How to achieve a decluttered living room without stress
It’s hard maintaining a decluttered living room, largely because it’s where toys are left, paperwork gets dumped, and where everyone gathers at the end of a long day.
Although it may be hard to declutter living room spaces, it’s definitely worth it, because a clutter free living space makes this room feel calm, functional, and easy to reset.
In this post we’ll discuss how you can achieve a decluttered living room using simple steps that work with real family life.
You’ll also discover why decluttering your living room matters, how to tackle clutter without feeling overwhelmed, what items are worth decluttering, and how to keep the space clutter-free long term.
Whether you’re starting from scratch, or just need a reset, these decluttering tips will help you create a living room that works for your family.
Let’s dive in!
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.
Why a living room declutter matters
When you declutter living room spaces, you’ll experience the following:
- The room feels lighter and calmer
- Tidying up takes minutes, instead of hours
- You can relax more easily
- The room works better for your family’s daily life
How to declutter your living room
When decluttering living room areas, it’s best to work in short, focused bursts rather than trying to tackle the whole space at once.
Here are some small, manageable steps you can take to easily declutter this room, and that will also help you to find the motivation you need to declutter, when you need an extra push.
Set realistic expectations
The living room is used by all family members, making it impossible to keep it clutter free forever.
Before you start decluttering your living room, it helps to remember that a decluttered living room:
- Will still be lived in
- Will sometimes get messy
- Doesn’t need to look perfect all the time
The goal when it comes to decluttering living room areas is to make it a room that’s easy to reset, not one that never gets cluttered or untidy.
Declutter one area at a time
My top tip for any decluttering job, and the best way to declutter living room areas is to work in small, manageable zones, rather than trying to tackle the whole room at once.
When it comes to a living room declutter, some zones you can tackle one at a time include:
- Coffee table
- TV unit
- One shelf
- Toys
- Sofa and cushions
Setting a timer for 10–20 minutes and stopping when the time is up, is another way to avoid becoming overwhelmed with the space you’re decluttering.
Remove items that don’t belong
Items from all over our home tend to end up in our living room, so a fast way to declutter this space is to remove the items that don’t belong there.
Start by removing:
- Cups and plates
- Clothing
- Bags and coats
- Shoes
- Paperwork
- Toys
Returning these items to where they belong will make an instant improvement to the clutter in your living space.
RELATED POSTS:
Decluttering clothes: Simple tips that actually work
Decluttering paperwork: How to sort and organise fast
Only keep what you use
A great way to decide what to keep or what to remove from your living room is to ask yourself these questions:
- Is it used regularly?
- Does it add value to how we use the room?
- Would I notice if this was gone?
If you answer no to any of these questions, then it may be time to get rid of it.
Declutter toys
If like my living room, your living room also doubles as a play area, then toy clutter can be a huge source of clutter in this space.
Using a toy rotation system is often enough to reduce toy clutter in your living room, which involves only leaving toys out that your kids play with often, and storing the remainder away so you can rotate them at a later date.
You can also reduce toy clutter in your living room by having a maximum number of storage containers for them.
For example, only having one toy storage box, or one toy storage organiser in a corner of the room.
READ MORE: From cluttered to calm: A guide to decluttering toys
Simplify decorative items
Reducing the number of decorative items in your living room is another great way to reduce clutter.
Consider only keeping cushions, ornaments, photo frames, and other decorative items that you truly love, and removing the rest.
Things to declutter from your living room
Here’s a declutter checklist that you can use when decluttering living room items.
You don’t need to declutter everything, just the items that no longer work for you and your family.
Kids’ items
- Toys that aren’t played with
- Broken or incomplete toys
- Toys your children have outgrown
- Excess soft toys
- Noisy toys
Paperwork
- Old magazines
- Old newspapers
- Unopened post
- Instruction manuals you no longer need
- School papers that have been dealt with
Entertainment items
- Books you won’t read again
- DVDs you no longer watch
- Games with missing pieces
RELATED POSTS:
Digital declutter tips for busy mums
Book decluttering: How to clear bookshelves step by step
Furniture and décor
- Furniture that doesn’t suit how you use the room
- Side tables that collect clutter
- Decorative items you no longer love
- Excess cushions that always end up on the floor
- Throws you never use
- Items that are worn or stained
Storage
- Overfilled baskets
- Drawers stuffed with random items
- Storage that hasn’t been opened in months
How to keep your living room clutter free
Here’s how you can keep your living room as clutter free as possible.
Find homes for everyday items
Make sure every item in your living room has a dedicated home, for example toys in a toy box, remote controls in a remote control holder, or throws in a blanket basket.
When everything has a home, tidying is so much quicker and easier.
Do mini daily resets
A mini 5 minute reset, or tidy up at the end of the day helps keep living room clutter under control.
Here are some things you can do in a reset:
- Clear surfaces
- Remove items of clothing
- Put items back in their homes
- Put away blankets
Use the One-In, One-Out Rule
This is another one of my favourite decluttering tips, which is when a new item comes into your living room, whether it’s a toy, cushion, décor item, anything, let go of something similar.
Doing this keeps living room clutter to more manageable levels, and avoids you having to do a massive decluttering session at a later date.
What to do with decluttered items
Here are the options for items you want to declutter from your living spaces:
- Keep
- Donate / Sell
- Recycle / Throw out
If you decide to donate or sell an item, make sure it’s in working condition, and for anything you decide to sell, list it straight away so it doesn’t continue to clutter your home.
When I sell decluttered items, if it doesn’t sell within a week, I remove the listing and donate it, to avoid it cluttering my home for too long.
How to achieve a decluttered living room – a recap
Achieving a decluttered living room isn’t about creating a picture perfect space that never gets messy.
It’s about making your living room a calm space to be in, that’s easy to reset if clutter starts creeping back in.
By taking small, manageable steps, decluttering one area at a time, and focusing on function over appearance, you can reduce the overwhelm that often comes with this shared family space.
Letting go of items you don’t use, rotating toys, simplifying décor, and finding homes for everyday items helps create a living room that supports daily family life.
Remember, a clutter free living room still needs to be lived in. There will be cushions on the floor, toys under the sofa, and occasional piles of paperwork, that’s totally normal.
The difference is that when clutter does build up, you’ll know exactly how to deal with it quickly.
In case you missed it, here’s your free printable declutter checklist to help you make decluttering your entire home easier.
Which small area of your living room can you declutter today in just 10 minutes?
Love this post? Share it with others on Pinterest – Thank you!
