away.
Your home office tends to be an area where we put items we think we may use again, like an old camera that we may renovate and upgrade, but will never actually happen!
List of things to declutter in your home office:
- Get rid of old computers.
- Old phone cases you no longer use.
- Throw out power chords that no longer work.
- Excess pens and markers.
- Old calendars and note books.
- Broken paper clips or excess paper clips.
- Old paper files you no longer need.
- Used sticky notes and other crumpled paper piles.
- Receipts you no longer need.
- Instruction manuals you can access online.
- Paper files you can access digitally.
- Folders you no longer use.
- Empty printer supplies.
- Old photos you will never use.
- Donate old cell phones.
- Rubber bands
- Digital photos
Look around your home office and get rid of things that don’t belong in there. Keep only what actually belongs in there!
It’s amazing how kids toys always end up in each room of your house, if you find some in your home office, puyt them in a basket to be moved back to their rightful place.
You may have a junk drawer in your home office – get rid of it!
Get rid of old batteries, I love this item to store batteries in. It helps to keep things organized and I can see what I am running low on.
I use these little drawers to organize and keep my office stationery to where I can see it all. Organizers help me to keep things decluttered and organized, otherwise everything becomes a mess.
Things to Declutter In Your Kids Playroom
This may not be an actual room in your house, but an area for the kids to play and keep their toys etc.
But the toys, games, and books can quickly pile up and become overwhelming, making it difficult for your children to focus and play effectively.
Here is a declutter list for your kids playroom:
- Get rid of broken toys.
- Trash any paper clutter.
- Throw out any art supplies that are empty or dried out.
- Get rid of board games and puzzles that have missing pieces.
- Throw out any old magazines or books that are torn, or they have grown out of.
- Discard any furniture that you don’t use or is broken.
- Get rid of excess or duplicate toys.
- Remove anything that does not belong in this room.
- Get rid of clothes and shoes they no longer wear.
- Donate toys they have outgrown.
- Donate games they received as gifts, but never actually used.
Things to Declutter in Your Garage
A garage commonly becomes a storage area for various items, leading to clutter and disorganization. To effectively declutter your garage, focus on the following items:
- Old paint, chemicals, and tools
- Unused or broken furniture, such as old chairs or tables
- Old sports equipment. I use this to store all our sports equipment and I love it.
- Exercise equipment or machinery that is no longer in use
- Unorganized cardboard boxes, storage bins, or shelves
- Unused tools, old power cords etc.
- Any stuff you no longer use.
Holiday Decorations
I have been known to go a little crazy when Hobby Lobby has its Christmas sale, I may or may not leave the store with 2 shopping carts full of stuff. When they reduce their prices 75%, what’s a girl to do!
No, I don’t feel guilty doing that at all.
I do, however, come home and go through all my Christmas stuff and get rid of anything that is old or broken, or things I don’t like anymore. I may have Christmas decor that I bought 15 years ago and have since replaced it with something newer.
It’s important to examine what you have and get rid of missing pieces, or lights that no longer work.
Here are some things to declutter for seasonal decor:
- Keep decorations that are meaningful or of high value.
- Dispose of or donate damaged or unneeded decorations.
- Properly store decorations in labeled containers for easy access.
- Discard or consolidate excess gift wrap, ribbons, and bags.
By keeping these strategies in mind and routinely decluttering, you’ll be able to maintain a more organized and breathable living space.
Using a Decluttering Checklist
When it comes to decluttering, one of the hardest things is knowing where to start. A decluttering list, like a decluttering checklist can be an invaluable tool to help you stay organized and focused during the decluttering process. A printable checklist can provide a clear roadmap, detailing specific categories or areas of your home to tackle.
Some professional organizers suggest completing the declutter checklist by room, while others advise focusing on specific item types (ex: clothing, kitchen gadgets, electronics).
However you use it, a declutter checklist is a great idea to keep you on track and to give you more motivation to keep going.
Handling Unwanted Items
When decluttering your home, it’s essential to have a plan for handling the items you no longer need or want. This will not only help you stay organized but also ensure that your unwanted belongings are either given a new home, recycled, or discarded in an eco-friendly manner.
In this section, we’ll discuss three primary methods for handling unwanted items: Donation, Recycling, and Discarding.
While decluttering your home, it is essential to make a plan for disposing of the items that you no longer want or need.
This will ensure that as many of your belongings as possible end up in new homes or places where they can still do some good, and not just in the trash.
The 3 main ways to dispose of these items are donating, recycling, and discarding.
Donation
Donating those items that are in good shape, but just not being used by you, is a great way to ensure that they are put to good purpose.
- Clothing and accessories: Consider donating gently worn clothing and accessories to local thrift stores or charities like the Salvation Army, Goodwill, or local shelters.
- Gift bags and wrapping supplies: Unused gift bags, ribbons, and wrapping paper can be donated to local schools, churches, or community centers for their events and activities.
- Toiletries: Unopened toiletries, such as travel-sized shampoos, conditioners, soaps, and dental care items, can be donated to homeless shelters or organizations that create care packages for people in need. Make sure to declutter your bathroom and gather all the unused toiletries you may have stashed away.
- Household items and appliances: Functional appliances and other household goods in good condition can be donated to Habitat for Humanity ReStores or other similar organizations.
Recycling
Recycling is an environmentally-friendly option for handling items that may not be suitable for donation or reuse. Keep the following guidelines in mind when recycling your unwanted belongings:
- Electronics: Outdated or broken electronics can often be recycled through e-waste programs. Look for local recycling centers or events that accept electronic waste.
- Plastics and paper: Recycle plastic containers like water bottles, packaging materials, and paper products like magazines and newspapers in your curbside recycling bin, following your local recycling guidelines.
- Glass: Glass bottles and jars can typically be recycled with other glass products. Check your local recycling program for any specific rules or restrictions.
Discarding
Finally, if an item cannot be donated or recycled, it may be necessary to trash it. When discarding unwanted items, be sure to dispose of them in a responsible and eco-friendly manner.
- Hazardous materials: Properly dispose of items such as paint, chemicals, batteries, and lightbulbs at designated disposal centers or collection events.
- Large or bulky items: Items too large for curbside trash pick-up, like furniture or mattresses, may require special disposal arrangements. Contact your local waste management provider for guidance.
By considering these options when handling your unwanted items, you can ensure that your decluttering efforts contribute positively to both your home and the environment. Stay organized, be mindful of donation and recycling opportunities, and enjoy the benefits of a clutter-free living space.
Maintaining a Decluttered Space
Maintaining a decluttered space is essential for ensuring a comfortable and stress-free living environment.
Slow decluttering is another useful approach to maintaining a tidy space. Rather than trying to declutter your entire home at once, focus on specific areas or rooms in a gradual manner. This will prevent you from feeling overwhelmed and help you create sustainable decluttering habits over time.
Set a timer for 5 minutes and see what you accomplish in that time!
Be sure to get our free decluttering checklist to help you get a jump start on decluttering your home. A decluttering list helps you to know what exactly you should be looking to declutter in your home.
To avoid your home from getting cluttered, set up a regular decluttering schedule. This can include weekly or monthly routines, depending on the size of your living space and the amount of belongings you possess.
Sticking to a consistent routine will help prevent clutter from accumulating, and ensures that your home stays organized.
So now you have this large list of things to declutter in your home! If you start to remove these items that are taking up space in your home, I promise you that you will notice a huge difference!
Don’t forget to download our decluttering checklist to help!
Other Cleaning Articles You May Like:
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- How to get your kitchen countertops clutter free!
- How to clean kitchen tiles
- How to declutter your room
- Life changing decluttering tips for hoarders
- How to prevent clutter in your home
- 5 minute cleaning tasks for your home
- How to clean a sofa
- How to declutter your kitchen like a pro!
- Motivating cleaning quotes
- Get your junk drawer cleaned out today!
- Where to start decluttering when overwhelmed
Grainne Foley
Grainne Foley is a wife and mother of 2 great kids. During her 5 years of full time RV travel, Grainne learned to become very efficient at household chores, in order to make time for family adventures. Now, back in a house, she has continued to create tools and techniques to help others lighten the load of household organization and cleaning.
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