Nothing is more satisfying than to declutter and organize your home. Seriously, my favorite thing to do is to declutter and organize my home.
It’s so much easier to keep the house clean when there’s not a ton of clutter to worry about. Plus having everything organized is extremely helpful when you have too many other things going on.
When you declutter and organize your home it can make your whole house feel fresh and new again.
This room-by-room guide is so easy that even the busiest mom could accomplish it. If the thought of having to declutter and organize your home is intimidating, it doesn’t have to be.
Try this 7 day challenge to declutter and organize your home whether it’s time for spring cleaning, holiday decluttering, or just for the heck of it.
If you don’t have time to tackle a room for seven days in a row you can always try 7 weeks instead. Make sure to either not let the clutter pile up again or rerun through the list every few months.
Don’t keep things that:
- you haven’t used in the last year
- you have more than you need of
- are broken or missing pieces
- you are saving “just in case”
- you are keeping out of guilt
- doesn’t make you happy
Don’t throw away things that you can:
- sell on Facebook Marketplace or a garage sale
- donate to a thrift store
- donate to a shelter
- give to friends or family
Day 1: Bathroom
It’s easy to forget to throw out things you don’t use often, like medicine or sunscreen. Or forget to replace things that you have had for years like towels or bath toys.
- old makeup
- expired medicine
- expired vitamins
- old ripped towels
- dried up nail polish
- old perfumes or cologne
- stretched out hair ties
- old razors
- gross bath toys
- old loofas
- old sunscreen
- empty bottles
- old first aid supplies
- travel sized toiletries
- unused hair products
Day 2: Bedroom
It can be difficult to stay on top of bedrooms because you don’t spend a lot of time in them, besides sleeping.
- old or broken jewelry
- unworn or overworn clothing
- broken hangers
- unworn undergarments
- unused purses
- unused accessories
- uncomfortable or unworn shoes
- too many socks
- clutter in nightstand
- shoe boxes
- old or worn bedding
- old or worn pillows
Day 3: Kitchen
Everyone has at least a few food storage containers with lids that are no where to be found (unless you just decluttered your kitchen) but it’s time to give up the hope that you’ll find them someday.
- plasticware with no lid or lid with no plasticware
- unused cookbooks
- chipped plates and glasses
- expired canned goods
- expired seasonings and spices
- bulky food packaging
- old or broken kitchen utensils/tools
- unused fridge magnets
- combine same cleaning liquids
- scratched or dented pans
- unused or broken appliances
- duplicate measuring spoons and cups
- stained dishcloths or dishtowels
- unused or duplicate cookie cutters
- overabundance of coffee mugs
- old waterbottles
- old travel cups
- rusted knives
- clean out junk drawer
- old take-out menus
- junk mail
- phone books
Day 4: Living Room
It’s time to clean out those mysterious drawers that no one has opened since you bought them.
- old magazines and newspapers
- unwatched VHS tapes and DVDs
- unused cassette tapes and CDs
- unplayed video games
- old games consoles
- random wires and cords
- old remotes
- old candles
- books you probably won’t read
- chipped or broken picture frames
- too many throw blankets
- worn throw pillows
- games with missing pieces
- unused exercise equipment
- dead plants
Day 5: Garage/Basement
Time to brave the dirt and spiders to clean out your garage or basement (or both).
- old paint
- dried up paint brushes and rollers
- outgrown bikes
- broken tools
- duplicate tools
- unused holiday items
- old sports equipment/outside toys
- unfinished projects
- broken storage totes
Day 6: Office
When you start finding paperwork from the early 2000s you know it’s time for a massive purge.
- shred no longer needed documents
- old calendars
- dried out pens
- old cords and adapters
- old business cards
- outdated computers and laptops
- old phones
- used printer cartridges
- old receipts
- expired coupons
- unknown keys
- filled/old notebooks
- old warranty manuals
- old address labels
- duplicate office supplies
Day 7: Playroom
It’s time to teach the small people to declutter and organize so they will learn to be organized adults.
- broken or unused toys
- games and puzzles with lost pieces
- unloved stuffed animals
- outgrown books
- old or filled coloring books
- broken crayons
- dried out markers
- outgrown costumes
This is such a great list!! I was going to do a listed post as well the first week of January! I love getting things decluttered! Happy New Year!
thanks for sharing! I love organizing!
I love organizing and this is completely doable! Thank you!
Great list! I was actually going to start deep cleaning today so this is perfect! Thank you
I love this list. I’m going to go through and get rid of some of this stuff this weekend.
I just can’t let go of the books. My cookbooks were mostly inherited from my grandmothers, and my other books I’m convinced I’ll read “someday.”
My husband’s trying to convince me otherwise … without much success. I’m kind of a bookaholic! 🙂
I agree with you. Books are too valuable to just get rid of for the sake of getting rid of them. That is a major point of disagreement I have with Marie Condo.
I love this challenge! Really useful and a great way to make something that can be overwhelming more manageable.
I’m saving this because decluttering is high on my list right now. So much stuff and nowhere to put it does not make for a happy life! Thanks for the list.
I’m doing this, I will feel so much lighter in 7 days and less stressed. All that clutter is driving me crazy!
This is a great list! Can’t wait to get started!
This was a good read! It is amazing how fast stuff accumulates and needs decluttering!
Love this!! I need to start decluttering my house!! 🙂
I love clean spaces and brightly lit rooms so this spoke to me. Clutter kills a space.
I love these ideas for decluttering! Definitely trying them out. Thanks for sharing!
SO MUCH LOVE for this article! I love how extensive this is. I will use this this weekend.
Thank you for this!
Angela Giles | http://www.angelagiles.com
I love this so much! I can’t wait to follow this plan to declutter my home!
I promise it will feel so refreshing afterwards!
Yes I love these!! I’m slowly going through all our stuff and downsizing/decluttering. These are really helpful to tackle one room at a time. Thank you for sharing!
Thank you Stephanie!
Such a really good list. I need to remind myself to declutter my bedroom!
Thanks Ben!