How to declutter fast: 15 easy tips for busy mums
If your home feels cluttered and chaotic, and you’re wondering how to declutter fast so you can clear clutter as soon as possible, you’re not alone.
Thankfully, you don’t need an entire weekend to declutter your home, in fact, there are some quick wins and small changes that you can do to declutter fast, and get back to doing what you enjoy.
In this post you’ll find fast decluttering tips that you can easily fit into your busy day, allowing you to breathe easier, and enjoy a clutter free home.
Here’s some easy things you can do to start decluttering today.
Download your FREE declutter checklist with 100+ items to declutter here
Bookmark this post for future reference on Pinterest. Thank you!
This post may contain affiliate links, which means I’ll receive a commission if you purchase through my links, at no extra cost to you. Please read full disclosure for more information.
What is decluttering?
Decluttering is the process of removing items from your home, so you have less things to care for, clean, and tidy.
You can remove items from your home by donating them, selling them, recycling them if they can’t be reused, or throwing them out if they can’t be donated, sold, or recycled.
Benefits of fast decluttering
Here are some benefits of decluttering that may provide you with the motivation you need to start decluttering your home.
- Short periods of decluttering are easy to fit into your busy schedule
- Quick seasonal declutters, like decluttering before Christmas, will help you get holiday ready
- Decluttering fast provides small wins that encourage further decluttering activities
- It reduces stress, and makes your home feel less chaotic
How to declutter fast
If you’re ready to start decluttering, here are some tips to help you declutter fast.
Be in the right mindset
The best way to get the most out of decluttering is to be in a decluttering mindset, which means being in the right frame of mind to declutter your items.
If you’re feeling anxious, upset, or sentimental before decluttering, wait until you’re feeling more positive and productive, so you’re ready to make the decisions needed to remove clutter from your home.
Start with quick decluttering jobs
There are many quick decluttering jobs that you can do in 5 minutes or less, that will significantly reduce the amount of clutter in your home, and give you the motivation you need to keep going.
Some quick decluttering jobs include:
- Junk drawers
- Kitchen cupboards
- Kitchen countertops
- Fridge and freezer
- Medicine cabinet
- Bedside tables
- Coffee tables
- Decluttering kid’s toys
- Paperwork
- Entry way
- Digital declutter
Put items away
Removing items from a room that don’t belong there is a great way to declutter fast.
Even picking things up off the floor can instantly make a room feel less cluttered.
The “one touch” rule
This is my favourite way to declutter fast, which means dealing with something as soon as you pick it up, instead of putting it somewhere to deal with later.
Some examples of this include:
- Filing, recycling, or shredding paperwork as soon as it arrives
- Loading dirty dishes into the dishwasher as soon as you’re finished with them
- Folding clothes as soon as they’re dry
Declutter while you wait
Another great way to declutter quickly is to declutter whilst you’re waiting for something.
For example, I do this by decluttering a kitchen countertop while the kettle’s boiling, or putting laundry away while I’m waiting for dinner to cook.
Be ruthless
Part of decluttering fast is the ability to be ruthless with items.
Making decisions quickly on what to keep, sell, donate, recycle, or throw out means you can remove a lot of items from your home in a small amount of time.
Set a timer
Setting a timer is a great fast decluttering tip, especially if you’re short on time, because it makes you focus your energy on decluttering as much as you can in the time you have.
To do this choose a time of day that works best for you, set a timer for 10, 20, or 30 minutes, and declutter as much as you can in that time, don’t stop until the timer goes off.
Setting a timer forces you to focus on decluttering, clears a lot of clutter in a small amount of time, and is a great way to beak larger decluttering jobs into smaller tasks.
Decluttering checklists
One of the best ways to make decluttering less overwhelming, is to use a decluttering checklist, here’s a decluttering checklist to help with this.
Overcome feelings towards items
Sometimes it’s how we feel about items that prevent us from decluttering them.
For example, you may avoid decluttering an item because it was expensive, it was a gift, or it has sentimental value.
If any of these feelings prevent you from decluttering something, acknowledge your feelings towards the item, and ask yourself if you really need it.
If you don’t, then detach yourself from your feelings, and declutter it.
Declutter multiples
If you have multiples of an item, or similar types of items, then declutter duplicates until you have only what you need.
For example, if you have 3 grey jumpers, multiple pairs of similar shoes, or 12 cups but there’s only 4 people in your home, declutter the items you don’t need.
Don’t reorganise
When decluttering, don’t waste time organising your newly decluttered space.
Use all the time you’ve dedicated to decluttering solely to decluttering, and organise your home another time.
Have a permanent donation box
Consider keeping a donation box somewhere accessible in your home, like in a wardrobe, in the laundry, or in a cupboard, that you can add items to over time that you want to declutter.
When the box is full, take the items inside it to a donation centre.
You can use any type of box as your donation box including a storage box, fabric box, storage basket, or a cardboard box.
Some examples of items you might put into your donation box are:
- Clothes that no longer fit
- Toys your kids no longer play with
- Kitchen gadgets you don’t use
- Duplicate items
Donate – don’t sell
Another tip when thinking about how to declutter fast is to donate items, instead of selling them.
Donating items means that you can take them to a donation centre immediately after decluttering them, but if you decide to sell them, the items continue to be clutter until they’re sold, and they may never sell.
Set decluttering rules
Setting decluttering rules will help you declutter fast, here are some decluttering rule examples.
- If something’s broken throw it out, or recycle it
- Declutter items you haven’t used for 12 months
- If you don’t love it, donate it
Try a decluttering challenge
There are many decluttering challenges that you can do to help you in your decluttering quest.
Whether it’s decluttering items every day for 30 days, or a challenge where you declutter within set time frames, decluttering challenges are a great way to push yourself to complete a decluttering project within a set timeframe.
How to declutter fast – a recap
Finding time to declutter can feel impossible, but you don’t need a lot of time to declutter, small pockets of focussed time can have your home clutter free in no time.
Whether it’s setting a timer, keeping a donation box somewhere accessible, using small pockets of time, or using any of these other fast decluttering tips, small steps add up fast.
Decluttering is about creating a home that feels calm, functional, and enjoyable for you and your family. So start with one or two of these tips that feel the most manageable, and take it from there.
If you want to make decluttering super simple, download this decluttering checklist full of 100+ items to start decluttering today.
Do you have any fast decluttering tips that work for you?
Love this post? Share it with others on Pinterest – Thank you!
