The Essential Decluttering Checklist – 195 Items to Get Rid Of!
In the whirlwind of motherhood, finding balance between the chaos of daily tasks and maintaining a tidy home can feel like a never-ending juggling act.
As moms we wear many hats – from caregiver to referee – and our homes often bear witness to the joyful mess of family life. Are you looking for a more organized and stress-free home? A decluttering checklist can help you achieve that. Decluttering is not a fun activity for most. It’s a task I usually push further and further down on my to-do list. However, decluttering can be a form of self-care for busy moms.
Clutter can definitely give you anxiety. When we have clutter around such as projects from my daughters on the kitchen table, mail to be sorted, deliveries that need to be put away, I can’t relax. I see the clutter, and know that it’s something that needs to be taken care of, but it just feels like too big of a job. The goal is to have a place for everything, but sometimes I don’t know where something will go, so I just delay putting it away. When we do go through an exercise of decluttering and everything has a place, I feel so much more at peace in my home.
A decluttering checklist can make the decluttering exercise less overwhelming. In this blog post, I’ll share tips to get you started with decluttering and I’ll also share a decluttering checklist of 195 items to keep you on track.
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Tips for getting started with decluttering
It can feel very overwhelming to see clutter around and not know where to start. Here are some tips to help you begin decluttering.
1. Use a decluttering checklist.
Using a decluttering checklist will help keep you organized and focused. Checking items off a list also has many mental benefits. You feel productive, which makes you feel good about yourself. Making progress on your list motivates you to continue. You can download my free decluttering checklist below!
2. Start with short periods of time.
Getting started is the hardest part of any task you don’t feel like doing. If decluttering doesn’t sound fun to you, I recommend starting with short periods of time. Spending 15 minutes on decluttering is better than nothing! You may end up surprising yourself and blow past your planned time. Recently, I told myself I’d spend 15 minutes decluttering one of my bedroom drawers. I got into the zone and ended up decluttering all my drawers.
3. Start with a room that stresses you out the most.
As you review the decluttering checklist, you can start decluttering the room that stresses you out the most. For me, it’s our family room. That’s where my desk is set up and where we spend the most time relaxing and watching TV. When our living room is cluttered, I see the clutter whenever I’m there (which is a lot!) which makes me feel so anxious and unable to relax.
4. Start with a room that would make your life easier.
You could also start with the room that would make your life easier. For me, that’s the kitchen. When our kitchen table is full of my daughters’ school papers or mail that needs to be sorted, we can’t sit at the table for a meal. When our kitchen island is cluttered with a bunch of groceries that need to be put away, I feel stressed cooking a meal. Having a clutter-free kitchen would definitely make my life a lot easier!
5. Start with your favorite room.
You could also start with your favorite room. Your favorite room is likely the place you spend the most time in, so if it’s clutter-free, you’ll feel happier. My favorite room is our finished basement, so I want it to look neat for when we host guests or just want to relax.
6. Try not to jump around between different rooms.
I recommend tackling one room at a time. You’ll have a sense of accomplishment when you finish decluttering a room. There are many days when I feel like I did so much but not much at all. Those are days when I’m bouncing around between different tasks but don’t actually finish anything.
7. Purchase products to help you get organized.
You can purchase products to help keep you organized. My sock drawer had always been a mess. I’d get rid of old socks, but whenever I’d go into the drawer I’d have trouble finding a matching pair. Now I have a sock organizer, and I love it! Some other good items to help keep you organized are shoe racks and closet organizers.
8. Ask yourself questions as you declutter.
As you declutter, ask yourself the following questions:
- Does this still fit?
- Will I wear this again?
- Is this broken?
- Do we have all the pieces?
- Do I have more than I need of this item?
- Have we used this in the last 6 months?
- Do I actually like this?
- Would I buy this today if I didn’t have it already?
9. Sort as you go.
Sort your items as you go to be more efficient. You don’t want to do all this decluttering and then have to go through the items again to sort them. As you’re decluttering, put the items in different piles such as donate, sell, give away, recycle, and throw out. Also, have a plan for where everything will go. You don’t want to do all this work and then have garbage bags taking up space in your house or car.
10. Motivate yourself.
Get motivated and excited! Read some decluttering quotes, watch videos about decluttering, set up a playlist to listen to while you’re decluttering, and come up with a reward for yourself once you are done.
Room-by-room Decluttering Checklist
So now that you’re ready and motivated, take a look at my decluttering checklist of 195 items!
Living Room/Family Room Decluttering Checklist
- Old magazines
- Old newspapers
- Unwanted or duplicate books
- DVDs/CDs that you no longer use
- Excess throw pillows
- Vases that you don’t use
- Old remote controls
- Outdated or excess cables
- Excess throw blankets
- Excess coasters
- Wall art you don’t love
- Broken or chipped decor items
- Excessive candles
- Outdated curtains
- Old or mismatched picture frames
- Outdated rugs or carpets
- Excess knick-knacks
- Broken or damaged furniture
- Furniture that doesn’t fit in the room well
- Uncomfortable or unused chairs
- Outdated or worn-out furniture
- Excess furniture
- Furniture with missing parts
- Furniture accessories not needed
- Furniture without a purpose
Kitchen Decluttering Checklist
- Utensils you don’t use
- Duplicate kitchen gadgets
- Expired spices
- Old cookbooks
- Mismatched or chipped dishes
- Appliances you don’t use
- Broken or unused mugs
- Excess kitchen towels
- Old and stained dish towels
- Fridge cleanup – take everything out, toss expired food, wipe all shelves
- Excess glassware
- Sauce packets and take-out items
- Extra serving platters
- Extra pots and pans
- Cleaning sponges
Pantry Decluttering Checklist
- Expired canned goods
- Outdated baking ingredients
- Stale snacks
- Unwanted condiments
- Empty or nearly empty boxes
- Duplicates of non-perishable items
- Excess plastic bags
- Old or excess lunch containers
- Excess food storage containers
- Unnecessary bulk items
Entry Area & Coat Closet Decluttering Checklist
- Outgrown coats
- Excess scarves/hats/gloves
- Outgrown or unused boots
- Extra keys
- Broken or unused umbrellas
Linen Closet Decluttering Checklist
- Torn towels and sheets
- Rags
- Excess appliances like irons
- Extra comforters
- Worn out pillows
- Expired cleaning products
- Duplicate cleaning tools
- Broken brooms or mops
- Excess stain removers
- Extra air fresheners
Home Office Decluttering Checklist
- Old bills and receipts
- Old technology (ie. phones, cables)
- Excess notebooks or planners
- Broken office supplies
- Duplicate office supplies
- Old calendars
- Promotional items you won’t use
- Outdated software
- Excess pens and pencils
- Excess file folders
- Broken headphones
- Cameras that are broken/unused
- Old computer accessories
- Broken speakers
- Outdated power strips
- Expired coupons
- Duplicate manuals
- Outdated warranties
- Catalogs
- Tax documents no longer needed
- Outdated business cards
- Expired batteries
- Stationary that is not needed
- Excess pads of paper and envelopes
- Excess USB drives (delete content)
Bedroom Decluttering Checklist
- Clothes that no longer fit
- Worn-out or stained clothing
- Single socks without a match
- Accessories that you don’t use
- Out-of-style clothing
- Old or uncomfortable shoes
- Jewelry that is no longer wanted
- Old or damaged mattresses
- Old school supplies
- Baby items that aren’t needed
- Excess school papers
- Paper clutter on surfaces
- Random items under the bed or on surfaces
- Loose change (find a place)
- Books lying around
Bedroom Closet Decluttering Checklist
- Extra hangers
- Out-of-season clothing
- Rarely worn clothing
- Clothing with the tags still on
- Formal items you won’t wear again
- Excess handbags/purses
- Uncomfortable shoes
- Sentimental items you don’t want
- Costumes you no longer want
- Outgrown kids’ clothing
Bathroom Decluttering Checklist
- Expired medications
- Expired vitamins
- Excess toiletries
- Old or worn-out towels
- Empty or near-empty bottles
- Broken or unused hair tools
- Expired makeup
- Excess skincare products
- Extra toothbrushes
- Expired sunscreen
- Excess bath products
- First aid/medical supplies not used
- Broken thermometers
- Outdated prescription glasses
- Excess contact lens cases
Playroom Decluttering Checklist
- Outdated gaming consoles
- Broken/duplicate toys and puzzles
- Board games no longer used
- Outgrown toys and books
- Play dough that has dried out
- Outgrown dress-up costumes
- Games or puzzles missing pieces
- Used up coloring/activity books
- Markers that have dried out
- Excess stuffed animals
Garage/Shed Decluttering Checklist
- Broken or excess tools
- Duplicate car accessories
- Expired/excess car cleaning supplies
- Outgrown sports equipment
- Empty boxes
- Old paint cans
- Excess gardening supplies
- Duplicate extension cords
- Excess camping gear
- Outdated manuals and instructions
- Old maps and navigation tools
- Broken or excess car chargers
- Expired air fresheners
- Old car registration documents
- Excess outdoor furniture/decor
- Outdoor toys that are no longer used
- Old or broken outdoor lights
- Expired pesticides
- Excess bird feeders
- Broken or excess hoses
Basement/Attic Decluttering Checklist
- Excess craft supplies
- Unfinished projects
- Duplicate craft tools
- Old glue
- Outdated paint or art supplies
- Excess fabric scraps
- Extra knitting/crocheting supplies
- Duplicate patterns
- Excess sketchbooks
- Books you won’t read again
- Outdated reference books
- Damaged books
- Outdated travel guides
- Excess pet toys
- Expired pet medication and treats
- Broken or excess pet accessories
- Outgrown pet collars
- Excess pet grooming tools
- Empty pet food containers
- Old pet bedding
- Excess pet clothing
- Duplicate pet dishes
- Damaged holiday decorations
- Outdated or broken holiday lights
- Ornaments no longer wanted
- Excess wrapping paper
- Excess gift bags
- Old or worn-out stockings
- Duplicate greeting cards
- Excess party decorations
- Outdated collectibles
- Unused musical instruments
- Excess sports memorabilia
- Old or broken luggage
- Excess kids’ artwork and crafts (I know this one is hard!)
Bring order and serenity into your busy mom life with some decluttering!
195 items may seem overwhelming, but start small. Like I said earlier, choose a room that either stresses you out the most, would make your life easier if it was clutter-free, or is your favorite place to spend time in. The goal is to make you less anxious and able to relax. Start with small blocks of time – 15 minutes or so, and go from there. Be proud of what you accomplish, I’m proud of you!
You can download my decluttering checklist for free! I hope you find it helpful, and that it makes you feel more at peace.
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