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Last updated on April 20th, 2024 at 09:20 am
Decluttering your home is an excellent thing …until you realize you don’t know how to declutter your home!
If you’re searching for a step-by-step guide to how to declutter your home, look no further. This post digs into everything from where to start, making time to declutter, dealing with overwhelm, and more.
In this decluttering 101 guide post, you’ll learn how to declutter your home using a step-by-step format.
Step 01: Choose where to start decluttering your house
The question I hear most often is “Where do I start?” I get it —with a big mess right before your eyes, it’s overwhelming and there’s no clear place to begin.
There are two different scenarios that could be happening with this question:
Scenario 01: The entire house needs decluttering and it’s unclear which room to start with.
For this scenario, think of the space that’s bothering you the most. That is typically the best place to start since it will make the most significant impact on your life.
I recommend listing the top 5 spaces that need decluttering and working your way down the list.
Once you’ve solved Scenario 01, Scenario 02 becomes the new problem.
Scenario 02: The room to start with is clear but there’s so much to do it’s unclear what to do first.
Break the space into smaller, bite-sized chunks, such as one drawer, one shelf, one cupboard, etc. Rather than looking at one giant room, cut it into smaller projects that can be managed in about 30 minutes.
Once you know where you’ll start, the next thing is to decide what actually happens in the space.
Step 02: Reduce decision-fatigue
Decluttering is easier when you know whether or not an item will add to the purpose of the space. For instance, the purpose of your kitchen is for preparing and cooking food as well as a gathering place. But your kitchen may also serve the purpose of a homeschool room or a craft room.
Declaring the purpose of that space before decluttering, even if it is multipurpose, will aid in decision-making. Therefore, if you find a bunch of toys in your kitchen, you’ll know they need to be relocated (or discarded) from the space.
Now that you’ve chosen which space to start with and what the purpose of the space is, the next step is making time to declutter.
Step 03: How to make time to declutter
As a professional organizer, I limit my sessions to 5 hours max —and that’s pushing it. 3 hours is the length of my In-Home Sessions. Why? Because decluttering is mentally and physically exhausting. I know that after 3 hours, my client and I won’t make much progress.
This is fantastic news if you’re DIY-ing it: you don’t have to spend all day decluttering your house!
Since decluttering is exhausting, plan to spend 30 minutes to a maximum of 3 hours working. With the space broken into smaller pieces, it is likely that you can finish decluttering one of those small areas in 30 minutes.
Yes, this means it will take longer to declutter your home. But you’re less likely to get exhausted and overwhelmed by taking your time. Besides, you probably have other responsibilities on your plate that won’t allow you to spend an entire week doing nothing but decluttering.
Next up, how to prepare to declutter your home.
Step 04: Declutter your home without getting overwhelmed
Before beginning to declutter, do some prep work by gathering supplies, deciding what to do with discards, and getting into the right mood.
First, gather supplies to sort items that don’t belong in the space:
- Trash bag/bin
- Donate bin
- Relocate bin
- Sell bin (opt)
- Recycle bin (opt)
To prevent getting overwhelmed, decide where you’ll take any donations, where and how you’ll sell, and research where specific items will need to be disposed of. Here are a couple of posts that can help with this step:
- Donate or Sell? A Guide To Donating Your Used Stuff
- The Ultimate List of Where To Donate Your Gently Used Items
Next, get in the right mood. In this post, I discussed how to use a morning routine to schedule your motivation instead of waiting for motivation to happen. But here are some of the main tips:
- Get adequate rest the night before.
- Get into the mood by creating a routine before getting started. Take a walk, listen to music, or do anything that will help your mindset.
- If possible, declutter earlier in the day during peak productivity hours.
- Follow your plan and limit the number of hours you declutter to prevent burnout.
Now that you’re prepared, it’s time to start decluttering!
Step 05: How to declutter
Once you have a plan & all the prep work is done, decluttering can be a breeze. Follow this procedure to begin decluttering:
First, take everything out of the space you’re decluttering & clean the area.
This step can feel overwhelming because, yes, it makes a mess. However, this is one of the most crucial steps in the decluttering process for several reasons:
- It enables you to get a vision of the space once the area is empty. (A fresh start, in other words.)
- Seeing the clutter that’s been crammed into the space will help you make better and wiser decisions about what you choose to bring into your home.
- You can quickly identify duplicate items as well as things you’ve been missing!
- Touching each item forces you to think about if it coheres to the purpose of the space.
- And, finally, once the space is clean & empty, it’s harder to add random clutter to it.
Next, sort similar items together as they’re removed from the area.
Begin by identifying the trash. Then, place any items you determine do not fit with the purpose of the space in the Relocate, Donate, or Sell bins.
Create separate small piles for similar items that will remain in the area. (These are the items you’re keeping in the space.)
The key to success with this step is asking yourself, “What should I keep?” and NOT “What should I get rid of?”
“What should I keep?” takes the pressure off to get rid of things and enables you to focus on what is useful and wanted.
Finally, organize the “keep” items back into the space.
To accomplish these, organize similar items together in the space creating zones for the different types of items. It may be necessary to rearrange things a few times. This is normal and part of the process.
If decision-making is difficult, see the next section for clutter-clearing tips.
How to clear clutter when you want to keep everything
When you want to keep everything, use reason rather than emotion to make decisions. Inside the Where To Start Decluttering Guide, you’ll find a full list of decluttering questions, including:
- Is it something I love or need?
- If I went shopping today and saw it in the store, would I actually buy it?
- Is it something I need and use often?
- Have I used it in the last year?
- Could I borrow it instead?
- Can it be easily replaced?
- Is it a duplicate or similar to something I already have?
- Would someone else be better able to use it than me?
Here are some other practical, reasonable rules to try when you want to keep everything:
20/20 rule
The 20/20 rule is simply this: let go of an item if you can replace it for less than $20 and you can replace it within 20 minutes.
If you tend to hang on to a lot of small things “just in case,” this could be the rule for you! It’s practical instead of emotional. And if you do need to replace something, you can get it for $20 within 20 minutes.
6-month rule
If you fear getting rid of something you might need, use the 6-month rule. Set items you’re unsure about in a box. After 6 months, if you haven’t used it or needed it, it’s safe to remove from your home.
These are only two of the many different strategies for decluttering. The 20/20 rule and the 6-month rule are the most useful when you want to keep everything.
How to successfully declutter your home
Much of decluttering is about mindset. Preparing to declutter with a plan and learning the steps will help build confidence in decluttering. Follow these 5 steps:
- Choose where to start decluttering your house
- Reduce decision-fatigue
- Make time to declutter
- Eliminate overwhelm
- Take action on decluttering
In the end, trusting yourself and your instincts is key to successfully decluttering your home.
Yes, you’ll make mistakes but that’s the key to learning and success. What’s needed more than anything else is an attitude of perseverance.
Attitude is key to the outcome.
Want to write down your plan following this post? Download the free Where To Start Decluttering Guide to help you successfully declutter your home. Or head to the next post in this series, “How To Organize Your Home: A 101 Guide.”
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