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20 Simple Ways To Declutter Your Home

20 Simple Ways To Declutter Your Home

If you’re thinking books everywhere, candles on every surface, beauty and skincare products galore, clothes to last for eons, then you’re talking about my house a couple months ago. Every six months or so I tend to do a massive clean out and declutter because as fast as I take things out, I bring them in. My apartment then quickly feels heavy and claustrophobic again.

You don’t have to be a minimalist, nor do you need a book (although I heard this one is awesome) to tell you how to declutter and have a junk free home. You just need some time and a little plan. Read on for 20 simple ways.

How to declutter and create more positive space in your home

  1. Tupperware containers without a lid – how often do you use them? Most times they just come tumbling out of the cupboard. Donate them.
  2. Stained and battered kitchen cloths – I know, I love mine too, but do we really need them all?
  3. Shopping bags – I have a million bags that I get from every store. I no longer take bags at the grocers.
  4. Ketchup/soy sauce/ mustard packs – You more than likely will never use them.
  5. Leftover and expired food  – This speaks for itself. It just picks up space in the fridge and makes a stink.
  6. Kitchen & Medicine Cabinets – empty them, toss what’s been there too long or what you no longer need, then repack.
  7. Towel cupboard – toss those towels that are torn and tattered. Roll or fold neatly the ones that remain. I keep my face and hand towels in this.
  8. Socks without a match – find another way to use them or toss them out.
  9. Clothes and shoes that don’t fit or no longer in use – there are many organisations that would gladly take them off of your hands.
  10. Old files/books/devices that don’t work – this is always a tough one for me because I always think I’d need it one day. I never do.
  11. Below the kitchen sink – This is a place where things can go and never see the light of day again. It’s a good idea to do a thorough check ever so often.
  12. The mail pile – I don’t know anyone who doesn’t have an overflowing mail pile. I go through and shred what is no longer needed every couple of months.
  13. Old receipts – I always keep these, just in case, but they always pile up. Ones that are no longer needed for warranty or returns can be thrown out. If that’s too unnerving, they can be scanned and kept digitally.
  14. Old magazines – Getting rid of my Cosmopolitan magazines was hard! I kept one or two for my coffee table though. Much less dusting and reorganizing needed in that area.
  15. Expired makeup and skincare items – who knew makeup expired? But it does, and so does skincare items. These can actually be harmful when expired. Check your pile every six months or so.
  16. Empty perfume and cologne bottles – I shouldn’t preach this because I have quite a number on my dresser. All they do really is collect dust. Time to get rid of them.
  17. Old DVDs (if you still have those) – you can find anything on the internet nowadays. Most times either free or for a very small fee. Trust me when I say you no longer need these. Unless its something of sentiment of course.
  18. Extra hangers – Donate or pass along to friends and family. I recently bought these ones to make my closet look a little more organised and cohesive. My clothes no longer slip off!
  19. Clean up and organise under the beds – We all know what I’m talking about. We always mean to do it but we never do.
  20. A worthy mention is dryer sheets. They create so much waste, isn’t the best for your clothes and kind of ends up everywhere. Try these instead.

It sounds like a lot but it doesn’t have to be done in one shot. Give it a try!

 

What have I missed out? How do you declutter?

……thanks for stopping by!

 

P.S ~ 10 Things I’m Loving – August || Minimalism – How I Found Joy Living With Less




  Comments: 43

43 responses to “20 Simple Ways To Declutter Your Home”

  1. Piper Ellice says:

    I’m the worst about keeping socks, hoping that someday I’ll find a mate. They do make for handy dusters though!
    xoxo,
    Piper Ellice @ piperellice.com
    Starting Out Southern Blog

  2. Helene says:

    Good tips! I regularly declutter my apartment as well as it stresses me out to have too many things laying around, that I don’t need.

  3. Lucie says:

    Good tips. For me, decluttering is not just about material stuff but also my mind. Thanks for sharing. 🙂

    Lucie | http://www.quietmind.eu

  4. I try to declutter regularly but sometimes I forget things on your list. Thanks!

  5. Natasa says:

    Great tips! I too have a problem with #10. 🙂

  6. Ashley Ager says:

    great tips! I definitely needed this!

  7. Amy Douglas says:

    We finally had a garage sale last weekend. It was late in the year, and I did it anyways (no excuses). Donated so many pieces of items that I haven’t used in years also. And yes, threw away strange things with no value to anyone! 🙂

  8. Kate Boyland says:

    I am the worlds worst for keeping boxes with no lids ! They drive me mad but i keep them lol

  9. Crystal L says:

    I’m looking to do some major apartment cleaning soon and this is a great guide!

  10. Jena Love says:

    I literally just decluttered under my bed….talk about a black hole. Thanks for this list!

  11. Over the years I have gotten so good at getting rid of clutter and stop hoarding things just for the sake of … These are all great reminders to make sure I am not slacking in any area.

    ❥ tanvii.com

  12. Yes indeed… it’s a lot to remember, but there are a lot of items I can throw away starting with the old makeup. I threw away the old mail the other day and well, the receipts live in my purse, which I threw them out, too. It’s the little things like this that help make our lives easier.

  13. Rachael says:

    These are really useful tips. I always think of myself as not a hoarder but lots of these items I have so I better declutter 🙂

  14. Daire says:

    I definitely needed to read this today. I’m currently trying to de-clutter our house and taking it one room at a time so it’s not too overwhelming. These are great tips!

  15. Catalina says:

    Wow this was eye opening and I couldn’t help but laugh at myself after reading each one! Especially 2,3,4, 11 & 13!! So simple & yet they really do add to the clutter!

  16. Carley says:

    Ugghhhh. Do you know how much I hate to declutter under the kitchen sink? It is always the most overwhelming on my to do list. It’s so bad. I guess I’ll actually have to go do it soon.

  17. Toni says:

    Yes to the old receipts! My husband is the worst with that. Thanks for reminding me about the socks that don’t match. It is time to go through the sock pile.

  18. Dawn Melissa says:

    This is so helpful. I’m always looking for ways to declutter and make everything look more organized.

  19. LaToya C says:

    It’s so bad that I can relate to most of these! I have some serious decluttering to do!

  20. I love this post! Seriously so practical and helpful! I defs want to go start decluttering now!

  21. Valerie says:

    Great tips! I’m pretty tidy after moving and traveling for so many years in a row… but it never hurts to double check a list like this to make sure I’m not overlooking an easy opportunity to declutter a bit more!

  22. Sarah says:

    Great list.

    For me though with four kids it’s all their old toys and books that hey have outgrown but I am yet to part with. I really need to donate them.

  23. These are all great tips! Not being the most organized person when it comes to neatness, this post will definitely come in handy for me! xo, Suzanne~ http://www.suzannespiegoski.com

  24. I agree with everything except shopping bags. I use those ALL THE TIME. To bring snacks to a party, to throw cat toys in when we go out of town, to put cat litter in when I scoop the litter box…I need my grocery bags! LOL

  25. I go through my clothes often but one thing I never think about is the pile of mismatched socks in a drawer! I was so happy to not have a spare drawer to turn into a junk drawer when we moved to a new apartment. Nobody wants a junk drawer, but somehow we all end up with one.

  26. Pauline says:

    Old files, and magazines; oh really, do we have to toss them ? 😉

    For magazines, I came up with an alternative system: I review them quickly, and cut the beautiful pages (like one-page landscape view/fancy ad/anything with really pretty colors and shapes). Those can always serve for scrap-booking, or even as gift paper (when you’re in a gift paper emergency situation, or if you feel bad using brand new paper made out of trees in despair that will end up if the trashcan minutes after). Once I took the pages I like away, I feel better about putting the magazines in the trashcan. And maybe a few months later, I will sort out the pages, and decided that actually, i do not need them 😛

    You mentioned Marie Kondo’s book, do you have an opinion on it? It’s really huge in France, I know several friends and colleagues who go it… As for myself, I did not read it, but I think Kondo has pretty radical views… I will never toss 3/4 of my stuff, cuz, I need it, like for real!

    • What a great idea for the magazines! I think with minimalism we have to take from it what applies to us and our daily lives. I can never give up 3/4 of my stuff either! I don’t have much to begin with. But I don’t ever buy anything wholesale. I always tweak to my liking. 🙂

  27. Trisha says:

    These are such great tips! A couple of things that I try to declutter at least once a month, if not more, is my purse/diaper bag and my car. Those two places seem to accumulate more stuff faster than anywhere else in my house!

  28. I need to clean up my beauty supplies. I have so many products that are just sitting around taking up space.

  29. Clutter seems to be the bane of my existence! I notice it in so many photos – all the clutter in the background is really frustrating. I’m strategically working toward decluttering on a more frequent, organized fashion. Your list is great and I probably need to work on all those things – PLUS my fabric, patterns, and craft supplies!

  30. These are great ideas. I’m not really good in decluttering and its nice to know some of these here, Great Job!!

  31. Lisa says:

    I really don’t like clutter and think I am a somewhat organized person but yet the stuff seems to pile up somewhere. I have been thinking about switching to those hangers and really need to do it soon, and give away the oodles of hangers in our closets. Great tips!

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