Declutter Your Home Checklist

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If you feel overwhelmed by clutter and don’t know where to start, I completely understand. I’ve been there. Today I’m sharing this helpful declutter your home checklist to help you get started.

Also, be sure to grab my free decluttering bundle at the bottom of the post!

Declutter Your Home Checklist @ AVirtuousWoman.org
Originally published July 2018. Updated March 2023.

We struggled with clutter in my house for many years. I feel like we’re almost to the point where we don’t have extra clutter now. But let me tell you. It was bad. My husband has a really hard time letting things go. Like. Really hard.

And after 20 years of marriage, there was just so much stuff. It was a battle. We argued over clutter a lot.

And the truth is, he still struggles from time to time but there’s been such an improvement. He’s finally realizing our home is more peaceful when there’s empty space.

You know, room to breathe.

Here’s some pretty embarrassing before (and after) pictures. I’ll have to share a complete before and after post of our house one of these days. Here’s just a few pictures from the accumulated clutter problem.

The first two sets of photos are of the same room in our house – the mudroom by the back door and breakfast area (far right photos).

Clutter contributes so much stress to home life.

Sometimes the problem is you just have too much stuff. Or maybe you’re too busy to bother with decluttering. My guess, though, is that your struggle with clutter goes a lot deeper than the surface of every table top in your home.

A lot deeper. 

Clutter and discouragement very often go hand in hand. 

You feel discouraged so you buy more stuff to fill up that empty place in your soul. Or you feel discouraged so it’s difficult to get motivated to clean things up. Maybe your home is a reflection of broken relationships or emotional trauma from your childhood.

And just like all that clutter in your house, all that internal junk doesn’t just go away because you wish it away. You have to do the hard work.

I want you to know you can declutter your home.

It might be tough, but I believe you can do it!

“With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” Matthew 19:26

Declutter Your Home Checklist

When you look at your home, you may feel motivated to declutter it, but you don’t know where to start. The thought of purging a lot of clutter out of your house can feel overwhelming.

And, if you’re a mom, you’re not just purging your own items, you’re also purging all your family’s stuff too. So let’s talk about how to get rid of that clutter in your home – even when decluttering is overwelming. 

The good news is, having a plan and knowing where to start can really help you declutter your home. That’s why I’ve created this decluttering checklist. 

What does decluttering mean?

The dictionary says that decluttering means: remove unnecessary items from (an untidy or overcrowded place).

I know some of you just feel like giving up before you even get started decluttering. It can be hard to know where to start decluttering when your overwhelmed. It’s easy to push all that clutter aside or hide it in the closet and go about your day to day lives.

You ignore that the pile of papers in the corner. The stacks of shoes that no one can wear, go unnoticed. Until one day you realize there’s so much clutter being home feels stressful. 

Right now is the perfect time to start decluttering your home. 

Where Do I Start With Decluttering My Home?

This is my favorite part because when it comes to getting rid of clutter in one’s home, most people don’t know where to start. 

  1. Make a list of your most cluttered areas- Once you know where the most cluttered areas in your home are, it’s going to be easier to star somewhere. 
  2. Know how you want your space to look – While this may be a difficult task, it’s an important one. If you just want your space to be free of the clutter that’s okay too! Visualize a clean space! 
  3. Freeze any purchases – DO NOT, I repeat DO NOT start buying more stuff, put a freeze on buying anything else. You certainly don’t want to bring more clutter into your space.
  4. Prepare yourself mentally – Although you may look at your cluttered areas and think it’s all junk, you may actually have some trouble getting rid of some of the items. 

These are just four actionable steps you can take to begin the process of decluttering your home. 

How to Declutter Your Home Fast

What if you don’t have to go through every single piece of clutter in your home? If you need to declutter fast, there are some ways you can do that. 

Get Rid of the Trash

You can get rid of the clutter in your house quickly by getting rid of the trash. You can most likely easily look around your home and figure out what the trash is. Toss it ASAP!

Put Things Away

It’s truly amazing how many things in your home have a home. However, they aren’t put away. You can declutter very quickly by putting things where they go. The kids can help with this part. Have them put their own items where they go. 

Get Rid of Unused Items

Another way to declutter quickly is to get rid of unused items in your home. If you’re not using it, then it makes sense to get rid of it. And if you’re being true to yourself, you know what you use and what you don’t use. 

Set a Timer

Getting rid of clutter fast happens when you time yourself. It might sound crazy to actually time yourself cleaning up your own mess, but I bet it does get you moving. 

Donate Items

You know, sometimes I am more likely to be okay with getting rid of clutter if I know they are going to a good home. I think you’ll have a little more peace of mind if you know your unused items are going to a good home. 

These are some of my favorite tips for decluttering fast. 

Steps to Decluttering

It’s important to keep in mind that not every single person is going to declutter in the same way. Take a look at some of these tips and see which one tips will work best for you! 

  • Start by going through the items: Before you get rid of anything, you’ll want to go through all of the items you have in your piles. Although this is most likely the longest step, it’s also the most important. 
  • Sort everything into piles: You can make the decluttering process less painful by sorting everything into piles. Keep, donate, and trash. Keep your piles simple and you’ll be able to work through it all a lot faster. 
  • Give everything a home: Once you set everything into piles, you can start giving everything a home. If you have trash, throw it away. If you have a donate pile, make sure you take the time to donate it.
  • Put things back how you like it: After you have decluttered, this is your chance to put everything back how you’d like it. Don’t just throw all of the items you want to keep back in the pile. Put it all away. 

Favorite “Declutter” Your Home Apps 

When it comes to decluttering, sometimes you just need a little help. Decluttering apps can actually help you more than you ever thought possible. Here are a few of my favorites. 

If you don’t like any of these apps, there are a 100 more you can find. I personally love this list.  

Checklist of Things to Declutter | Declutter List

Do you need an idea of what normal everyday people declutter out of their homes? I’d love to walk you through a small checklist of things to declutter. Believe me when I say I’ve done some major purging and thrown out all of this… and more! In fact, I still have more decluttering to do in my own home. 

  • Trash
  • Old makeup
  • Mail 
  • Expired personal hygiene items
  • Old hair brushes and combs
  • Almost empty bottles
  • Bad food in the fridge
  • Bad food in the freezer
  • Expired food in the cabinets 
  • Old dishes
  • Old pots and pans
  • Old spices
  • Plastic dishes you no longer use
  • Junk in the junk drawer
  • Plastic containers that have no lid
  • Medicine that has expired
  • Socks that have holes or no matches
  • The clothing you no longer where
  • Movies you no longer watch 
  • Glasses you no longer wear
  • Board games with missing pieces
  • Old rags and sponges you no longer use
  • Donate some of your coffee mugs
  • Cooking utensils you don’t use
  • Get rid of anything you have 2-3 extra of 
  • Broken dishes or that funky bowl
  • mismatched storage containers and tupperware
  • Old medications
  • Board games and puzzles that are missing pieces
  • Craft supplies, markers, pens, and pencils that are broken
  • Broken toys that are no longer played with
  • Old TVs and electronics you no longer use
  • Get rid of anything that is broken and you have no plans to fix
  • Small appliances and gadgets you never use
  • Holiday decor you never use
  • Remote controls, cords, wires
  • jewelry you don’t wear
  • extra clothes hangers
  • Accessories, gloves, and scarves you no longer wear
  • Old cds and dvds

Basically get rid of anything that doesn’t add to your joy and peace of mind. If you love it and use it, make a place in your home for it to live. Otherwise, it’s taking away from your joy and peace of mind.

Free Printable Declutter Your Home Checklist Bundle

You’ll love my free printable declutter checklist with all the extra printable goodies to use! This bundle will help you get rid of all the excess clutter in your life!

  • How to Delcutter​ Tip Sheet
  • 40 Things to Declutter
  • 40 Bags in 40 Days Challenge + Stickers
  • Declutter Labels – Small and Large Sizes
  • The 10 Minute Declutter Guide
  • What to Do with Your Stuff Cheat Sheet
  • 30 Day Declutter Challenge
  • 11 pages to print

How to Download

Here’s everything you need to get started decluttering today. 

  1. You can purchase the declutter bundle is in my shop – or you can the bundle for free when you fill out the form below!
  2. You’ll receive an email with the link to download your printables.
  3. Print and use as directed.

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4 Comments

  1. Thank you for this!! I love reading your emails you’re a very inspiring woman and I love learning more about how to live peacefully!! I love learning more about God and scripture. I’m just starting out as a homeschool mom so I’m very excited about this season in my life and I truly believe God has called me to do it!! Have a blessed day and thank you for being a blessing and a mentor to complete strangers and making them feel not so overwhelmed in life!!
  2. Why am i not finding the form to fill out to get the Declutter bundle you can "Get it free when you fill out the form below. You’ll receive an email with the link to download the bundle". For some reason, its NOT obvious, and WaYYY too "Hidden" (for lack of a better term) Please direct me to this form please.

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