30-Day Declutter Challenge
Are you ready to declutter your home, create more minimalistic spaces, and simplify your life?! We are so excited to provide you with this 30-day declutter challenge! As a professional organizer, I am extremely aware of the spaces in homes that need the most attention, and I know the areas that are often neglected. I also know what a functional home can do for your life. When your home is cluttered, your life feels cluttered. It’s time to detangle, declutter, and eliminate the overwhelm.
Pick a month to start this challenge so that you can declutter, organize, and sort through these spaces. No need to wait until the new year. Begin your declutter challenge whenever you feel it is needed. The list below provides you with a category to declutter each day, for 30 days. Get ready to collect empty Amazon boxes for donations and garbage bags for trash. You will need them, no doubt!
Share this blog with a friend or family member and get them involved to hold yourselves accountable. The more people involved, the more fun it is! On your marks… get set… DECLUTTER!
30 Days of Decluttering
Don’t forget to post on Instagram and show off your new and improved spaces! Tag us on the ‘gram — we’d love to follow along on your decluttering journey!
Day 1. Dishware
It’s time to scour through your dishware (especially holiday dishware) and donate any that you haven’t used in the past year or haven’t touched during the holidays. Ask yourself if there is something else you own that could serve the same purpose or if you have too many of a certain type. Realistically, how many do you actually use at one time… I’m talking to you, cake pans.
Day 2. Excess wrapping paper and gift wrap supplies
Try to edit down only the items you love and would realistically use in the next year. These are items that are relatively inexpensive to replace, so it may not be worth the space it’s taking up. Donate anything in good shape. Recycle or toss the ones that have seen better days.
Day 3. Pantry
Before you place your next grocery order, clear out any expired foods from your pantry. Now’s a great time to check all of the expiration dates. While you’re decluttering, you may find foods/condiments that have been hiding! Organize these areas and put the healthier foods to the front. Donate any foods that don’t fit your current diet.
Day 4. CLOTHES
Really pay attention to the inner dialogue happening when going through your clothes. Is your mind saying “I love this piece and I feel really good in it!” or “This is really unflattering, and I don’t know when I’d wear this”. Keep the items that spark more positive inner dialogue, and donate the rest. If you have too many of the same type of clothing (like leggings), look at what shape they’re in. And don’t forget the kid’s clothes!
A tip moving forward: when you wear something, flip the hanger backward. After a year, see which hangers haven’t been flipped and consider donating those clothes.
Day 5: Cosmetics & perfume
These items have a longer shelf life, so they tend to accumulate more and more over time. When going through these items, only keep what you LOVE. If you see brushes or cosmetics that are super old, you may want to throw those out.
Day 6: Toiletries & travel ITEMS
These also have a longer shelf life and tend to pile up over time due to overbuying, getting free mini samples, etc. Take stock of what you think you won’t use within the year and donate those items. Since they do have a longer shelf life, this is a good time to organize all of these items since they’re most likely thrown in a pile under your sink. Buy containers, label everything, get drawer organizers — whatever fits best in the spaces that you have.
Day 7: Paperwork sitting on your desk
This often gets pushed to the side because of how much time and decision-making it may involve. I would suggest setting a timer for 20-30 minutes and seeing how much of a dent you can make today. Then continue each day until your desk is clear! If you don’t already have one, definitely consider a filing system to better organize your paperwork, or digitally convert your files and store them on your computer. An organized desk minimizes distraction and allows for better focus!
Day 8: Kids’ trinkets & toys
For this one, I would suggest involving kids who are 6 years and older so you can start exposing them to the idea of decluttering. My biggest tip with toys is to rotate them every month and see which toys the kids aren’t playing with. Put the rest of the toys in storage bins and continue rotating them monthly. Donate the toys that are being neglected or hold a toy swap with other families in the neighborhood!
Day 9: HALL CLOSET/STORAGE CLOSET
We all know we love to shove things in our hall closets or storage closets. Now is the time to go through that closet and find a home for the random assortment of things in there. Edit down to what you absolutely NEED in that closet and what’s convenient when you’re running in and out. If you’re out of room, consider making more storage space with an extra rack behind the door, or some command hooks to hang jackets and umbrellas. Grab your donating box or trash bag and get started on decluttering — whether that means reorganizing or donating items.
Day 10: Kitchen utensils
This should be an easy one since a lot of us aren’t emotionally attached to spatulas. And if you are, that’s okay too — no shame! I’d pull everything out and lay them on the counter so that you can really see everything that you have and determine whether you have doubles of something and need to donate. I love dividers for drawers so that you can organize your utensils better.
Day 11: Junk Drawer
We love to throw very random things in the junk drawer. There is definitely a home for probably half of the things in there. Take some time to find their new home! Have markers in there? Put them in the office. Have old mail in there? Recycle them. Found gum? See if it’s old and gross or put it in the pantry. Make sure not to overfill this drawer.
Day 12: Under the kitchen sink
This rarely looks like a pretty space, so consider getting baskets or drawers for the things under your kitchen sink. If you have cleaning supplies, get containers to put them in. Have a lot of little things like sponges and soap and wet wipes? Buy a drawer organizer to store them in. Purge anything you don’t use, or donate the items in good shape that you no longer need.
Day 13: Cleaning supplies
If your cleaning supplies aren’t under your sink, find wherever they are and declutter! If they’re just thrown somewhere, look at the space you have to determine how you can better utilize this space. Is it bins? shelves? Cabinets? If they’re stuffed in a tight space, consider placing the cleaning supplies in a new home.
Day 14: Fridge & freezer
Before you place your next grocery order, clear out any leftovers and expired food from your fridge or freezer. Now’s a great time to check all of the expiration dates. While you’re decluttering, you may find foods/condiments that have been hiding! Organize these areas and put the healthier foods to the front, or foods/condiments that are going to expire soon. Don’t forget the freezer! This area often gets neglected.
Day 15: Shoes
Just as we did with your clothes, think about the inner dialogue playing in your head when going through each pair of shoes. If you think “I wear these ALL the time and love wearing this pair!”, keep ‘em! If you think, “I don’t know where I’m ever going to wear these” or “these are the most uncomfortable shoes I’ve ever worn in my life”, consider donating. And depending on the shape they’re in, it may be time to toss them.
When looking at your shoes, organize them by style and put them in a better organizational state than they’re probably in now. Get shoe racks instead of laying them on your floor, put them in bins, stack them on your shelves, or put them on a shoe rack that hangs on the back of your door — whatever makes the most sense for your space.
Day 16: Medicine cabinet
This space may be where you shove random toiletries, cosmetics, and perfumes. Just like you did with those items, take everything out of the cabinet and decide whether those items are worth keeping, donating, or tossing. Make sure you’re not overfilling your medicine cabinet — it is a tight space. Find new homes for items that could join the toiletries or cosmetics.
Day 17: Under the beds
A lot of the time, we are stuffing things under our beds, just like our hall closets. Take everything out from under the bed, vacuum, then start decluttering. You may find that some items could go in the attic, or that some may go in the hall closet, or that some items just need to go. Organize these items better, and don’t forget to vacuum!
Day 18: Attic or basement
I know, I know. We avoid these spaces as best we can! But it’s time to rummage through them and get your trash bags/boxes ready! I’m sure you will be donating and tossing quite a lot. Or maybe you realize a lot of the stuff will be better kept in your storage unit or a different space in your home. Take time to go through all of the items and declutter this space to make it more functional and organized!
Day 19: Desk drawers
These tiny spaces are often neglected, just like the junk drawer. But once your desk drawers are decluttered and organized, you’ll feel a great sense of relief while also minimizing distraction. An organized space makes for a less cluttered mind.
Consider buying drawer organizers or dividers to separate your pens, notepads, scissors, etc. This will help keep your drawer organization intact for much longer.
Day 20: TV cabinets
Try to edit down the things in your TV cabinets and determine whether it’s things you haven’t used in the past year that you can donate, it’s memorabilia that has a home somewhere else, or it’s things that can be tossed due to being too old or non-functional. This is another space that can be better organized with bins, little drawers, or spacers.
Day 21: Laundry room
This may be a simple one, depending on how many things you store in your laundry room. Take note of what you store in your laundry room. Does it need to go there? Can it be placed elsewhere? How can this room be more functional and organized? Do you need to buy racks or bins or hang a rod for clothes hanging? Since this is a space we use quite a lot, think about the functionality and how you can improve that.
Day 22: Old magazines/newspapers/books
Whether these are placed in bathrooms, side tables, or nightstands, go through each space that stores magazines, newspapers, and/or books. Donate or toss the ones that are super old and irrelevant. For books, consider donating some if you’ve already read them and they’re taking up too much space. You could even do a book swap with friends, family, or neighbors!
Day 23: Holiday decorations
Take out all of your holiday decor and go through each bin. Here, you are going to want to donate or toss any decor that looks like it’s had better days, that you don’t even use anymore, or that no longer appeals to you. Holiday decor is something that can keep piling up and overflow over the years. Let’s be honest, there is no need to have 5 different Christmas tree toppers.
Our suggestion for organizing these items is to separate them into categories and place them in bins.
Day 24: Garage shelves/storage
Get your significant other involved here if you have to — we all know the men love their garage space! Get their insight on what’s old, what can be tossed, what can be donated, and what needs to find a better home. There are so many ways to organize garage spaces whether you want to buy a large garage cabinet, build shelves, hang bikes on the wall, or store sports gear in bins — it’s all dependent on what’s in your garage and the space you have to work with.
Day 25: Car
Yes, we are going out to your car! I know we love to throw our chapsticks and change and receipts in our cars. So go through each crack and crevice to make sure all trash is thrown out, all cosmetics are placed elsewhere, and random items in your trunk are taken out and put in their designated space. Decluttering your car will most likely make you want to go get your car washed, so go take it through the drive-thru!
Day 26: Games
You can involve your kids in this one as well. Games are another thing that keeps piling up over the years. If the kids are too old for the games, I would consider donating. If no one has played with it for more than a year, I’d also consider donating. There are always new games coming out, so consider that as well. Maybe it’s time to replace the old games with newer ones.
Day 27: Purse
Our purses are like our cars — we love to stuff the most random little things in there. Place items in zippers or pockets in your purse or put them in little makeup bags so that there are not 50 items thrown in your bag. Or maybe you realize you need a purse with more pockets for the number of things you carry in it. Whatever the case, organize these items so that they don’t get lost with all the others, toss what’s not needed, or find them new homes.
Day 28: Spice cabinet
Take out each and every spice that’s in this cabinet. You’re going to want to look for expiration dates and throw out any old ones. Toss spices that you no longer use. Be sure to take note of the spices that you do have on hand. You might’ve been re-buying a spice that was hidden in the way back! When organizing, we suggest categorizing them or organizing them alphabetically - whatever makes sense for you! But definitely find a better way to group them together.
Day 29: Jewelry
Since we are emotionally attached to some of our jewelry pieces, it is okay to keep more than necessary. But if they are stuffed in a box, we would suggest getting a drawer stacker, jewelry box, jewelry rack, or any other organizing tool that best fits the space you have and what type of jewelry is stocked in your closet. Donate any that you no longer wear and have no attachment to. Toss any jewelry that’s broken. Consider getting the expensive jewelry cleaned if it’s tarnishing.
Day 30: FREE DAY (pick a space of your choice)
It’s YOUR CHOICE what you want to declutter today! If there’s a space we missed, go declutter and organize it!
Ready to unfuss your home? There’s no time like the present.
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