How to Declutter Your Home: a Simple Guide

Today I’m sharing some simple tips and ideas on how to declutter any room or space in your home so you can begin 2023 in the best possible way.  

I hope these decluttering tips will inspire and motivate you to let things go and get organized. It’s easier than you think. And once you’re done, you’ll feel so much lighter.  I can’t think of a better way to start the new year!

kitchen

How to Declutter Your Home: 9 Simple Tips

1. Get in the right frame of mind

Decluttering is always easier and more enjoyable if you take a few minutes at the beginning to get in the right mindset by imagining how good you will feel when the project is done!

Remind yourself that decluttering your room, closet, or home will lighten the load on your brain, elevate your mood, give you more clarity, and allow you to concentrate on the things that really matter. 

guest bedroom

Having an organized home makes your life run more smoothly because you’re not constantly looking for things. Every time you open a cabinet or closet, you’ll find what you need without digging around for it. 

For example, having fewer clothes makes it easier to get dressed in the morning because you’re not overwhelmed by too many choices.

The goal of decluttering and getting organized isn’t just clearer spaces, it’s a clearer mind. I’ve found that organizing the office, cleaning out closets, or even just tackling the junk drawer can uplift my spirits. 

2. Begin with the room that will give you the most satisfaction

For me, the biggest hurdle in decluttering a room is knowing where to begin, so I usually start with the space that will give me the most satisfaction, or “bang for my buck.” 

Often, I start with the kitchen, because it can easily be broken down into manageable chunks, such as one drawer or one cabinet at a time.  I put on some music, tell myself I’ll only declutter as long as I feel like it, and just begin! 

Pure Salt Interiors

The funny thing is, after the first few minutes, I want to keep going–and it usually only takes an hour or two to tidy and organize the entire kitchen. And once I tackle the kitchen with success, everything else seems easy in comparison.

3. Take small steps

“The secret of getting ahead is getting started. The secret of getting started is breaking your complex overwhelming tasks into manageable tasks, and then starting on the first one.”  -Mark Twain

Taking small steps is my favorite approach to doing anything that seems daunting. Performing small, easy-to-do actions is always less overwhelming than forcing yourself to finish a project all at once.  I call this “following the path of least resistance.”

entryway

When your entire room or closet feels cluttered and disorganized, trying to tackle a mountain of stuff can be overwhelming.  So give yourself permission to work on decluttering for a certain amount of time or in a certain amount of space.

Look at the clock and tell yourself you only have to work on the project for 15 minutes, or an hour, or whatever.  Or clean out one drawer, one cabinet, shelf, or one section of the closet per day.

The main thing is, you’ve begun–and that’s the hardest part–so celebrate your achievement! Bien fait!

Hooks // Bien Fait Bag

Then do another chunk of time or space tomorrow. And another the next day. You’ll gain momentum, and before you know it, you’ll have decluttered your entire home!

4.  Sort your stuff into 3 piles

First, make sure you have plenty of trash bags or boxes for the items you’re throwing away.  Designate an area to place items for donation or sale and have boxes or bags on hand for those items as well.

I recommend completely emptying the drawer, cabinet, or closet you’re working on.  Then sort each item into three piles:  things to keep, things to toss, and things to donate or sell. 

Deciding what to keep and what to donate can be tricky at first, but it gets easier as you go along. It all comes down to deciding what’s important to you — and what you can do without.

hearth room

If I haven’t used or worn something in over a year (unless it’s something I need to keep for special occasions), it’s usually a pretty good indicator that it should be passed along to someone else who will use and appreciate it. 

This might sound corny, but when I can’t decide whether to keep or discard an item, I ask myself whether it brings me  joy.  If it doesn’t, I know I don’t need to keep it.  This is one of the tips I learned from Marie Kondo’s The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, and it’s surprisingly effective!

Another thing that helps me let go of things is to think about the person who will receive and hopefully benefit from my donated item. It makes me feel good to imagine someone else experiencing joy from something I pass along.

To make the “keep vs. donate” decision a little easier and faster, I also create a box or pile for items I’m not sure about.  I come back to these items after I’m done decluttering and decide whether to keep or donate them. 

If I’m still not sure, I pack those items away and look at them again in a few weeks or months. Usually, if I haven’t needed them, it’s easy to let them go.

5.  Find creative storage solutions

Next, put away everything you’re keeping.  When you get to this point, you might find that you need some drawer dividers, baskets, or bins to help you organize what’s left.  

The Container Store, HomeGoods, and Target have tons of creative storage solutions for your kitchen, bath, closets, office, and garage. 

I love using baskets to organize just about everything, including cookbooks and cutting boards on our kitchen counter.  This basket was from Target, but unfortunately they no longer sell it.

Be willing to look at your spaces with a fresh eye and store things in more efficient and beautiful ways.  Storage ottomans, baskets, shelves, boxes, cubbies, drawer organizers, and under-the-bed boxes all make organizing easier.

Furniture and decorative accessories can often double as storage space and provide clutter control.  Do you have a large armoire or cabinet with some empty space in it?  You could use it to store extra pillows and blankets, or even clothing.

In my office, a cabinet not only displays favorite decorative items and books, but doubles as storage space for files and supplies.

home office

Something I use throughout our home are clear stacking plastic boxes with lids, which I use to corral and organize random things.  I have boxes for batteries, my glue gun and sticks, party supplies, art supplies, small tools, photos, etc.  I simply label the front of each box and stack them on closet shelves for fast and easy access.

Here are a few of my favorite home organizing products:

6.  Rethink how you use your spaces

I’ve found that by using the spaces in our home more wisely I can increase our storage space and decrease clutter.  Thinking “outside the box” can result in solutions that are both creative and beautiful.

kitchen

One storage solution we recently put in place is replacing our upper kitchen cabinets with open shelving.  Since everyone can see what’s on display, it’s an easy way to ensure that what we have is both functional and beautiful.

7.  Keep a household journal

I love my journals!  I have a food journal, a prayer journal, a gratitude journal, and a garden journal.  Another journal I recently added to my collection is a household journal. 

living room sources

Similar to a garden journal, a household journal records information you want to remember from year-to-year:  paint colors, product sources, maintenance records, renovation expenses, and a place to record what you’re storing and where it’s located.

8.  Declutter your schedule and life

Once I started getting around the house, I wanted to start organizing my days more efficiently, too.  My personality type loves routine and structure, but since I work from home I have to create that structure for myself. 

Planning my mornings and days beforehand helps me remember my big picture goals, making it easier to figure out what I need to do next.

master bedroom

9. Keep going

I’ve found that once I get into this process I want to keep going and organize everything.  Also, the more spaces I clear out, the better I get at deciding what to keep and what to get rid of. 

So, while I’m still motivated, I try to think of more things to go through, such as old photos, books, jewelry or paperwork.  Sometimes I’ll go through a cabinet, closet or space a second time and find even more things to donate or throw away!

kitchen sources

Once you’ve decluttered a room, closet, or area, make sure to take some time to appreciate your achievement. You might even want to take a photo or two!

Decluttering isn’t just about getting rid of excess stuff, it’s about letting go of the old and embracing a new way of living.  This is all about keeping up with who you’re becoming, so don’t lose focus and keep going!

I hope these tips on how to declutter your home will bring more peace and joy to your daily life. If you need a little more guidance, I’ve found this book and this book helpful, too.  xo Jane

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*Quote by William Morris