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Becoming more minimal is a process. It does not occur overnight. Decluttering is the huge first step in getting your home more organized by having less stuff.
Today we are going to quickly cover 10 items that you should declutter. Whether your goal is to have fewer piles, clean your home, or become more minimal you can make your home better by decluttering.
Let’s jump into the list!
1. Books
I truly enjoy reading. When you find a good book it can be difficult to part ways with it. Books though take up space and don’t get frequent use. You don’t typically read the same book every month.
It is time to thin down your book collection.
You can of course sell your books to make back some money, but you could also donate them to your local library. This is a way for you to have the comfort of knowing they are nearby and you can check them out to read anytime.
A tip here is to stop purchasing books in the first place. Consider using electronic sources or checking them out from your local library.
I have found the library does the job for me.
2. Toys
Purge all the toys!
I can’t handle too many toys out all at once. For more on this check out my tips about The Top 3 Reasons Why Every Home Should Use Toys Rotation.
With that being said you also need to declutter your children’s toys. First off what have they outgrown or no longer show interest in using?
While looking through keep your eyes open for any broken toys that need to be discarded.
Keeping broken toys or ripped children’s books gives the impression that it is fine to break things. If my child rips a page out of a book, later when they are not around I will discard the book. I don’t do it in front of them because I don’t necessarily want them to think nothing is work fixing and that everything is easily disposable and replaceable. I just don’t like them to constantly see that ripped page and think it is ok behavior.
Thin out the toys to declutter your home.
3. Paperwork
This is an area I struggle. I think it is important to keep some stuff, just in case. However, you can store a lot of stuff electronically. Clear out the paperwork the best you can.
If it is stuff that needs to stay give it a proper home, like in a file cabinet.
If it is something you need to keep until a specific date write the recycle date at the top. This way when you come across it later you know if it safe to declutter.
4. Makeup
Why do we hold on to make we never use or is way past the expiration date? Why is this a struggle?!?
Go through your makeup. If you haven’t used it in the past 3 months I would recommend trashing it.
Don’t think while you are doing this. Just go quickly and keep moving.
Your bathroom vanity and drawers will thank you later!
5. Small Kitchen Gadgets and Appliances
It is easy to accumulate kitchen gadgets and small appliances. The reality is you go through phases. One year might be the year of the smoothie while the next is the year of canning and preserving foods.
First, get rid of items you never use. This could be random items like a cherry pitter or multiples like 4 can openers. Keep your favorites and donate the rest.
Look for items that literally have a layer of dust on them. If it has dust get rid of it.
Decluttering your kitchen will free up space so you are more easily able to access the items you frequently use.
6. Sheets and Towels
I think a huge reason we hold on to items is we think about the original costs as well as the replacement cost. With sheets and towels, we know they can be expensive.
If you have double and triple sets it may be time to say goodbye to some. Many people like an extra set of sheets. That’s normal. If you are far beyond that let’s consider donating them.
If you have a “good” set of towels and a “bad” set of towels I challenge you to think of the last time you used the “bad” set.
It has probably been a while.
Once again there are charities where people would appreciate bedding and towels.
If either is beyond repair and not worthy of donating to people contact your local pet shelter and see if they could make use of these items.
There might be a shelter dog that would really appreciate that stained old towel.
7. Pantry
Declutter your pantry.
First, remove items that are expired past the point of using. Boom. Trash. Done.
Now move on to items that are close to their expiration date. Set those out on the countertop. Also, look for items that you don’t particularly like. Why are they in the pantry in the first place? Who knows?
Take them out and add them to the counter.
Get your pantry decluttered to the point where it is only housing your frequently used foods.
Now everything on the counter stays out.
You should try getting creative and finding ways to incorporate it into meals. After a little while, you realize which foods you aren’t going to touch. If they are not expired take them to a food pantry to donate.
8. Seasonal Attire
We are particularly worried about the extreme temperatures that come with winter and summer.
Winter can turn into quite a bit of bulky clothing. You do not need to have 5 pairs of gloves. You probably wear the same one or two pairs depending on the use all winter. Declutter everything related to extreme seasonal attire. This goes for coats, boots, scarves, hats, and anything else you are hoarding.
During the warm months, you know which one or two swimsuits fit you best. You also know which ones don’t quite work for you. How about swimsuit cover-ups? I bet you have 4 and only ever wear one.
9. Cleaning Supplies
Have you ever inherited cleaning supplies? This sometimes happens when you move homes or maybe someone else is decluttering and you don’t want to be wasteful.
Go through your cleaners. Find the ones you never use.
First off, why do you never use them? Is it a stainless steel cleaner and you don’t have stainless steel appliances? Find someone who does!
It is something you didn’t realize you had?
Maybe it is a specific item like a shower glass cleaner. Instead, you use a multipurpose item.
Let’s get out all the cleaners we never use. Set them on the countertop in the kitchen, bathroom, or laundry room. Just find a place.
The next few times you clean you must use these items up first.
The items that you use need to be safely stored in the cabinet.
The goal is to burn through the non-used items first. Get them used up and decluttered.
When it comes to cleaning supplies I recommend finding products that are multipurpose cleaners moving forward. Figure out what you use and stick with that.
10. Extra Décor
I recommend you look around at what is currently displayed in your home. Which items do you simply dust around, but don’t actually enjoy having?
Get rid of anything you are keeping just because someone gave it to you. You shouldn’t feel pressured to keep items in your home to make someone else happy.
If your surfaces are feeling cluttered thin them out. Visual clutter is a thing! Get rid of stuff to decrease it.
The other thing to consider with décor is stuff that is being stored. Do you have old lamps sitting in the closet or a coffee table in a storage unit? You might be holding on to a stack of empty picture frames or old curtains.
Décor that is not currently used in your home needs to go. There is a reason you are not using it. Maybe it is out of style. Maybe you don’t have space for it. It doesn’t matter. Use what you own or part ways with it.
This is an area to pay close attention to when moving homes. Once your home is settled declutter the old and unused décor.
Conclusion
Decluttering these 10 areas will make your home feel instantly cleaner and better put together. Remove items that cause clutter and don’t serve you anymore.
Take a little bit of time to declutter and you will find yourself benefiting in many ways over time.
There will be more room to properly organize and maintain your home.
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