A Beginner's Guide to Decluttering

Decluttering isn’t just for “spring cleaning,” and it isn’t just for people with too much stuff. Everyone can benefit from periodic decluttering. In this post, I am going to share my best tips for decluttering your whole house without getting overwhelmed or creating a bigger mess.

A Beginner’s Guide to Decluttering

Why declutter regularly?

There are a lot of reasons why regular decluttering is important. First, regular or seasonal decluttering can help you keep your home clean and make life less overwhelming. The state of our homes is often directly connected to the state of our minds and bodies. When my living space is cluttered, messy, or disorganized I find that I am more anxious, less productive, and have a harder time making decisions. When my space is organized and not so filled with stuff, I am calmer, more motivated, and even get inspired by things more easily.

In short: messy = stressy. And we don’t want that.

Decluttering more than once a year (or decade- you know who you are) can help you keep on top of expired products and reduce waste. Like I talked about in my Meal Planning on a Budget post, when you take stock of what you have in your home it is easier to avoid buying doubles of things you don’t actually need more of. This helps slow the accumulation of stuff, and prevents unneeded waste. Plus, I find that the more I “take inventory” of my things, the less likely I am to fall into the “out of sight, out of mind” trap. In other words, I use what I have instead of letting it collect dust.

Regular decluttering is also beneficial because the more you do it, the easier and faster it gets. Getting rid of things isn’t always easy, especially for those of us who are sentimental and like to hang on to things. But by doing it every so often it becomes a little less hard each time. And as long as you aren’t filling your house up with more stuff in between, you will likely start with fewer things to go through each time, so getting it all done won’t take nearly as long or be as overwhelming as the first time.

Levels of decluttering

In the world of decluttering, there are levels of intensity ranging from the kind of simple tidying many of us do daily or weekly, all the way to the KonMari method and Swedish death cleaning (which you can learn more about in the book The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning: How to Free Yourself and Your Family from a Lifetime of Clutter, by Margareta Magnusson).

The way I typically go about decluttering, and the way we will talk about it today, probably falls somewhere in the middle. In order to avoid the overwhelm that often accompanies big decluttering projects, I break it down into “steps” based on location and/or object categories and definitely don’t try to attempt them all in one day.

It should also be noted that the 12 steps or categories we will cover in this post does not specifically include kid’s rooms, basements, or garages. Those spaces are obviously very important if you have them, but often require a little more specific thought and collaboration with others.

No matter how intense you choose to be in your decluttering project, it can be overwhelming. This is especially true if you have a lot of stuff or don’t like to let go of things. Before we jump into the specific categories, I will share 5 tips for keeping the overwhelm at bay when tackling a whole house declutter that I have personally been using (very successfully) to help myself.

5 Quick Tips For Overwhelm Free Decluttering:

Go one space at a time. Working in small chunks will help keep you on track and prevent you from making lots of smaller messes as you move through your home. Once you finish a space and see how nice it is, it also helps motivate you to start and finish others.
Remember why you are doing it. I am getting rid of a lot of things right now because I don’t want to have to take it all with me when I eventually move again (i’ve moved a lot in the last few years- I’m tired of needing so many boxes!). I also know that my mental state is better when my space is decluttered and aesthetically pleasing. Keeping these thing in my mind helps me make the tough choices when deciding what to do with things.
Think about the actual usefulness of your items. When was the last time you used it? Is it ripped, stained, broken, missing pieces? Do you have another, or could you easily replace it? If you answered yes to any of those questions, there’s a good chance that you should get rid of whatever it is you are holding on to.
Have a decluttering vlog on in the background. This may seem silly, but having a video on in the background while I do my own decluttering is so helpful. It’s like having a little moral support in the room even when I am alone. Plus I like to see what kinds of stuff other people have!
Give yourself grace, but be honest too. Getting rid of things you are used to hanging onto can be challenging mentally and emotionally and that is totally okay. I don’t judge myself for it. But I also know that there is a fine line there and if I start making excuses for one thing, then suddenly everything is staying and there was no point to any of it. Being honest with yourself about your stuff and what you should do with it is so so important.

12 Steps for Decluttering

1. Beauty products

Check expiration dates on your beauty products. Makeup and other cosmetic essentials do go bad after a while and you want to make sure you are using products that are still going to be good for your skin and hair.

Throw out old nail polish or give away colors you no longer use. I don’t think I’ve ever used an entire bottle of nail polish before it went bad. If you can’t use it, and it is still there, then it’s just a waste of space.

Think about the last time you actually wore your hair accessories and/or jewelry. If the things you no longer wear are in good shape, consider if you know anyone who might want them.

Find a way to store and/or display sentimental pieces you don’t wear. I have a few pieces of jewelry from my grandmothers that I don’t wear, either because they aren’t my style or they don’t fit, but that I am not willing to part with. I keep most of these pieces in my jewelry box, and one of them I use like decor in my room. That being said, I have had to get rid of some of my bracelets from former students. A girl can only keep so many of those rubber band contraptions.

2. Expired medicine

Medications have expiration dates too, and I would hate to only have old meds left when I really need them. But they can’t just be thrown away with the rest of the trash. Check what the process is for disposing of expired mediations is in your city or state and then get rid of them.
Keeping up with the decluttering of expired meds is also helpful for keeping track of what you have and what you may need to stock up on for next time you are sick.

3. Cleaning products

You may not have much to do for this one, but it is worth taking a look at the cleaning supplies you have and at least organizing them. The last apartment I lived in had stainless steel appliances, and my current home does not. Now I have two bottles of stainless steel cleaner and nothing to use them on. Waste. of. space.
This goes for rags and old sponges as well. Having a couple on hand is useful, but unless you run a carwash from your driveway, you probably don;t need as many as you think you do. Get rid of the oldest and keep the ones that have the most life let in them.

4. Office/Desk/Junk drawer

You don’t need 5 different kinds of highlighters! I had to remind myself of this several times during my most recent desk declutter. Figure out what you need and use most, and get rid of the rest.

Test pens and markers and throw out what doesn’t work. If it doesn’t work, you don’t need it.

Consolidate paperclips, sticky notes, binders, paper, etc. If you have one central, organized place to store these things your space will feel less cluttered, and it will be easier to find what you need when you need it.

Donate extra supplies that are good quality but not being used to a school or other organization in need. I don’t know many teachers who would turn down free school/office supplies, and I am sure there is at least one other organization in your area that could use them as well.

5. Paperwork & Mail

Stop holding on to old school work. I finally got rid of everything I had been hanging on to from high school a while back, and I’m working on getting rid of the college things too. You are never going to look at these things again.

Have a shredder handy in case you need to get rid of documents containing personally identifying information.

Store any paperwork you need to keep in a binder for easy access, and get rid of the rest.

Instruction manuals are all online! You do not need to keep the paper copies, which you will also likely never need to look at again.

Don’t get distracted- put aside anything that needs to be addressed and make a note to get back to it later. You can RSVP to that wedding/baby shower/holiday party after you’ve gone through everything else.

6. Fridge/Freezer/Pantry

Get rid of freezer burned and/or expired food. Simple as that.

Organize your fridge, freezer, and pantry so things that often go bad before you finish them aren’t getting pushed to the back and forgotten.

7. Kitchen appliances & dishes

Take stock of how much you have vs how much you use. Do you really need 5 cupcake pans or 7 wooden spoons? Probably not. Donate, gift, or sell things in working condition that you don’t have use for. And throw out the rusty can opener. It’s more trouble than it’s worth and you can get a new one that doesn’t make your hand cramp.

8. Coat closets

Check to see if there are coats, shoes, hats, gloves, etc. that no longer fit, or are no longer your style. Donate, gift, or sell what you can.

Consider storing out of season items in another space like a basement or garage. Just be aware of moisture in those areas and store your items properly to avoid damage.

9. Linen closets

This is another case of what you need vs what you have. Keeping sets of sheets that don’t fit any of the beds in your home is totally pointless and a waste of space. At most, you probably need one extra set of sheets per bed to change out while the others are being washed.

Stained, ripped, or otherwise damaged items don’t need to be held onto. My sister accidentally cut large holes in one of our towels recently and then asked why I got rid of it. I asked her why she would want to use a towel with holes in it when we have so many others in better condition.

10. Decor/knick knacks

Just because you bought it, doesn’t mean you need to keep it. You might have loved that giant, rainbow colored painting of a dog you got a Home-goods five years ago, but if it makes your eyes hurt now you can absolutely let it go guilt free. Same goes for the picture frames that have seen better decades and the trinkets you only have because someone gave them to you.

This part doesn’t have to include holiday/seasonal decor- save that for later. Focus on what is out in your house right now. For the seasonal things, work on those at the end of the season they belong to. That way you can really see what you do and don’t use or want.

It’s okay to hold on to sentimental items, but also think about making space for new memories.

11. Books, magazines, movies, games

This one can be hard if you are sentimental. Think about selling or donating items you decide to get rid of. Sometimes thinking about books or games that you once loved going to someone else who will love them just as much can help.

If you hold on to magazines for collages, consider cutting out the pictures or words that interest you, store them in sandwich bags or photo boxes, and recycle the rest of the pages. That way you have the materials you want without taking up as much space.

12. Clothes and Shoes

Stop holding on to clothes that don’t fit you or don’t make you feel good. I have done this forever. I hold on to clothes that used to fit me as “motivation” for getting back in shape. It has never worked, and actually just made me feel worse about myself. A few weeks ago I got rid of what I privately called my “skinny clothes” and it felt so good.

If you don’t wear it, don’t keep it. Simple. No more “just in case” when you know the reason you never wear that shirt is because you have never been able to find a bra that goes with it. And by now you have had lots of practice with letting things go, so this should be no problem!

This goes for most anything you could donate, but especially clothes. Don’t donate clothes you wouldn’t wear because of quality/wear issues. Nobody wants that stained skirt, or the shirt you can’t get the smell out of, or the pants that are hanging on by a thread.

Decluttering isn’t always easy. When I started my most recent big decluttering project, it took me an entire afternoon just to get through my bathroom, and I was dragging by the end. If that is you right now, I feel you. But the time and effort is so worth it, and if done mindfully, it can actually be kind of fun. I hope that the tips shared here today will be helpful to you as you declutter your own home and continue to create the space you love to live in.

If you have more tips for making decluttering less overwhelming, or want to share how this post helped you, please leave a comment!

Until next time,