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April 2017

Organising

9 Top Decluttering Methods for Your Home

Are you stuck on how to clear the clutter in your home? Check out this 9 decluttering methods to help you clear the excess!
 

Sometimes it can be hard to know where to start with decluttering, particularly when there are so many decluttering methods available and so many different forms of clutter. It can be difficult to know which decluttering method is going to be the most useful to you on your decluttering journey. And more often than not, you probably don’t have the time or patience to research or try them all out.

A couple of years ago I too was frustrated with the amount of stuff that had accumulated in my humble sized home. Every cupboard, drawer, shelf, the countertop was filled with stuff and added stress to everyday life. Trying to cook dinner was a chore with piles of stuff on our small kitchen island that was hard enough to prepare meals with. It was a fight every time I tried to open a cupboard to get a set of sheets or towel out. Getting dressed often involved pulling out endless clothes only to realise that nothing went together, no longer fit, or had a button missing.

I knew something had to change and so I set out decluttering every area of my home that I could think of. Not a single drawer, shelf or cupboard was safe. It was a slow process I carried out in my spare time day-to-day over a period of 2 years. Lucky for me I found it therapeutic and it became something I am really passionate about.

Of course, that isn’t the case for everyone – some people find the process tiresome and tedious and may just not have the time to dedicate to decluttering or researching different decluttering methods. so I am here to save you the trouble (at least some of it)!

Since starting my decluttering journey, I have researched and tried and tested many decluttering methods so keep reading for a brief introduction to some decluttering methods from some amazing minimalism bloggers like The Minimalists and Courtney Carver at Be More With Less.

Here are 9 Top Decluttering Methods to Declutter Your Home that I believe on their own or in unison, can help you get on your way to a more decluttered home that you love!

9 Methods to Declutter Your Home

1. The Konmari Methid – Organising by category

The Konmari method of decluttering was created by organising expert Marie Kondo and is based on identifying what you want to keep, rather than what to get rid of. The decision on whether to keep each item is decided by asking if the item sparks joy. If the answer is yes, it goes in the keep pile. If no, it goes in the donate or trash pile.

The approach to this method is to declutter by one category at a time, rather than location. If you have books in different rooms, you are to move all of them into one location and sort all of them at once. This allows you to see the vast amount of stuff you have of one category and helps you to avoid keeping multiples of things you might not have known you had, if they were kept in separate locations.

Take clothes for example, if you have some in your drawers, cupboard in the hall closet and have some in the laundry you may not realise how many clothes you really have until they are piled up on your bed in a clothing mountain.

The Konmari method sets out the order for decluttering which is based on perfecting your decluttering skills before you move onto the harder items like sentimental items.

Marie Kondo suggests the order of decluttering your home is: clothes, books, papers, komono (miscellaneous household items like valuables, craft supplies, stuff for hobbies, office supplies, electronics and kitchen items) and finally, sentimental items.

Pros: This decluttering method focuses on identifying what you love rather than what you don’t. Over time it allows you to be more aware of what you do love and what you don’t. It also encourages us to be thankful for what we do have and appreciate our things as we say thank you to each parted item. Part of decluttering is to learn to be grateful for what we do have so the Konmari method really speaks to that.

Cons: Taking every item from one category such as clothing can be extremely time consuming and overwhelming. Marie Kondo, says that decluttering is a special event to be done once, so this might be too big of an undertaking for some with smaller pockets of time. This method also can make it harder to let your stuff go if you find yourself saying everything sparks joy. 

2. Four Box Method – relocate, donate, trash, sell 

The four-box method of decluttering allows you to make quick decisions and tackle small areas to declutter. Start with grabbing four boxes, containers, washing baskets or whatever you have on hand and labelling them with Keep, Toss, Donate and Sell. As you move through each area make a decision for each piece in the area you are decluttering and place it into the appropriate box.

This decluttering method can be flexible to sort through a whole room or a small area and can be used for quick decluttering or bigger time slots. Anything you decide to keep can stay in the same location.

Keep: Anything you love that you want to hold onto.

Toss: This is for any items you no longer need or want that are damaged, unsaleable or not in good condition to donate. Sometimes it is best to split this into two containers one for trash and one for recyclables. Just bring your regular recycling bin into the room ready for any recycling. Do your bit for the environment and dispose of each item as thoughtfully as possible. If it can be donated, recycled or sold take that option and limit what ends up in landfill. 

Donate: These are any items that you no longer want or need, that are in good condition and could be used by other people. When the box is full put it in your boot and drop it off at your local charity bin or shop.

Sell: This container is for any items of value that you no longer want, but that you could sell on eBay, Facebook or local buy, swap sell sites. I would recommend setting a $20 limit, if you can’t sell any items for more than $20 it is probably not going to be worth the time and effort to list it and deal with shipping it or arranging a pick-up. If you are in need of cash and have the time by all means set a lower limit.

Pros: This decluttering method helps you to easily keep track of each item and sort it with one touch. It gives you 4 options to help limit any overwhelm from decision making. Sometimes having the decision based on what to keep, rather than what to get rid of makes for easier decision making on what to keep or dispose of.

Cons: This decluttering method doesn’t really give you any guidelines on where to start like the Konmari method.

3. The Minimalists Packing Party

The Packing Party is a game established by the Minimalists Ryan Nicodemus and Joshua Fields Millburn for people who don’t want to take a year to declutter their stuff and want fast results.

The idea is that you box up all of your possessions and only take out each item as you need them to decide what you do use and what you don’t. As you need towels, plates, clothes, shoes and other items take them out of the box. After 21 days see what you didn’t touch and make a decision on what’s left as to whether it stays or goes. If there is anything not out of the boxes consider whether it truly adds value to your life and consider selling, donating, giving it away or trashing it.

Pros: A great method if you don’t want to spend months decluttering or longer. Allows you to declutter your home quickly and see what you do and don’t use on a regular basis. 

Cons: This can seem like a pretty extreme, messy decluttering method. It may save time decluttering and speed up the process, but packing up all of your stuff is going to take a significant amount of time in itself.

Minimise With Me’s Tip: If packing up your entire house seems daunting, unnecessary or impossible, try packing up one area at a time. Your towels, make-up, wardrobe, your kitchen utensils, plates and cups. After 3 weeks assess what you didn’t need from each area and declutter accordingly.  

4. The Minimalists Mins Game

The Mins Game is a game developed by The Minimalists to make decluttering a little more fun and to ease you into the process.

Start off on day one decluttering one item. Day two declutter two items. Day three, three items and so on until you get to day 30 where you declutter 30 items.

Over the space of 30 days, you will have decluttered a total of 465 items. A great game to start off a new month and keep you on your toes.

To keep you motivated and keep track of your progress you can post your photos with #minsgame to look back on your decluttering journey and see others’ progress to help motivate you.

Pros: Builds momentum, starting small with one item and gradually increasing the number. Great way to motivate you to declutter a large number of items in a small space of time.

Cons: It can be frustrating initially to only declutter one item. Not extremely flexible in terms of time as you need to have more and more time to declutter as the month progresses which may not suit your schedule.

5. The Minimalists 90/90 rule

The 90/90 rule is one that you can use to look forward in time and backwards to make a decision on what to keep. It can be applied to your wardrobe or whatever else you like by simply asking ‘Have I used this in the last 90 days and do I see myself using it in the next 90 days’?

If there is something you have been holding onto ‘just in case’, ask yourself the question.

Writing a list of these items can help keep track of what things you are considering. Over the next three months be mindful of the item. If you have a use for it, you’re most likely going to use the item over that time frame. If at the end of that six month assessment period you still are yet to use an item and it isn’t something seasonal, consider if it is something you truly need. The 20/20 rule below can help you make this decision. 

Pros: This can speed up the decluttering process by allowing you to consider the past three months in your decision rather than only looking ahead like the backwards hanger method.     

Cons: This decluttering method doesn’t take into account that some items are things that you want to keep but might only use for a small period of the year such as seasonal items like ski equipment. For these items, it is probably best to stretch the assessment period to looking back six months and forward six months as opposed to three. 

6. The Minimalists 20/20 Just in Case Rule:

The 20/20 Just in Case rule is a helpful tool to allow you to let go of those ‘Just In Case’ items that you aren’t using but keep you thinking – what if I need it one day?

This rule can be used in conjunction with the 90/90 rule and sets out that if you don’t need something but feel like you should hang onto it just in case you need it one day, consider whether you can replace that item within 20 minutes for less than $20. If that is the case, let it go.

You’ll often find that 99% of the time, what you have donated or sold won’t be missed. If there is that one item that you ended up needing you can easily go and reacquire it without having it take up valuable storage space in your home when you are not using it and at $20 it won’t blow your budget. 

Pros: Helps in letting go of some of those ‘just in case’ items you’re reluctant to get rid of.

Cons: You may have a handful of items that you dispose of that you have to repurchase at a later date. By being honest with whether you need something, this will be kept to a minimum. 

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Methods to Declutter Your Wardrobe

Here are some decluttering methods specifically aimed at decluttering your wardrobe and help you to build a more curated wardrobe that you love!

7. The Backwards Hanger Method

This decluttering method is used to downsize your wardrobe and assess what you do and don’t wear.

Simply take all the clothes on your hangers and turn them backwards so the coat hanger hook is facing towards you. As you wear each piece and wash it, return the item to the wardrobe facing forward. Set a note on your calendar for three, six or twelve months, whatever you prefer, to remind you to review what you have and haven’t worn in that time.

Whatever is still facing backwards at the end of the calendar period is what hasn’t been worn and can probably be donated or sold. Keep in mind that some items like coats, will not be worn for 3-6 months across the summer months so it is probably best to separate your clothes by season and only include the clothes you will wear that season for review.

Pros: Takes the difficulty out of decluttering your wardrobe. Just set a reminder on your phone and have a reassessment at a later date. Allows you to ‘save’ clothes that you might have put off wearing and will encourage you to wear your favourite item more. 

Cons: It is only useful for clothing and for items that you have hung up. If you don’t have much hanging space it won’t allow you to declutter much of your wardrobe. 

8. Courtney Carver’s Project 333 Capsule Wardrobe

Courtney Carver’s Project 333 is a capsule wardrobe challenge to only wear 33 items. It includes clothing, accessories, jewellery, outerwear and shoes over a three month period. It excludes sentimental jewellery that you never take off, underwear, sleepwear, in-home loungewear, and workout clothing.

Once you have picked 33 items that you love and that can be mixed and matched, box up the remainder of your wardrobe, seal it with tape and put it out of sight. This capsule wardrobe is created every three months in order to tailor a wardrobe for each season of the year.

Pros: Takes the stress out of getting dressed every day. Everything in your wardrobe is something that you love wearing so you won’t have to stand at your wardrobe each morning looking through clothes you don’t like or wear. Helps you to get to know what clothing you enjoy wearing and what suits you so you can reduce buying clothes that end up unworn.

Cons: Paring down to 33 items for 3 months is definitely a challenge. If you can’t do 33 items, set a reasonable limit – 40 or 50 and see if you can manage that and try and pair it down with your next three-month wardrobe. It is meant to help you streamline your wardrobe not torture you.

9. Minimise With Me’s Drawer Rotation Method 

After all my research on decluttering methods, I haven’t really found any decluttering method that catered to clothing that was not hung up but folded in drawers. I wouldn’t have been able to hang up all my clothes in my wardrobe due to the space limits. I also wanted to avoid going out and buying more coat hangers or special hangers to hold up singlets, shorts and the like, temporarily. I wanted a decluttering method that would allow me to assess what clothes I did and didn’t use, like the backwards hanger method for the clothing hung up in my wardrobe, but for the clothing, I kept in my drawers.

I came up with the Drawer Rotation Method which is a system I use, along with the Konmari Folding Technique, where you put your clean, folded washing to the back of your drawers – rather than in front.

This encourages you to wear all the items in your drawers, not just the items that you regularly wear and put back to the front, leaving the back items to sit for weeks or even months unworn and potentially forgotten, cluttering up your drawers.

This Drawer Rotation Method has helped me to keep an even rotation of the clothes I wear that are folded in drawers. It also helps to identify what you do and don’t wear. After a while, that old shirt that you hate wearing will be sitting at the front of your drawer as a constant reminder of how it might be time to donate or trash it.

Pros: Helps you to assess which clothes in your drawers you wear more frequently over a period of time and which ones you can declutter.

Cons: Only works if you use the Konmari folding technique where clothes as stacked horizontally in parcels, rather than in vertical, less-visible piles.

Have you tried any of the above decluttering methods? Did you find them helpful? Have you come across any others that have helped you? Please comment below with what has helped you declutter your home!

Declutter With Me Decluttering Course 

 

Are you finding yourself overwhelmed and stressed out by clutter in your home?

If you’re looking to minimise the excess in your life, Declutter With Me: A 12 Week Guide to Declutter Your Home is a go-at-your-own-pace course that will give you the step-by-step, room-by-room instructions to help you clear the clutter in your home in as soon as just 12 weeks!

But clearing the clutter isn’t just about getting rid of your excess stuff. It’s important to change your behaviour and consumer habits so you can avoid re-cluttering your space once you have decluttered. Included in Declutter With Me, are “Keep It Minimal” tips for each area in your home + 7 Tips To Help You Keep Your Home Minimal, to give you strategies you can implement to help you spend with intention so you can avoid bringing clutter back into your home.

If you are keen to minimise your unwanted clutter check out Declutter With Me so you can create a home you love!

Minimalism

10 Benefits of Home-Made Cleaning Products

There are so many benefits to using home-made cleaning products, check out these 10 ways home-made cleaning products can benefit you

We are constantly bombarded with ads telling us what new cleaning products are available and why we need them to keep our homes safe and germ free. With massive advertising budgets and fancy packaging the chemical based cleaning products often get their products into homes without consumers knowing the downsides of using these products.

There are many significant benefits of home-made cleaning products that people who don’t actively seek out the information might not be aware of.  They can help with making your home so much safer with very little effort.  Here are 10 benefits of home-made cleaning products and why I have converted to using these in my home and how they might be useful to you. Click here for nine of My favourite Home-Made Cleaning Recipes.

1. Great for skin allergy sufferers.

As a sufferer of dermatitis, I was forever dreading cleaning my home, knowing that soon enough I would have to deal with the reoccurring skin allergies. Even when wearing gloves whilst cleaning, I’d somehow manage to get the cleaning products on my skin and be paying the price for days. Most store bought cleaners are extremely harsh and should not come into contact with your skin, but this is easier said than done. After researching home made home-made cleaning products I was able to clean safely, without exposing my skin to harsh chemicals and limiting the effects on my health. To be extra cautious I use a sensitive skin dish washing liquid as other ones can severely affect your skin and dry it out. This benefit is the biggest reason I have made the switch to DIY Natural cleaners.

2. Save money.

Making your own cleaning products is a great way to save money on your cleaning bills. A handful of ingredients; bi-carb, vinegar, dish washing liquid and rubbing alcohol can be used to make a whole range of cleaning products for the whole home, with a little bit goes a long way. Even better they are things you probably already have at home on hand and are always affordable. No more having to wait for them to go on sale! Over the past couple of years since making the change to mostly home-made cleaners I couldn’t count the amount of savings we’ve had but can promise you it will go a long way to reducing your cleaning expense budget.

3. Safe to have around kids and pets.

Using natural products like vinegar and bi-carb soda are items that can be found in your pantry and are not going to harm your kids or animals if they are accidentally consumed. It may not be a pleasant experience but won’t be harmful as using a more toxic product like bleach. This will open up the possibility to having your kids help out around the home with age appropriate tasks knowing they are using safe products (not sure how helpful the animals will be ;)).

4. Minimise the number of products you have cluttering up your cupboards.

When you walk into the cleaning aisle it can be overwhelming trying to decide on what to buy from the endless cleaning product options. There seems to be a different product for each cleaning task. Home-made cleaners require a much smaller number of products and can be used to clean multiple things. Most of the ingredients can be mixed and matched to make cleaners for all of your home needs. Soon you won’t have to spend ages looking for a cleaner in your cleaning cabinet that is getting out  of hand.

 

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5. Health benefits of reducing chemicals in your home.

Most cleaning products have warning labels on them such as use in well ventilated areas. The use of some more toxic products can lead to severe health issues such as Asthma. Reducing your exposure to these types of chemicals in your home is going to pay off for your health in the long run. The less we are exposed to these products the better.

6. Better cleaning success.

I have found in my experience that home made natural cleaning products work better than most other brand made products. I’ve been using them for about two years now and have not missed the store bought versions. When you can clean a grimy stove top with a couple of drops of dish washing liquid and water with ease, why would you pay for the pricey, toxic version?!

7. They won’t discolour your clothing or manchester. 

No matter how hard I try and clean without getting chemical products on my clothes, manchester or carpet there is always that one drop that manages to undo everything. This will be a thing of the past with home-made cleaning products. I’ve used store bought Mould Remover in the past and had to worry about it dripping off the roof and getting on my new quilt cover. After substituting this product for a home made version of water and tea-tree oil in a spray bottle, I realised it was just as effective and took away the concerns of having it ruin anything. Seeing as vinegar, bicarb and dishwashing liquid are used for washing your dishes or sink it’s not going to hurt to spill it anywhere. 😉

8. Avoid chemical air pollution.

If you are someone who is sensitive to harsh smells, store bought cleaners could be a little too strong for your scent tolerance. Products like bleach linger in the air for hours and can make you feel ill and light-headed. This can’t be healthy to breathe in long term and certainly isn’t pleasant. Making your own cleaning products means you can add your own essential oils and create a scent that you love, removing those lingering unpleasant, chemical ones from your home.

9. Better for the environment.

Non-toxic home-made cleaning products are much better for the environment. No more pouring toxic chemicals down your sink into the waterways or having your home environment exposed to harsh chemicals. Using home made cleaners can also help eliminate environmental waste. Your products will go a lot further meaning less replacing them and less waste. You will also require less trips to the stores which is another plus for the environment. Products such as anti-bacterial wipes can be replaced with a DIY all-purpose cleaner and microfibre cloth. These are just as effective at cleaning and washable, eliminating the waste disposable wipes create.

10. Peace of mind.

Making your own cleaning products means you know exactly what is in them. No more trying to read and research all those chemical ingredients you’ve possibly never heard of and wondering about what effects it can have on your families health. Most of all, you have control over what you do and don’t use and what chemicals you are bringing or not bringing into your home.

Comment Question: Do you prefer natural cleaning recipes or swear by the store bought versions? Please comment below with your favourite cleaning products and whether you prefer home-made cleaners or store-bought ones.

If you found value in this post I would be super appreciative if you could share it with others who might also find value in it 🙂

 

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My Favourite Home-Made Cleaning Recipes

If you are keen to switch to more home-made cleaning recipes, check out these - Home Made Cleaning Recipes to get you started cleaning your home naturally.

Have you ever considered the switch to home-made cleaning recipes?

About a year ago I watched a documentary on Netflix called The Human Experiment which opened my eyes up to the dangers of having so many chemicals in our homes. I’d been dealing with the frustration of sensitive skin for years meaning I had to be careful of what my skin came in contact with, even dish soap and hand wash would make me break out in an extremely uncomfortable Dermatitis rash. I soon became very passionate about finding ways to keep my home clean, whilst looking after my health and skin and was on a mission to learn about natural home cleaners and testing them out.

After much research and trial and error I came a cross a few staple home-made cleaning recipes that I now use every day.

Here is a list of My Favourite Home-Made Cleaning Recipes. They work just as good in my experience as brand name chemical cleaners and are not only more affordable, but safer to use in your home. Please see my blog on 10 Benefits of Home-Made Cleaning Products for ten reasons why I recommend making the switch to home-made cleaning products and now love them.

My Favourite Home-Made Cleaning Recipes

INGREDIENTS LISTS

These are the basic must have items for your home-made cleaner recipes:

  • White vinegar
  • Dishwashing Liquid (I use Palmolive Dishwashing Liquid Ultra Dry Skin Aloe for sensitive skin)
  • Bi-Carbonate Soda
  • Essential Oils (Tea-tree and Lavender oil preferably)
  • Rubbing Alcohol
  • Water
  • Spray bottles
  • Labels (use a label maker or stick on labels)

Don’t forget to label all your spray bottles as when you come back in a week you will probably have no idea what is in what bottle. It’s really worth it to save you  figuring out what is in what bottle and having to waste your cleaning products.

These are 9 of my favourite home-made cleaning recipes!

Home-made All Purpose Spray (Two versions)

I have two recipes that both work wonderfully. Sometimes if I am in a rush I will make the simpler version and if I have more time I will go with the second version.

All Purpose Spray (Simple Version)

Fill a spray bottle with warm water and add one teaspoon of dishwashing liquid. That’s it! This should be gentle enough to use on most surfaces and is a cleaner I use for all around the home. I would use the Version 2 cleaner for more stubborn stains unless you have stone bench tops. Please check the care guide for your bench tops before using any cleaning products as vinegar can damage stone and other surfaces.

All Purpose Spray (Version 2)

In a spray bottle preferably over a sink (the bottle can overflow with the bi-carb soda and vinegar reacting) put the following

  • 4 Tbsp of white vinegar
  • 1/2 Tsp of dish washing liquid
  • 2 Tsp of bi-carb soda
  • Fill the rest of the spray bottle with warm water.

Spray the solution on your stained surfaces and let sit for about 20 seconds to help break up any hard to move stains. If you are using the bottle when the cleaner is back to room temperature, throw the bottle in the microwave for about 10 seconds and this will help remove harder to move stains. This solution is what I use for everyday All-Purpose Cleaner, just refill when you are out.

As mentioned above please check whether vinegar can be used on your bench tops as some stone benches can be damaged by vinegar.

 

Related: If you’re currently stuck cleaning your home alone and are keen to get other members of your household more involved in helping out check out How to Get your Family On Board With Cleaning for tips on how you can involve your partner, kids or anyone else living with you with cleaning.

Linen Spray

This is a spray to help keep your sheet smelling amazing between washes.

Fill a small plastic spray bottle (I use the ones in those travel container packs) with:

  • I cup of distilled water
  • 5-10 drops of essential oils
  • 2 Tbsp of rubbing alcohol

Use this to spray before sleep to spray your bed linens. Lavender essential oils can provide a calming scent but feel free to choose whatever scent you prefer.

Glass Cleaner

Fill a spray bottle with

  • ½ Water
  • ½ White Vinegar
  • Spray Bottle

Since starting to use this glass cleaner I have never looked back or thought to buy a regular store bought version. Just make up as described above in a matter of seconds and spray contents of glass cleaner on mirrors or windows and wipe over with a microfiber cloth. You’ll have beautiful, streak-free mirrors and windows in no time. Leave a bottle of this in your bathroom and a microfiber cloth to clean as you go.

Shower/Tile Cleaner

Fill a spray bottle with

  • ⅓ vinegar
  • ⅓ dishwashing liquid
  • ⅓ water

This is great for cleaning showers and tiles with a brush or sponge. Another option is to fill a refillable dish washing brush with a mixture of ½ vinegar and ½ dish washing soap to scrub all over the shower with. The vinegar smell will dissipate soon after and dish washing liquid will give you a nice scent over the harsh scents most chemical cleaners provide.

Daily Shower Spray (same ingredients as glass cleaner)

  • Spray bottle
  • ½ water
  • ½ vinegar

I leave a bottle of this in our shower to spray down the shower after each use (well, as often as I can remember to ;)). Spray down the tiles and shower glass and floor if it is the last shower of the morning or night (or last for a while). The vinegar helps to break down soap scum and fights the growth of mould so will make your weekly shower scrub a breeze! Remind your partner or room mates or whoever uses the shower to give it a quick spray over when they step out, it only takes 20 seconds and will save whoever is stuck cleaning it a lot of elbow grease!

As mould loves moisture, another tip from Clean My Space’s Melissa Maker to avoid your bathroom being taken over by it is to squeegee or wipe down the shower screens or tiles with a cloth after each shower. This is a bit more time consuming than the after shower spray but is a massive help if you can manage it.  

Toilet Bowl Cleaner

  • Spray bottle
  • Fill with vinegar
  • Add 10-15 drops of essential oils
  • Shake before each use

Combine vinegar and essential oils in a spray bottle. Spray vinegar mixture inside bowl and around toilet. Allow to sit for a few minutes. Sprinkle baking soda inside toilet bowl and scrub inside of bowl with a toilet brush. The Bi-carb soda gives a bit of abrasion to remove any hard to remove stains.

You can use the all over purpose cleaner (Version 1) or the above recipe spray to clean the outside and seat of the toilet. 

Disinfectant Spray (Non-scented)

  • Spray bottle (you can use one of the small travel spray bottles mentioned above)
  • ½ water
  • ½ rubbing alcohol

A great spray for disinfecting surface around the home such as bench tops, door handles or cupboard handles and for cleaning your toilet brush.

Disinfectant Spray (Scented)

  • 3 cups of water
  • ½ cup white vinegar
  • Tea-tree or Lavender essential oils (10-15 drops or a blend of each)
  • Spray bottle

For those who love a nice smelling home this second disinfectant spray not only leaves your home free of germs, but with a lovely calming scent. Tea-tree and lavender essential oils can be used for their antibacterial properties or blended with other favourite scents you have.  

Do you have a favourite home-made cleaning recipe? Please comment below with anything that you love to use in your home.

 

Minimalism

101 Things to Declutter in Your Home Right Now!

A wardrobe in need of decluttering

It can be hard to know where to start when decluttering. There are so many rooms and areas you could begin with and it can seem overwhelming when starting out. When we are so focused on bringing new things into our home we can forget the importance of removing the items that are no longer useful to us and could be taking up valuable space in our home.

Do you open your kitchen utensil drawer only to become flustered trying to find the one thing you actually need?

Have you accumulated twenty mugs in the cups cupboard and seem to forever have endless ones to wash?

Is your linen closet overflowing so closing it is a struggle to open and close?

Downsizing our excess stuff can allow us to reduce stress in our lives and make some of our chores less bothersome. We are limited to the space we have in our homes so if your cupboards and shelves are overflowing with stuff it might be time to start clearing some of it out.

Here is a list of 101 Things To Declutter In Your Home Right Now that will give you a place to start your decluttering journey by area and hopefully the start to a less cluttered, more simplified life.

To make life easier I have included a Printable Decluttering Checklist for you. Simply click this link or the one at the bottom of this page & sign up to grab your free printable in seconds! 

101 Things To Declutter In Your Home Right Now

Kitchen
1. Duplicate utensils.
2. Excess kitchen knives.
3. Excess cleaning supplies.
4. Cutlery.
5. Plates.
6. Cups and mugs.
7. Bakeware.
8. Single purpose appliances such as doughnut makers, popcorn makers etc.
9. Restaurant menus.
10. Excess vases.
11. Pots and Pans.
12. Tupperware with missing lids.
13. Expired medicine.
14. Unwanted cookbooks.

Fridge/Freezer 
15. Expired condiments in your fridge.
16. Uneaten leftovers.
17. Unwanted drinks.
18. Frozen meats with freezer burn.
19. Food that you don’t plan on eating due to a change of diet etc.

Declutter With Me Decluttering Course

Are you finding yourself overwhelmed and stressed out by clutter in your home? If you’re looking to minimise the excess in your life, Declutter With Me: A 12 Week Guide to Declutter Your Home is a go-at-your-own-pace course that will give you the step-by-step, room-by-room instructions to help you clear the clutter in your home in as soon as just 12 weeks!

But clearing the clutter isn’t just about getting rid of your excess stuff. It’s important to change your behaviour and consumer habits so you can avoid re-cluttering your space once you have decluttered. Included in Declutter With Me, are “Keep It Minimal” tips for each area in your home + 7 Tips To Help You Keep Your Home Minimal, to give you strategies you can implement to help you spend with intention so you can avoid bringing clutter back into your home.

If you are keen to minimise your unwanted clutter check out Declutter With Me so you can create a home you love! 

Pantry
20. Expired food in your pantry.
21. Unwanted alcohol.
22. Expired spices or any you don’t use.
23. Any food you don’t plan on eating.

Bathroom
24. Shampoos and conditioners. Avoid buying separate ones for each person unless necessary. Try and stick to the same brand so you don’t end up with multiple bottles going unused cluttering up your cupboard.
25. Old or unused Makeup. What makeup do you currently use, is there something you haven’t touched in the past year? Do you have ten different eye shadow pallets when a few would be enough? Makeup has a limited shelf life and should be used up in 1-2 years for most products. See this link for details on expiration dates of makeup.
26. Beauty products. Limit beauty products to what you need and avoid buying more until you’ve used up what you have.
27. Lotions and leave-in conditioners. If you don’t plan to use it give it to someone who will or toss it.
28. Decor. Remove excess decor from the bathroom and countertops. The less you have, the less you have to move when cleaning. Have a few nice decorative pieces and clear the rest.
29. Hair accessories.
30. Old razors.

Manchester 
31. Towels, face washers and hand towels.
32. Quilt covers. How many quilt covers do you have? Assess what ones you still love and donate the rest. Ideally, you need one to use and one spare for when the other one is in the wash.
33. Blankets.
34. Pillows.
35. Bath mats.
36. Spare curtains that are no longer in fashion or have been sitting in the linen closet for years.

Master Bedroom
37. Perfumes or fragrances you don’t like.
38. Bedroom decor you no longer love.
39. The stuff under your bed.
40. The bedroom TV. Do you really need that eyesore in your bedroom sanctuary?
41. Books on your nightstand that you aren’t currently reading.
42. Anything that doesn’t belong in your bedroom (for us more often than not it’s guitars :p).

Wardrobe
43. Shoes that you don’t enjoy wearing.
44. Worn belts.
45. Ties that you no longer like.
46. Handbags that are no longer your style or worn.
47. Jewellery/Accessories that you no longer like or wear.
48. Clothing that you haven’t worn in the past 6-12 months. Use the backwards hanger method to establish what you do and don’t wear.
49. Socks that are missing a pair or have holes in them.
50. Underwear that is uncomfortable or has seen better days.
51. Old pyjamas that have had their time.

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Laundry
52. Reduce your wardrobe.
53. Excess laundry baskets or hampers (once your laundry is reduced).
54. That random stuff that you find in pockets. Have a catch-all container or box to collate items found in pockets. Empty this regularly.
55. Cleaning supplies you no longer need.
56. Laundry products you tried and didn’t use again.

Kids Play Rooms/Bedrooms
57. Books.
58. Unwanted Toys.
59. Stuffed Animals.
60. Games or puzzles with missing pieces.
61. Kids art. To make room for new artworks to be displayed scan the image or take a photo of it and create it into scrapbooks or store them digitally.
62. Old unwanted electronic games.
63. Dried out texters and pens.

Garage/Shed 
64. Old paint cans or other chemicals you no longer need.
65. Car oil or parts for cars you no longer have.
66. Cardboard boxes that have passed their warranty period.
67. Any broken gardening tools that you haven’t got around to fixing.
68. Things you haven’t used in the past year.
69. Scrap building supplies you won’t need.

Living Areas 
70. Excess decor cluttering up your living spaces.
71. Excess furniture that is being unused.
72. Extra lounges when they are mostly empty.
73. Artwork or photos you no longer love.
74. Excess or drab cushions.
75. Rugs that don’t go with your colour scheme.
76. Excessive photo frames. Keep a few on display but don’t go overboard.

Entertainment/Media 
77. CDs you no longer listen to.
78. DVDs you won’t watch again.
79. VHS.
80. Excess TVs.
81. Unused Gaming Consoles.
82. Games you haven’t played since finishing.
83. Old mobile phones and phone chargers. These can be dropped off at the local library or Mobile Muster collection points.
84. Old cameras.
85. Your DVD or VCR if you don’t use them.
86. Old laptops you no longer use.

Sentimental Items 
87. Old cards. Scan them and save them digitally.
88. Bad quality or blurry photos or people that you no longer want in your life.
89. Other photos taking up space in large bulky photo albums. Consider making your prints into a photo book or displaying them in a digital photo frame and backing them up digitally.
90. Sentimental items that you have no connection to. Take a photo of the item if that makes it easier to let go.
91. Jewellery you don’t love. Find someone in your family who will love it or get it melted down into something special.

Home Office/Paper
92. Books you no longer read or reference.
93. Magazines. Cut out what you need and put them in a folder and recycle the rest.
94. Old bank or credit card statements. These can all be accessed online.
95. Utility bills. Get these emailed to you and reduce some of the paper coming into your home each month.
96. Old receipts. Scan them as they come in on your phone and recycle them or keep them in one file.
97. Excess notebooks/pads. Keep a few or put them in areas where they will be useful like your handbag or car.
98. Stationery from your uni days, that you no longer need.
99. Your printer (if you don’t use it).
100. Excess pens. Test what works and bin the rest or any you don’t like using.
101. Manuals for electrical goods.

Don’t forget to grab your Decluttering Checklist to get you started below.

Photo by Artem Beliaikin on Unsplash

How many of the 101 items did you manage to declutter? Please leave a comment below with your number!