Hey people, I made you a printable declutter-your-home checklist, it’s full of stuff you can chuck with little to no thought/time/emotional bandwidth. Why? I’m glad you asked.
There are so many things in a home that are really hard to declutter; photos, sentimental items, cards etc. It can feel super daunting. But if you look past the difficult, there are also piles of stuff that is bloody easy to chuck out, like random bra straps, dead plants and takeaway menus. The low-hanging-fruit if you will. Most homes are full of it.
As a professional organiser, I find that I’m chucking out the same stuff all the time – so I made a checklist of the 76 most common items. You want it? Download the Declutter your home checklist – PDF here. Print it, screenshot it, etch into a stone tablet – do what you will.
Not sure how to do that?
- If you’re on Desktop Safari just click file > export as PDF > and then choose where you want to save it.
- If you’re on Desktop Chrome, just follow the link and click the little arrow with the line under it (on the top right hand corner of the document.)
- If you’re on a phone, you’ll have to figure it out for yourself. Or find someone under 21 to help you out. There are way too many types of phones and different options. Screenshot, save to files, save to camera roll – the list goes on.
Let me also just pop it straight here in the blog post to make your life easier.
How to start decluttering your home when you’re overwhelmed
The reason I made this checklist is because so many people don’t know how to start decluttering when they’re overwhelmed. Homes can be hectic, often we make more mess in the process, and for many families, it feels like there’s no such thing as spare time.
If you’re looking around thinking, my house is so messy, where do I start? The answer is = with a bin. Actually, start with this checklist and a bin.
Then you go on a clutter-hunt. I have made sure that the list is full of things that have little to no value. Very little of this stuff is donatable, no one wants your old keyrings, expired spices have no use and you’ll probably never get those broken sunnies fixed. So you can give yourself permission to chuck it out. Thank it for it’s service (if that’s what you’re into) and put it in the bin. Some of it needs to be recycled or disposed of properly – like batteries and chargers, you can often drop this stuff off at your local shops, so go ahead and put it straight in your car or handbag.
Decluttering is like a muscle
Think of it as a workout. Once you get into the habit of decluttering, it gets easier. It’s like a muscle, the more you do, the better you’ll get. And this is why it’s a good idea to start with the easy stuff, you can deal with the photos later.
This isn’t a list you’re going to get done in one session, so just chuck it on the fridge and cross off an item or two as you get them done, and invite your family to do the same.
Don’t let the sentimental stuff stop your progress
I cannot tell you how many people say things like – I can’t declutter my wardrobe because I don’t know what to do with my bridesmaid dresses. But they also have 13 of the same discoloured v-neck white t-shirts, 5 pairs of jeans that don’t fit them and a pile of stilettos that haven’t seen the light of day since 2011. There’s usually a total of maybe 5 sentimental items in the entire wardrobe.
Another thing I hear is ‘my kitchen is so cluttered because I have my grandma’s linen and serving set” – but they also have 142 items of tupperwear and a bunch of sippy cups even though their youngest is 5-years-old.
Yes, figuring out what to do with the bridesmaid’s dresses is hard. Getting rid of grandma’s serving set is tricky* but don’t let those handful of items stop you from decluttering your home. Sentimental stuff is not the majority, there’s also (usually) just a lot of junk that’s easy to chuck. Look around and try to focus on the low-hanging-fruit.
I’m not sure why everyone focuses on what they can’t get rid of instead of what they can. But it’s so common.
It’s not about perfection, it’s about lifestyle
You may not be into perfect pantry organisation but you probably are into being able to find the coconut milk that you know you have in the house. I can honestly say that 99% of clients who are drowing in their messy homes just have too much stuff. They’re usually doing more housework than ‘tidy’ people and they’re still completely overwhelmed. And their home is constantly messy.
Decluttering might be the answer to your storage problems
No storage in your home? It sux but often that’s not a problem you can easily fix. What you can do it dramatically reduce the number of things you own.
And if the storage is a big enough issue that you’re prepared to move houses, you’re still going to want to chuck out the stuff you don’t love – because why would you take it to your new home?
Or, if you really don’t want to deal with it – search for a decluttering service
*You can always offer to give the bridesmaid dress back to the bride, she probably has more attachment to it than you do. And if she doesn’t want it, you’re free to say goodbye. Or keep it, whatever works for you. And for your grandma’s serving set, if you want it – keep it and USE it. If you don’t want it, offer it to the rest of your family and let them know that you’ll be donating it by (this date) if it’s not claimed. You can also choose one plate to keep, pop it on a play display thingy (like this one) and get rid of the rest.