They say a cluttered space leads to a cluttered mind…and we would hate to see you start the new year off with a cluttered mind. To help you out, we’ve come up with a 7 Day Declutter challenge to help get your home in tip top shape! The Declutter challenge is a 7 day bootcamp (with a printable checklist) that you can use to help you give your home a deep clean for the new year.
First day – The Bedroom
Let’s start in the bedroom because let’s be honest, you can’t get a good night sleep surrounded by clutter. You’ll definitely be spending some time in the closet going through your clothing, so you’ll want to create a few different piles for donations, yard sales, & trash.
Here are a few items that you will start donating, throwing out or saving for a yard sale:
- Promotional tee shirts that you never wear
- Shoes that you haven’t worn in a year
- Formalwear that hasn’t been worn in years (I’m looking at you bridesmaids dresses)
- Clothing that doesn’t fit anymore
- Anything stained
- Broken jewelry or jewelry with missing pieces
- Socks without a match
- Hangers from the dry cleaners
- Stained bedding (sheets, pillows, etc)
- Anything in your nightstand that doesn’t belong in a nightstand
Second Day – The Bathroom
Day two is all about decluttering the bathroom and linen closet. What’s lingering at the back of those closets and underneath that sink may be a mystery, but today we will clean it all out and make it organized and clean.
- Ripped towels and washcloths
- Stained sheets
- Quilts that you don’t use
- Sample sized toiletries
- Magazines
- Moldy shower curtain liners or loofahs
- Makeup more than 6 months old
- Toiletries over a year old
- Makeup that you don’t ever use
- Lotions and perfumes that you don’t use
- Expired medicines
Third Day – The Kitchen
On the third day, we’ll tackle the kitchen. Now the kitchen is where you will likely have a lot of items to sell and throw away. Kitchen appliances can be valuable, but expired spices…not so much.
- Appliances you haven’t used in the past year
- Appliances with missing parts
- Pots and pans that you don’t use.
- Unused coffee mugs
- Chipped plates, cups or bowls
- Entertaining platters that never see the light of day
- Travel mugs that don’t have a top
- Expired spices
- Expired food
- Opened liquor bottles that haven’t been touched in ages
- EVERYTHING in the junk drawer
- Take out menus, coupons and junk mail
- Old household cleaners
- Glasses you no longer use
- Stained or ripped kitchen towels
- Moldy sponges
- Expired condiments
- Moldy refrigerated food
- Leftovers in mystery containers
- More than one of any baking dish, pan or sheet
Fourth Day – The Living Room
The room that your family spends the most time in tends to be overruled with unnecessary clutter. Use the checklist below to get rid of the clutter once and for all.
- Sofa pillows that are neither comfortable nor matching
- Decorative items that no longer match your decor
- Remote controls for appliances you no longer own
- Stained area rugs
- Broken furniture
- Knick Knacks
- Children’s toys
- Excessive blankets or throws
Fifth Day – The Office
On the fifth day, we are going to tackle your home office. Now you’ll want to break out the recycling bin for this one because we are about to purge all of those paper scraps you’ve been keeping all year long!
- Junk mail
- Or mail you’ve been meaning to get around to, but haven’t
- Catalogs & magazines
- Broken pencils & pens
- Scraps of paper
- Expired coupons
- Important paperwork (file it away in a safe place)
- Duplicate office supplies
- Post-it Notes with old reminders
- Old calendars
- Random electrical cords
- Any electronic that no longer works
- Old business cards
- Old planners
- Old receipts
Sixth Day – The Children’s Room
Today we are going to tackle the children’s rooms, and brace yourself because you never know what you might find under your child’s bed! Hopefully, you don’t find any creatures nibbling on food wrappers under there!
- Broken toys
- Toys they no longer play with
- Toys & games with missing pieces
- Clothing that no longer fits
- Stained clothing
- Shoes that no longer fit
- Stained bed linens
- Broken crayons or markers without tops
- Remove any stickers that have been placed on furniture
- Old posters
- Food wrappers
Seventh Day – The Garage
I’d like to say we’ve saved the best for last, but alas the garage in itself can be a beast to organize. Grab your spouse or a friend for this challenge, you might need some help.
- Old paint cans
- Trash
- Excessive rags
- Cardboard boxes
- Bicycles with broken parts
- Automobile parts
- Christmas decorations you haven’t used in years
- Duplicate tools
- Random electrical cords, plugs, and parts
- Glass vases, flower pots and hanging baskets
- Outdoor toys that the children no longer use
- Snow tubes or pool toys that have a hole
Now that you’ve finished the 7 day Declutter Challenge your home should be sparkling clean AND you can start the new year with a fresh perspective.
Want to download the “7 Day Declutter Checklist”? for a printable checklist of the daily activities.
