I’m sharing a Declutter Your Home Checklist to make cleaning out and organizing every room of your home a stress-free and satisfying experience. Find the free printable decluttering checklist at the bottom of this post.
Decluttering your home isn’t just about creating a visually pleasing space, it’s about creating an environment that nurtures your wellbeing and enhances your daily life. When your surroundings are clutter-free, it can significantly impact your mood and productivity.
The benefits of decluttering extend far beyond just tidying up. Here’s how it can positively impact your life:
- Boosted Mood: A clutter-free environment can promote feelings of calmness and relaxation, reducing stress and anxiety levels. Feeling overwhelmed? Decluttering that stack of mail will help!
- Increased Productivity: When your space is organized, you can find things more easily, allowing you to focus on tasks at hand without distractions.
- Improved Focus: A clutter-free space helps clear your mind and enables you to concentrate better on your work or activities.
- Enhanced Creativity: An organized environment can stimulate creativity by providing a clear mental space for new ideas.
Starting a decluttering project can be daunting, especially if you’re unsure where to start or feel overwhelmed by the sheer volume of items in your home. That’s why having a systematic approach is key to success.
Here’s a checklist to guide you through the decluttering process.
Declutter Your Home Checklist
My method to keep in mind: start with the most visible surfaces (like the counter tops) and move further and further down the checklist to the deepest darkest corners.
Bedroom Declutter Checklist
- The floor – pick up anything on the floor! Hopefully you don’t have clothes on the floor, but if you do, I’m looking at you! Put away the clean laundry and toss the dirties in your hamper. If you have random things on the floor like shopping bags or shipping boxes, tidy those up. Give your bedroom a quick vacuum.
- Dresser top – What is on your dresser that you can remove? From knick-knacks to perfume you never wear, consider only keeping things out that you need to access on a daily basis.
- Nightstands (including the drawers) – Nightstand drawers can become catch-alls for clutter. If you never wear the eye mask, consider relocating it or getting rid of it. I recently had to thin out a few hard copy books that I know I’ll never read.
Kitchen Declutter Checklist
The kitchen is a HUGE project, but it’s also one of the most cluttered locations in people’s homes. Complete your checklist in one long day or chip away at one bullet point per day for a few evenings in a row. If it helps, try setting a timer and chipping away it – 30 minutes per day can make a difference!
- Countertops – Keeping the flow from the surfaces to the hidden spots, start with the countertops. My rule is it can stay out if you use it daily. Even weekly appliances I try to store elsewhere. If your kitchen is small, consider using other rooms like the dining or living room for larger appliances (crockpot, waffle maker, etc.) that you only use occasionally. Consider the bonus that if they’re stored inside a cabinet, they won’t accumulate as much dirt. Less to clean! Sort papers, and put away anything that doesn’t belong in the kitchen.
- Drawers + Cabinets – We often have more dishes than we need. Unless you’re frequently hosting more than a dozen people, consider 8-10 of each type and call it a day. Same goes for Tupperware. You can always use a covered bowl or plate for leftovers, so try not to keep more than you need! This post has lots of ideas for organizing kitchen drawers.
- Pantry – Check out this post for tips on organizing a pantry!
- The Junk Drawer – Thin it out and organize it with clear acrylic drawer containers like these.
Office Declutter Checklist
- Desktop – Start decluttering with what you see when you sit down to work. Remove anything from your desktop that isn’t directly related to work (except you can keep that family photo!).
- Drawers – Desk drawers follow in the list of things to declutter. Paper sorting can be tedious, but you probably don’t need to keep much. My rule is aside from tax docs, if it’s years old I don’t need it. Digitize anything using your phone digital scanner that you are unsure of and upload it to your cloud storage of choice. There are paper shredders at most office supply stores. It cost me $10 to shred 10 years of papers!
- Bookshelf – If you have a bookshelf, now is the time to go through that as well. Donate any books that were from a previous era and only keep decor that you love!
Bonus: Organize Your Digital Clutter!
Bathroom Declutter Checklist
- Countertops – Like in the kitchen, start with the counters so you’ll feel progress right away. A new organizer can help you corral frequently used items like your toothbrush or makeup. There are also smart organizers that stick to the inside of your cabinets to hold a hair dryer or other frequently used items. Check my Amazon Shop for all the organizing accessories that I have.
- Drawers – Next tackle the drawers and lower cabinets. Most people have WAY too much stuff here! I am with you – I used to love samples and keep extra of everything “just in case.” If it’s over half used and you haven’t touched it in a year, get rid of it! Such items don’t belong in your drawer, taking up precious space.
- Closets – Go through your linen closet if you have one or the bathroom accessories overflow closet. Discard anything that is expired or that you never use. Medicines are a big one in this department. This post has lots of medicine storage ideas.
Closet Declutter Checklist
- Most worn clothes – Start with the areas you access the most frequently. For me these are PJs, lounge clothes, and workout clothes. All the athleisure! I start here and remove anything I haven’t worn in 6 months. If you’re nervous to donate things, you can put them in a box in the attic or garage and see if you feel it’s worth going back to dig something out. If it is, you can keep it!
- Shelves and drawers – Next move on to your secondary clothes – all the things you’re currently rotating through. Re-fold and sort through, and remove anything you have forgotten about or anything that doesn’t make you feel amazing to wear. If it doesn’t fit or is ripped, it’s gone even if you once loved it!
- Pair down hanging clothes – Next go through your hanging clothes: office wear, dresses, anything off-season as well. Donate what you don’t love. I always recommend the hanger-turn trick: turn your hangers around at the beginning of a season, turn them the correct way once you’ve worn and laundered the garment, and at the end of the season, check your hangers to see which pieces you actually wore.
- Shoes – Sort your shoes! My newest rule is if it’s not comfortable it’s donated. That shows my age.
- Jewelry – Lastly, sort jewelry and accessories. Just like clothes, my style for jewelry and purses has changed over the years.
Check out these 3 closet makeovers and don’t forget about your linen closet!
Garage Declutter Checklist
Garage or storage rooms are always the hardest for me! They tend to house all the things you think you might need or don’t want to look at in your main living spaces: holiday decor, yard supplies, kids stuff, seasonal things. Here is a post I did on our garage when we had one!
- Start in the middle / on the floor – Start with the last things you added. For us, that was the middle of the floor aka there was no more room for it! Sort through the floor first so you can reach the shelves and back more easily. Toss out anything that is broken – the garage or storage room is where I tend to put things that I’m done with but have procrastinated discarding.
- Shelves – Next go through the shelves and sort by category. Group like with like and if you need some storage bins, now is a great time to get some new ones!
- Things in bins – Lastly, go through the bins or boxes you already have. You might not want to sort through holiday decor right now, but make a note to do that when you do open the box next. Gardening supplies in the summertime and holiday decorations in December!
Home Declutter Checklist
For you – a free declutter checklist PDF!
Check out this blog post for more decluttering tips on tackling other spaces living the living room + more!
THE CLUTTER CURE
If you’re getting ready to declutter, consider watching my friend Mia’s Clutter Cure Workshop! Mia has an approach to clutter unlike anyone else, and her methods are truly transformative. If you can’t seem to find a method that sticks for the long term, this workshop is for you!
You Will Learn:
- The bullet-proof process for living without clutter
- Why most people fail at decluttering (and how to avoid it)
- How to turn your home into your greatest support system
- How to optimize energy and flow in your space
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