34 Practical Things to Declutter Fast When You’re Feeling Overwhelmed
Feeling overwhelmed by clutter? Use this simple list to declutter your house fast with 34 things to declutter in under 10 minutes.
My decluttering resolution fizzled faster than the fireworks on New Year’s Eve. I was determined to declutter my house and simplify my life in the new year. But one look at all the stuff I needed to do left me too overwhelmed.
I didn’t know where to start.
I almost gave up before I started, but I knew I couldn’t do that. Again.
So I started small. I opened my sock drawer, pulled out all of my socks, and quickly sorted through them. Socks I never wear, have holes or don’t match anything in my wardrobe got the toss.
It took me just a few minutes to go through the drawer and put back the few I had left. My neatly arranged–and much emptier drawer encouraged me to open the next one.
And that was how it began.
Where to Start When You’re Feeling Overwhelmed
Certain seasons in life inspire us to declutter. Sometimes it’s a new year, the coming of spring, back to school, or preparing for holidays.
But when we think of all there is to do, the overwhelm sets in. We just don’t know where to start.
Should you start with the coat closet? Toss the kids’ toys? Empty the pantry? Maybe start with the kitchen junk drawer?
That first decision seems so difficult, we often quit before we can even start.
For me, the answer is quick wins. If I start with my laundry room (which is our house’s catch-all space), I’ll lose focus and give up.
I sat down and came up with a plan. I started making a list of things I could declutter fast–like under 10 minutes fast! These things all needed to be painless, not require a ton of thought, and make an impact on how my home feels.
I ended up with 34 things I could declutter quickly–without having to wonder “should I keep this, or not?” This is a very freeing process, and anyone can do it.
Yes, even chronic overthinkers like me.
Simplifying Your Home by Decluttering
One thing we’ve all learned over the past few years is we don’t really need as much as we thought. Time at home showed us what really matters in life–and it’s not the piles of stuff stored in our closets.
If you’ve found yourself wishing for a more simple life, a more simple home, decluttering is the answer. And we often start by asking, “What should I declutter?”
After all, it took years to collect all the things we have in our homes. And we most likely loved (or at least liked) each thing when we brought it in.
But over time, it’s just become too much. We long for something different–not more. We find the simple life we wish for by actually owning less.
Maybe the life you’ve always wanted is buried under everything you own!
Joshua Becker
5 Quick Decluttering Hacks
Before you start this extreme decluttering session (or multiple sessions–you do you) there are a few things to know. These hacks will help you keep your sanity while clearing your clutter.
- Do it fast–Don’t get bogged down with lots of “should I” or “shouldn’t I” questions. This decluttering checklist is meant for you to make quick decisions. Don’t start thinking about who gave you that mug, or if may want to use that slotted spoon in the future. Just throw it away.
- Skip the senitmental stuff–When you’re doing this quick declutter, it’s not time to start sorting through momentos or old photos. These items are all quick, painless and easy. Save your grandma’s quilt for later, after you’ve made some significant progress.
- Let go of guilt–The hardest part of decluttering is feeling like you’re wasting money. I know. I’ve been there. But, the money is already wasted. You wasted it when you bought something you didn’t need. Keeping it won’t put any cash back in your wallet. Chalk it up to a lesson learned, and try not to buy on a whim again!
- Appreciate, move on–We often feel like we’re hurting someone’s feelings if they gave us a gift, and we donate or throw it away. It’s a legitimate concern. But we have to weight that against how important our space is. Appreciate that someone thought enough of you to give you a gift. Then, if possible, pass it on to somone who can use and love it. Of course, there are exceptions to this rule. And there may be times you must keep a gift. But, hopefully, those choices will be few!
- Donate, donate, donate–Here’s the thing, you may come across a few things you want to sell. Unless you can can sell it for over $20, it’s probably not worth your time. Donate most of this stuff, give to a friend or just plain put in the trash.
34 Things to Declutter Fast
The best way to start decluttering is to start small. There are so many little things that get out of control. Just toss ’em, and move on to the next!
In the Kitchen
The kitchen is my favorite place to start. You can get a lot of quick decluttering wins in this room.
- Dish towels–Throw away any torn or stained dish towels; donate those you don’t need or use.
- Cleaning supplies–Get rid of empty bottles and dirty sponges or rags. Also, it’s okay to throw away or give away cleaning products you don’t like or never use.
- Spices–Check the dates on your spice jars, and throw away any expired. If you have a certain spice or flavoring you bought for a single recipe that you no longer make/didn’t like, throw it away.
- Coffee mugs–Remove any mugs you don’t normally use, including travel mugs that leak or don’t fit in your cupholder.
- Cooking utensils–How many spatuals do you actually need? Remove duplicates, or utensils you never use.
- Expired food–Check your pantry, cabinets or fridge, and throw away anything spoiled or expired. Dig all the way to the back!
- Paper and plastic bags–You might need to check multiple places to round all these up. Keep a few if you re-use them, and throw away (or recycle) the rest.
- Food storage containers–Throw away any broken, melted container, or those missing lids.
- Cookbooks–Donate any cookbooks that you don’t regularly use, or ones with recipes you can easily find online.
- Plactic cups–These seem to multiply on their own! Throw away any cups you no longer use, or that your children have outgrown.
- Takeout menus–You can find most restaurant menus online now, so there’s no need to keep them.
- Magnets–Reducing visual clutter on your fridge can go a long way towards making your kitchen feel neat and clean. Get rid of magnets, and reduce the things you put on your fridge.
- Mail–If your counter is a catch-all for mail, now is the time to do a quick sort-through. Don’t try to come up with a sytem right now. Just go through what you have, and throw away what you don’t need. Put things that need to dealt with in a neat pile and tackle that in your big declutter.
In the Living Room
It’s easy to let clutter build up in the living room. It’s a space where we naturally relax, and where we do a lot of “living.” Declutter these things in the living room to make it feel homier.
- Magazines/Catalogs–These often migrate from the mail pile to be read later. Throw away any you’ve already read, don’t plan to read, or are outdated.
- Books–Take a deep breath. I’m not asking you to declutter your entire book collection. But, if you do a quick glance at your shelves (and even your kids’ shelves) you’re sure to find a few books that you no longer need or want. They may be ones you didn’t enjoy, have duplicates, or your children have outgrown. Let them go. Now is also a good time to find any stray books that have moved around the house (#readerlife) and put them back on the shelves.
- Board games–Take a quick inventory of your board games. Throw away games you no longer play, are broken or missing pieces or your children have outgrown.
- DVDs/CDs–Depending on streaming services you use, you may not even need many of your DVDs or CDs anymore. Even if you don’t use streaming services, you may still have DVDs your children have outgrown or music you no longer enjoy. Most of these can be donated, unless they are scratched or no longer work.
- Candles/Wax melts–Throw away ones you don’t like, or that are too burnt out to use again.
In the Bedroom
The bedroom has a lot of personal items, and a lot of it will take time to tackle in an extreme declutter. But here are a few things you can declutter fast.
- Socks–Throw away any socks that don’t have mates, have holes, are too small or that you no longer wear.
- Underwear–Again, throw away underwear that no longer fits, or has stains and/or holes.
- Clothes hangers–Get rid of old wire hangers (they really damage your clothes!) and any extras you’re not using.
- Buttons–You might find these in severel different rooms! The chances of actually using all those buttons is pretty slim. Go ahead and throw them away.
In the Bathroom
The bathroom is full of things to declutter quickly. You can make a lot of progress in this room in just a short time!
- Lotion/perfume–Body lotion and perfume lose their potency after a while. If you’ve got several, throw away ones you no longer use or like.
- Makeup–Throw away any expired, dried, or no longer used makeup.
- Nail polish–Trash bottles that are nearly empty, dried out, or that you no longer wear.
- Towels–It’s okay if your towels don’t all match–but they should all be free of holes!
- Medicine Cabinet–Check all of your medicines (over-the-counter and prescriptions) to see if they’re expired. Also, throw away bandaids or bandages that have lost their “stick.” (Make sure you dispose of any medicine in the proper way.)
In the Den/Playroom/Office
You may not actually have these designated rooms in your house, but you probably have spaces that serve these purposes. These tips are for spaces where you or your children work, craft or do schoolwork.
- Pens/pencils–Throw away broken, chewed, or no-eraser pencils. Also, throw away cheap pens you got from the bank, insurance agent, etc.
- Art supplies–Think broken crayons, dried-up play dough, colored pencils or paint.
- Notebooks/paper–Get rid of any notebooks that are full. If you have half-used ones, put them in a place where they can be used. This is also a good time to throw away any school papers, coloring sheets, programs, church bulletins, etc.
- Spare charging cords–Keep only the cords you need for the devices you actually have! Get rid of duplicates or damaged cords.
In the Laundry Room/Garage
The laundry room and garage are often places we store our random things. They are their own complete decluttering project! But there are a few things you can declutter quickly in those spaces, too.
- Batteries–Throw away any old batteries. Gather all of your batteries from around the house, and keep them in one spot, so you can always find them.
- Sheets/blankets–Donate any sheets or blankets you don’t use. If they’re old and worn, you can use them for pets, or donate to an animal shelter.
- Light bulbs–Throw or give away burned out, or don’t-fit lightbulbs. (Make sure you dispose of them properly.)
Free Printable Decluttering Checklist
You will feel so free when you’re done with this process. In fact, if you move quickly, you can declutter all of these areas in your house in a day!
Make it easier by downloading my free printable checklist. It’s organized by room, so you can move quickly through your whole house. It feels so great to check off each of these items one by one.
You’ll feel more organized, have less stress–and feel energized to tackle a big job. T-shirt collection, anyone?
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