Amanda Brownlow There are things in our homes, mine included, that we shove into drawers and into the back of closets. We want to ignore them and pretend they don’t exist anymore. It’s the junk in the trunk of our cars and the junk of our drawers. It’s those “maybe it is actually broken?” items and items that no longer fit our lifestyles. It’s the items you can absolutely declutter and get rid of it today.
Decluttering can be a therapeutic process. I’ve mentioned it before in my posts, but I’ll say it again. Less stuff overwhelming your home = less anxiety and less stress. You no longer have to find a home within your home for all of this junk that you’ve been stashing (or avoiding).
Keep reading for a FREE printable decluttering weekend guide!
For you, my lovely and wonderful readers, I am going to give you a guide on what you can declutter from your home this weekend. We’ll go room by room. No jumping around! If you feel overwhelmed just take a deep breath, grab a drink of water, and maybe just take a minute to walk outside and breath in the fresh air.
Method
I recommend opening all of your blinds and curtains to give you the most natural light. It’s amazing how the light from outside can give you a little push in the motivation department. To declutter does not mean to rid yourself of everything you own! This simple list of things, put together in a room-by-room format, is the first baby step to declutter.
Remember that you have all weekend to do this. You might have the motivation and the agility of the Flash and blow through this in a day. Good for you! If you’re unsure how you’ll do it all, check out my 4 Tips to Help You Declutter. There you will find another free printable and guide on how to mentally prepare and how to get your family and friends to help.
Let’s declutter!
Bedroom and Closets
I recommend taking everything out of your closet to do a deep decluttering. However, in this post we are just taking out the easiest items to get rid of. In this case you’ll want to make everything visible. Empty bins and drawers and put them on your bed. Hanging clothes can be left up but nothing should be on your closet floor. If you find you have the motivation and time to find your true keepers, then put everything on your bed and out of the closet.
For information on how I got rid of over HALF of my wardrobe – look here!
Clothes that don’t fit.
If you have recently changed sizes, this might be a harder one for you. Don’t let that deter you! Pluck out the clothes that you know won’t fit and will not fit within the next six months. Donate or Sell.
Clothes you haven’t worn in more than a year.
These pieces are probably stuck in the back of your closet or bottom of your drawers. It can be anything from shorts or athletic gear to too-fancy cocktail dress. If you haven’t worn it in more than a year and don’t have plans to wear it in the next 6 months, it’s time to let it go. Donate. *Note: in my wardrobe, I have one dress than I can really dress up with a blazer and jewelry and one that is truly a cocktail dress. These are both worn to professional events and to weddings. As long as you style those one or two dresses (or “fancy” outfits) differently, no one will know.
Worn out or damaged clothes.
Everyone has a shirt with a mystery stain that won’t come out… you need to get rid of it. Everything that you will not wear because it is damaged or worn to its bare threads you should toss. If your “yard work shirt” will give you a funny sunburn if you stand outside too long… let it go! Toss or cut and reuse as fabric rags.
Undies and socks with holes.
No one needs underpants with holes in them nor socks that show your toes. I recommend having at least 7 pairs of each. If you need to purchase more, create a running list of things you would like to purchase and set it aside. Toss.
Gross or hole-y shoes.
D and I each have a one pair of shoes that are our “yucky yard shoes” that stay in the garage. If you have shoes you aren’t willing to wear any more due to their state of hole-y-ness, they need to be tossed. Toss.
Empty Hangers.
Any hangers that are leftover from this process or that you have been storing should leave your home with the rest of the items. Donate.
Linens
Misshapen or too-flat pillows.
The pillows you own that are too lumpy or too flat to allow you to sleep comfortably should be decluttered from your linen closet and bed immediately if you aren’t able to revive them. You can attempt to fluff them up with your hands or give them a good wash with baking soda and vinegar and tumble dry. If they can’t be revived they have got to go. Donate to animal shelter or toss.
Damaged or worn sheets.
If your sheets are ripped down the middle, they have got to go. To declutter your sheets and bed linens, you need to pull them out and unfold them to assess if they are in good condition. Similarly, if the sheets do not fit your mattress properly they should leave as well. Before you trash them (if they are in good enough shape) call your local animal shelter to see if they would like them for the animal beds. Toss or donate.
Worn out towels.
Everyone has them: those few towels shoved into the back of your bathroom cupboard or linen closet that are too frayed for guests to use but not so useless you need to trash them. Taken inventory of all of your towels and ask yourself if you really need to keep those worn out ones. If the answer is “no”, let go. If it is a “yes”, then use them for mess rags around the house. Toss or donate to animal shelter.
Bathrooms
Old cosmetics.
Go through your make-up bag and toss anything you haven’t used in the last three month and product that has gone bad. The only exception to tossing a product would be powder (or pressed powder) eye shadow since it does not directly touch your face and does not contain a liquid. See my new mom beauty routine for inspiration! If you haven’t used it in the last three months, see if a friend wants it. Toss.
Mostly used body and bath products.
The products that are mostly used but their replacements have already been opened need to go. This would be shampoo, lotion, body wash, hair spray, hair gel, etc that is mostly gone but you have already purchased and have begun using its replacement. Toss.
Expired over the counter medicine.
For your over the counter medicine to be most effective it should be used before the expiration date. In my house, if it is within a year of its expiry date it is considered “good” (mostly because I’m frugal). Toss.
Expired or unneeded prescriptions.
Any prescriptions you no longer take or have extra of should be disposed of properly. Most pharmacies in the US have a metal recycling box that you can place them in. If you are unsure if your pharmacy has a disposal system, call them directly. Dispose of at your pharmacy.
Office and Craft Rooms
Some of you may have a dedicated room where you use your computer and do you crafting. If not, this would be the space where you store your crafting material, your computer electronics, and paperwork (mail, bills, medical documents, etc).
Pens, pencils, and markers that don’t work.
Guilty as charged: I lazily toss non-working pens back into my pen cup and just grab a new one. Stop that! Test your pens and other writing or coloring utensils and declutter the ones that do not work. Toss. *Note: Crayola will recycle markers.
Unused craft supplies.
Those supplies that have been sitting around for too long that you know you aren’t going to use should find a new home. List on Facebook or offer to friends. Donate or sell.
Unfinished projects.
I am again guilty. Starting a project and then finishing it is tough for me. Like my DIY Mod Podge Letter, it took me a while to get started after I purchased the materials. Any projects that you know in your heart that you do not have the time or willpower to finish should be disposed of. Toss.
Old receipts.
If you’re a receipt collector, I have great news for you! Those receipts that you are holding on to but you go back and forth on keeping can find a new home. Evernote is a super easy and wonderful app that allows you to snap high quality photos of receipts and other documents and organize them. You can log in anywhere you want and all of your receipts will be right there. Life changing! Digitize and toss.
Manuals.
Go through and immediately toss any manuals that go to items you no longer own. Next, either download the electronic version to your computer OR put them into a binder. I have put my into a binder for easy access. It is also something I can leave in the house if we do sell. Toss and then organize.
Kid’s Rooms
Broken toys.
Any toys with broken components or with missing pieces should be decluttered from your child’s space. Toss.
Games with missing pieces.
The games that are missing vital parts that you are not willing to replace should be a good riddance. If you find that your child loves that game and you are willing to find replacement parts (thank you eBay!) then keep it. It should be set aside and the parts added to your list of things to purchase. Toss or replace parts.
Clothing that no longer fits and will not be passed to another child.
The clothing that your child no longer fits into and will not be given to one of your younger children should be decluttered from their closet. Schoola has a great program where they will send you a donation bag and you select which school benefits from the proceeds of your donated clothes once they are sold! They also have some really amazing sales throughout the year. Donate.
Damaged or too-worn clothing.
The clothing that your child has worn to shreds should be decluttered. This would be shoes, tops, bottoms, undies, hats, and jackets. Toss.
Living Room
Broken beyond repair furniture.
That lonely side table that is shoved in a corned and ultra broken needs to go. If it has sentimental value, ask yourself if you have the motivation to either repair it yourself or pay someone else to do it. If the answer is no and no other family wants it, the item should be tossed. Look at your city’s rules on how to dispose of large items before setting it out on trash day.
DVDs and books you no longer find interesting.
We all go through phases. Those movies you bought on a Black Friday sale because they were a good deal and you loved it in the theater or the ones from you college days that you don’t want your kids watching on accident. Cull your movie collection to what you love and what you will watch again within the next year. Donate or sell.
Throw pillows and blankets that are never on the couch.
You find your fancy throw pillows and ultra soft blankets on the floor more often than on couch? It could be time to get rid of them. If you aren’t willing to pick them up every day then say good to all or keep just a manageable few. Donate.
Read More on Decluttering >>>
A Simple Guide on How to Purge Your Whole House
How I Eliminated Over Half of My Wardrobe
4 Tips to Help You Declutter in 2019
18 Things We Won’t Buy in 2019
Kitchen
Expired Food
We all have that lonely can of soup in the back of the pantry. Clean out your pantry and fridge. All food that is expired and/or smells gross should be disposed of. Toss.
Under the sink – cleaning supplies
Any cleaning supplies or miscellaneous junk that lurks under your sink should be gone through and decluttered if you don’t use it. Look at your city’s website to see how you should dispose of chemicals. Toss.
Duplicate gadgets.
Look for duplicates of items that are not useful to have. For example, we have two spatulas and that’s nice to have two. But we only have one can opener. If a second found a way into our home, we would eliminate one. Donate.
YES TO ALL OF THIS! I’m moving out in a few weeks so I’m very glad I came across your post!
I’m glad you find it useful! Good luck moving out and decluttering in the process!