The ultimate checklist for decluttering every room
When you have a lot of clutter in your home, you can feel stressed and overwhelmed. One of the best things to do to reduce clutter in your home is to use a checklist for decluttering to finally make your home clutter free.
This article details what decluttering is, the benefits of decluttering, and to help you start decluttering your home, will provide a checklist for decluttering every room of your home, so you can have a home that’s calmer, and more peaceful.
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What is decluttering?
Decluttering is the process of removing items from your home, so you have less things to care for, clean, and tidy.
The benefits of decluttering
Here are some decluttering benefits that may get you into a decluttering mindset.
- Less stress – less clutter creates a more peaceful home environment, reducing your stress levels, and feelings of overwhelm.
- More time – having fewer items in your home means less time spent cleaning and organising things, freeing up time for more important things.
- Easy to find things – when everything has a place, it’s easier to find what you need, when you need it.
- Encourages mindful spending – minimising what you bring into your home helps you to become more intentional about what you spend money on.
How to declutter
I’ve found that the best way to declutter items is to add each item that you want to declutter into one of four piles, which are keep, donate, sell, or throw away.
You can use cardboard boxes or storage containers to help with this, or simply create piles on the floor.
To help you decide what pile to add an item to, ask yourself if you love it, if you don’t donate or sell it, if you do keep it and put it where you want it to be kept.
Once done, put any items in the donate pile in a large garbage bag and place it in your car immediately, so you’re not tempted to keep anything. Take the bag to a donation centre next time you’re out.
For items in the sell pile, list them for sale as soon as possible, and throw out items in the throw away pile immediately.
A checklist for decluttering every room
Now that we’ve covered decluttering basics, here’s a decluttering list that you can use to declutter each room in your home.
Entryway
Your entryway is the first thing you see when you enter your home, so decluttering this area can make you feel immediately calm.
Items you can declutter from your entryway include.
- Keys and coins, can you can place in a designated bowl
- School bags can be removed from the ground and stored in a school bag storage area
- Paperwork
- Shoes, coats, hats, and bags that aren’t worn regularly, or are out of season
Kitchen
Clutter can build up fast in kitchens, because it’s one of the most used areas of our homes.
Here’s a kitchen decluttering checklist you can use to declutter your kitchen.
- Expired food and spices
- Duplicate utensils
- Stained food containers
- Food containers with missing lids or bases
- Dishware you don’t use
- Excess or chipped mugs, bowls, plates, serving dishes, glassware
- Excess drink bottles and flasks
- Excess barware
- Excess pots and pans
- Unused small appliances like bread makers and popcorn machines
- Duplicate kitchen accessories such as peelers, bottle openers, garlic presses
- Recipe books
- Worn out dish towels, scourers, cleaning cloths
- Takeaway menus and containers
- Totes and plastic bags
- Extra bread ties / twist ties
- Expired or unused cleaning supplies
- Fridge magnets
Living room
A decluttering list for your living room so you can make this room more comfortable and relaxing, includes:
- Items that belong in another room like toys, cushions, blankets
- Books, magazines, and newspapers
- DVDs
- Excess coffee table and side table items
- Excess pillows and blankets
- Remote controls, cables, and chargers you no longer use
- Décor or artwork that’s damaged, or you no longer like
- Dead plants
- Books
- Lamps you don’t turn on
- Toys and games, you can use a toy rotation system to help with this
- Holiday and birthday cards
- Hobby items no longer used like instruments, camping gear
- Unused exercise equipment
- Outdated photos
- Video games and gaming systems you don’t use
Laundry
A decluttering list for your laundry includes:
- Throwing out mismatched socks and stained clothes
- Decluttering expired washing machine detergents
Bedroom
Here are some items you can declutter from bedrooms.
- Clothes you haven’t worn in over 12 months
- Worn out shoes and accessories
- Bedside table clutter
- Anything not used from under-bed storage
- Bedding you no longer like
- Broken or unsuitable jewellery
- Off season clothing, which can be vacuum-packed
- Luggage
- Bags
- Loose change
- Old receipts
- Books and magazines you’ve finished reading
- Unnecessary furniture
- Excess decorative pillows
Kid’s bedroom
Here’s a list of items to declutter in kid’s rooms to make them tidier, and easier to maintain.
- Toys, games, and puzzles that are broken, or not played with
- Books your kids have outgrown
- Clothes and shoes that don’t fit
- Used arts supplies
- School books from previous years
- School projects
- Paper clutter
- Magazines
- Unnecessary furniture
Wardrobes
Here’s a decluttering room by room checklist for wardrobes that will make getting ready for the day easier.
- Clothes that no longer fit, or haven’t been worn in over 12 months
- Out of season clothing
- Excess hats, bags, purses, and wallets
- Excess scarves and sunglasses
- Socks, tights, and underwear with holes
- Shoes that are worn out or are uncomfortable to wear
- Formal clothing
- Broken or unworn jewellery
- Sentimental items
- Decor you no longer want
- Extra hangers
Bathroom
Here are some items to declutter from your bathroom.
- Worn out towels
- Bath robes and shower caps you don’t use
- Travel size products you don’t use
- Expired medication, toiletries, sunscreen, makeup, and nail polish
- Skincare and make-up samples
- Excess or stained toiletry bags
- Broken or mouldy bath toys
- Unused bath sets
- Soap bars that are near the end of use
- Old sponges
- Extra hairbrushes, combs, and hair accessories
- Unused hair styling tools
Office
Here are some things to declutter from your home office.
- Paper clutter like receipts, bills, brochures, junk mail, flyers, business cards
- Excess pens, pencils, markers, highlighters, sticky notes, paper clips
- Expired gift cards and coupons
- Used notebooks
- Cords, cables, chargers, and USB drives that can’t be used
- Manuals
- Old phones, laptops, and digital cameras
- Photos (you can create a digital photo album instead)
- Packaging
A checklist for decluttering – a recap
Decluttering your home helps you to create a home that’s calmer, and more inviting.
The best way to declutter is to go through each room in your home and add items to one of four piles: keep, donate, sell, or throw away.
Using a decluttering room by room checklist, such as the one in this article, that details what to declutter from your entryway, kitchen, living room, laundry, bedrooms, kids’ bedrooms, wardrobe, bathrooms, and your office will allow you to have the clutter free home you’ve always wanted, one that’s easier to maintain, and keep clutter free as time goes on.
Which room in your home desperately needs decluttering?
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