13 Ways to Start Decluttering

© 2010 Sean MacEntee, Flickr | CC-BY | via Wylio

We are often tempted to organize before decluttering. But decluttering first, means there’s less to organize later! Here are 13 easy ways to get started.

1. Unsubscribe from 5 email campaigns. Think of all the emails you won’t have to delete from now on.
2. Go through your lingerie drawer. Get rid of underwear and bras that don’t fit or you don’t wear. Now everything will fit in there much more nicely.
3. Set aside 10 toys your kids don’t seem to play with anymore. If they don’t ask for the toys within a week, donate them. Look at that! Ten fewer toys to put away at the end of the day.
4. Take a look at your medicine cabinet. Get rid of expired medications, creams, etc. Now stuff won’t fall out every time you open it up.
5. Grab the most overflowing folder out of your filing cabinet and sort through it. Here are some guidelines for what paperwork you need to keep and for how long. It’ll be so much easier to put your paperwork into a streamlined folder.
6. Find 5 children’s books that your kiddos have outgrown. Pass them onto a friend or donate them. Cleaning up is much easier for kids when the bookshelf isn’t too crowded.
7. Look for 3 knickknacks you don’t love and get rid of them. Less dusting for you! (Do you remember the last time you dusted? Me neither!)
8. Pick a kitchen drawer and search for gadgets you haven’t used in a year (or ever). It’s much more fun to cook when you’re not crowded out by stuff.
9. Go through your tupperware containers. Get rid of items that are missing lids. Or lids that are missing containers. Think of all the extra time you’ll have when you aren’t constantly searching for matches.
10. Clean out your purse or the diaper bag. Yay for less stickiness!
11. Purge your cleaning products. You can clean almost anything with baking soda and vinegar anyway. Now there are fewer chemicals to keep out of your kid’s reach.
12. Throw away expired condiments in your fridge. Maybe it will inspire you to clean the whole thing out!
13. Take pictures of your kiddo’s artwork for safekeeping and then throw most of it away. It’s simply not possible to keep everything our kids make us. But by taking pictures of it, we preserve the memories while cutting down on clutter. (Just don’t get caught!)

What are some other simple ways to start decluttering?