The process of decluttering your home can be a daunting task. It’s hard to figure out what items are worth keeping and which ones should go, especially if you’re not sure where it will all fit in the end. This decluttering checklist is a free pdf that is designed for beginners who want to start with the basics.
You’ll learn how to identify what items are worth keeping, how much space they take up, and where they would best fit in your home after getting rid of them. We’ve also included some tips on making this process easier so that you don’t get overwhelmed by everything!
Decluttering printable checklist room by room
How can you declutter your house and make it a more enjoyable place to live? The first step is to figure out what items are really worth keeping and which ones can go.
Is it time for that old laptop? Do you really need all these dishes? How many pairs of shoes do you really need?
You should also think about where everything will go after getting rid of it because this one decision could change everything!
We’ll help you with some basic steps on how to declutter your home. The ideas range from starting small with just a drawer or closet, going up through the entire house over time.
Steps for decluttering a room
Begin in one area of your kitchen at a time. If you try to do it all at once, the task will seem daunting, and you’ll be less likely to stick with it. Remember that this is supposed to be fun. If it becomes a chore, you’re less likely to want to continue.
- Decide what to keep
- Figure out what doesn’t have a purpose
- Find a place for everything
- Get rid of it either by donating, throwing out, or selling
As you go through the process of deciding what to keep and what to discard, ask yourself if you really use the item.
If the answer is no, then let it go.
Once everything has been sorted into piles of things to keep and discard, put all of the discarded items in a box. Label the box clearly ‘Discard’ or ‘Throw out.’
Don’t open the box again. Put it out of sight and out of mind, then relax!
Once you’ve gotten rid of the clutter, think about where everything will go. If you’re not sure, it’s worth rearranging your kitchen so that what stays fits comfortably in the space you have to work with. This step is crucial because if one item doesn’t fit right, it’s time to get rid of it.
What you will need to get started with is a decluttering checklist
To start decluttering, you will need boxes or trash bags, donation bins, and plastic bags. Other items can include Bubble wrap and packing tape, as well as a marker if you are labeling items you are getting rid of. You can use anything that will help you sort through your belongings into keepers and discards.
Advanced declutterers may have a system for organizing their items, but if you are just starting out, it’s best to keep it simple. Three piles are all you need, they are:
- *Donate* This is great for places like the Salvation Army, and homeless shelters
- *Sell* Craigslist or other apps that you can list your no longer needed items
- *Garbage* Easiest way to get rid of clutter. Throw it in a bag and take it to the curb.
It’s important to realize there isn’t really one way to organize what you want to keep and what you want to get rid of. You might want to try different methods until you find one that works for you.
One way to organize your belongings is by category: clothing, books, kitchen supplies, etc. Another way is to organize them by room: bedroom, bathroom, living room, etc.
The most important thing is to be consistent. If you decide to organize your belongings by room, make sure you keep everything in its place. This will make it easier when it comes time to put everything back where it belongs.
To make this easy we have done everything room by room so you can declutter with ease.
Kitchen decluttering items
If you’re looking to declutter your home, there’s no better place to start than the kitchen. The fact is that we accumulate a lot of stuff in our kitchens over time, and much of it isn’t even necessary (think: extra coffee cups or years’ old food storage containers). Often we will have things we buy when grocery shopping that we use once and never again (like when I went through that keto phase).
If you’re ready to take the plunge, grab a trash bag, and here are some simple items, you can declutter your kitchen without breaking a sweat.
- Coffee cups
- Serving Dishes
- Serving trays
- Beer mugs
- Glasses
- Food containers
- Spices
- Teas and coffees
- Alcohol
- Cookbooks
- Utensils
- Cutlery and Flatware
- Knives
- Water bottles
- Travel mugs
- Kitchen appliances
- Rubber bands
- Expired food
- Old seasonings
- Old receipts
Bathroom declutter list
Decluttering your bathroom is a great idea and a pretty straightforward process either you need the items and will use them, or you don’t.
Still, it is a small space, and things pile up over time. When this happens, we can find ourselves hanging on to things we may not need anymore. Here is a list of bathroom decluttering items you can remove from your bathroom.
- Makeup
- Haircare products
- Shampoo bottles
- Lotions and creams
- Old towels
- Razor cartridges or electric razors
- Toothbrushes
- Soap dishes
- Toothpaste tubes
- Towel racks
- Toilet paper
- Old bandaids
Living room declutter list
Living rooms are the heart of your home. They’re where you spend time with family and friends, watch movies, play games, or just relax on a lazy Sunday morning. But if you have kids or pets living in your house – or both – your living room can get cluttered really quickly.
That’s why it’s important to keep up on decluttering so that everything is easy to find when you need it. And remember that while some items may be worth keeping for sentimental reasons, most things are only worth keeping because they serve an actual purpose in your life – not because they’re pretty to look at!
Once you’ve determined what can stay and what needs to go, start sorting through everything and be ruthless in your decisions. If something hasn’t been used in over a year, chances are you.
Your living room clutter can pile up pretty easily; things like books, magazines, and other one-use items can start to pile up. Here is a list of all the items you can start clearing out of your living room.
- Books
- Magazines
- Coffee table books
- Extra furniture that doesn’t fit with your decorating theme
- TV entertainment set (cable box, DVD player, etc.)
- Old DVDs or BluRays
- Video games or consoles
- Craft supplies
- Puzzles with missing pieces.
- Decorative items you no longer like
- Old electronics
Office declutter list
Picking up your office is a great way to feel refreshed and have more time for what you want to do. It’s also a great way to lower stress levels, increase productivity, and maintain better health. Here are the main office declutter items you should be getting rid of.
- Old laptops
- Printers
- Mouse
- Keyboard
- Junk mail (yeah, it’s not a physical thing, but it needs to happen)
- Books that you haven’t read in a year or older
- Old Records (keep only what you still need)
- Dated computer cables
Bedroom declutter list
If you live in a small apartment or just don’t have much storage at home, it can be tough to maintain your bedroom. With so little space for things like clothes and shoes, it can be hard to stay organized. The solution?
Take the time each week (or whenever you feel like) to declutter your bedroom! Here are some items to help you get started.
- Clothing that doesn’t fit anymore
- Old shoes
- Colognes, perfumes, and body sprays
- Jewelry that you don’t wear anymore
- Belts
- Pants or skirts with worn-out pockets or holes along the seams
- Old socks
- Badly worn out or stained clothes that you can’t mend or patch
- Blanket scarves
- Extra pillows
- Books and magazines you’ve read but aren’t worth keeping, or you’re not interested in anymore
- Clothing accessories, such as belts, ties, and jewelry
- Sheets
- Pillowcases
- Bedskirts
- Old lamps that give off a weird color or don’t turn on/off properly
- Old curtains that are torn or faded *Old lightbulbs you’ll never use*
- Picture frames without a picture in them
- Old cords
- Old pillow inserts
- Bed pillows that are flat or have permanent dents in them
- Seasonal decorations you don’t use anymore, i.e., Christmas tree lights, Valentine’s Day hearts for the windows, etc. *Extra hangers*
Closet declutter list
If you’re like most people, your closet is full of clothes that are either out of season or worn out. You might not even remember buying some of them because they were on sale, and you figured it wouldn’t hurt to have a few extras in case the ones you already owned got ruined.
The truth is, closets can be overwhelming spaces where things get lost or forgotten about until they go out of style. But there are ways to make this space more manageable so that your clothes will no longer take up all your time looking for what to wear!
- Old shoes
- Belts
- Broken umbrellas
- Scarves you don’t need anymore
- Hangers with more than six extra pieces of clothing hanging off of them
- Cleaning supplies that are expired or close to expiring
- Coat hangers
- Old clothes you don’t wear anymore
- Coats with missing buttons or tears in them *Extra hangers*
- Seasonal decorations that are old and faded, i.e., Christmas lights, Halloween pumpkins for the windows, etc.
Kids room declutter list
Kids’ rooms can be a mess. Toys everywhere, clothes that have been worn for two days in a row, and the bed is cluttered with books and games. It’s hard to know where to start when you want to declutter your kid’s room, so we found this great list of tips from parents who have been there before.
The key here is to have your child help you, so you don’t get rid of anything they still want while at the same time knowing that if they keep everything, there won’t’ be room for anything that is new.
- Clothes
- Unopened Toys
- Broken toys
- Books
- Board Games
- Outdoor toys
- Craft projects
- Jackets
- Shoes
- Sporting equipment
Garage declutter list
Garages are a lot like closets in that they’re meant to be used for storing things. But unlike closets, garages often have the added bonus of being attached to your home and having a door that you can open from inside or outside. This means that you can store all sorts of items in there with minimal effort – but it also means that it’s easy to let clutter pile up!
A garage can be a great place to store your car, tools, and other miscellaneous items you may not have the space for elsewhere in your home. But it’s also easy to let things get out of control over time, with clutter piling up around the edges of the room and everything getting buried under a layer of dust. And while it might seem like a daunting task at first, there are some steps you can take to make the process easier!
The first step is to figure out what items are really worth keeping and which ones can go. Is that old broken lawnmower still good enough? Do you really need all these tools? How many pairs of boots do you really need? You should also think about where everything will go after you get rid of it and how it will fit in the space before deciding on anything because this one decision could change everything!
- Old paint cans
- Extra broken tools you don’t need anymore
- Spare tires that are no longer roadworthy
- Markers or pens with dried out tips or ink
- Cables, cords, and adapters that you won’t use again
- Screws from furniture your recently took apart
- Power tools with missing parts
- Old lightbulbs you’ll never use again
- Car wax and cleaning products with dried out contents or expired use-by dates
- Seasonal decorations that are old and faded, i.e.
- Holiday decor like Christmas lights, Halloween pumpkins for the windows, etc.
See our full post on how to declutter a garage for more ideas.
Decluttering a house checklist FAQ
How long will it take to declutter my house?
This depends on how much stuff you have and how big your house is. It’s a good idea to start small, like with one drawer or closet. Once you’ve gotten the hang of it, you can move on to another area.
It’s also a good idea to set a time limit for yourself. If you give yourself too much time, you might get overwhelmed and not want to do it at all. On the other hand, if you only give yourself a day or two, it will be more difficult to fit decluttering into your schedule.
If you do it one room at a time, eventually, all the rooms in your house will be decluttered.
Now that you’ve learned how to sort through your possessions and get rid of them, why not get started? You’ll be surprised at how good you’ll feel when everything is organized and back in its place!
Decluttering Checklist Free Printable pdf
To get started decluttering, you can do one of two things. The first is to read a bunch of decluttering books and see if you are doing it right. Or two, download our free decluttering printable checklist and get started in the next few minutes. You will be amazed at how you no longer feel guilty about this and how good it feels to have less clutter in your house. It’s great. Enter your email below to get our free decluttering checklist sent to you.