11 Easy Decluttering Ideas to Free Up Your Space Fast

If your home is starting to feel crowded or disorganized, a few simple decluttering ideas can make a big difference. Clearing out unnecessary items helps create more space, reduces stress, and makes your home easier to maintain. These easy decluttering tips will help you get started without feeling overwhelmed.

When Decluttering is Important

Many of us live with limited space. Perhaps you have a smaller house, an apartment, or a larger family. When your space is smaller, decluttering often is even more important.

Even those with room to spare need to declutter from time to time. Oftentimes, when you have extra storage, extra rooms, or a large home, it becomes even easier for clutter to grow without drawing much attention.

When there is more space to fill, it’s easier to store or stack things without thinking much about it.

Eventually, saving and storing fill our spaces no matter the size, and the time to declutter arrives.

Not only is a less cluttered space more aesthetically pleasing, but it holds additional benefits as well, such as:

making a space easier to keep clean
helping you to feel more calm and less anxious
allowing more room for new things and new seasons in our lives

Decluttering Can Feel Like a Lot

Even knowing the importance of reducing our built-up items doesn’t necessarily make it simpler to begin sorting them. By the time we begin decluttering, it is often out of overwhelm because the excess items have gotten a bit out of control.

Allow me to share 11 tips and tricks that make decluttering simpler, faster, and more effective, so that you can feel the relief of storing less unnecessary things more quickly.

11 Easy Decluttering Tips and Tricks to Try Today

Standing before a pile of paperwork, wondering where anything should go. Facing a closet bursting at the seams, yet you have nothing to wear. These are tell-tale signs that it could be time to declutter your home.

The only problem is that decluttering is complex. Well, what if we told you it doesn’t have to be? That there are hacks you can learn to make it easy to take the plunge for the initial purge and to keep your home decluttered in the long run?

It’s true. Decluttering can be a fun and rewarding process from start to ongoing fulfillment. All you need is a few handy hacks to set you up for success, and you’ll be golden. Let’s get started.

#1. Take Pictures of Every Room

You might not be keen to take photos of your cluttered home, but there is a method to this hack. When you take pictures of your cluttered spaces, you allow yourself to see the issues from a different perspective.

Seeing the pictures of the clutter is almost like viewing someone else’s home. Sometimes, when we live in a cluttered space, our minds filter out unnecessary or unpleasant messes to help us remain calm and happy. That can lead to clutter blindness and cause the mess to stay or keep building.

Instead of allowing the clutter to take over, take photos of it. View it as an outsider would, and you will find it easier to see what needs tackling.

Having photos of the “before” will also be an excellent motivation to celebrate your “after” shots.

#2. Gather the Right Tools for the Jobs

To start decluttering, you don’t need much, but a few simple tools will serve you well. You will need black garbage bags. We love the black variety since it is easier to hurl trash into them and leave it unseen.

You can use garbage bags for your donation and sale piles too. If you use this option, we recommend labeling the bags to avoid confusion as you focus on decluttering.

If you would like to use other containers for donations and items for sale, consider using cardboard boxes for donations. Boxes are great for this purpose because you can drop the whole stash off without unpacking the things at the donation site.

For “sale” items, you can use either a cardboard box, a bucket, or a basket. Go with whichever option suits you the best and can hold as many items as possible.

Another essential tool for decluttering is sufficient lighting and airflow. To get a handle on your clutter, ensure that you have the windows open and enough light in the room to clearly see what you are doing.

If it is impossible to open windows, consider having the air conditioner or a fan on. A closed, stuffy room will make you feel drowsy and could be a health hazard if there is a lot of dust or mold in your cluttered room.

Consider using cleaning gloves if your cluttered room is also dirty or moldy. These will protect your hands and nails and help you avoid minor injuries or exposure to contaminants. This is an excellent idea if you are unsure what may be in the room.

#3. Remove Obvious Clutter First

Start with obvious clutter/trash – these items are the easiest to declutter since they are no longer useful. Go through your house with a trash bag and toss anything you consider unusable into the trash bag.

These include items such as torn or worn out clothes and sheets, socks with no mates, chipped or cracked glasses or coffee mugs, plastic containers with no lids, and lids with no containers.

#4. Break Large Tasks Into More Manageable Ones

One of the main barriers to decluttering is a sense of being overwhelmed by the sheer volume of what needs to be done. If this is the case for you, consider breaking the tasks down into more manageable sizes.

Try the cabinet if you cannot face decluttering a whole room at a time. If the entire cabinet is too much, try one shelf. Cannot manage one shelf, try one pile on the shelf.

Make checklists of everything you need to do in each room. As you complete each task, tick it off. No matter how small the job is, ticking it off deserves a little ego boost.

Did you know that completing tasks helps our brains release dopamine? The more you complete, the more accomplished you will feel.

Those feelings of success will motivate you to keep going. Before you know it, the whole room will be decluttered. Then, it’s on to the next!

#5. Build a Reward System

Who says children are the only ones who should get rewards when they do things well? Decluttering is a significant job, and you should definitely reward yourself for accomplishing every milestone along the journey.

You can promise yourself a reward at the end of each accomplishment. Try to keep it non-tangible so that you do not add to the clutter in your home.

A reward can be watching a movie, ordering takeout, taking a nap, or walking. Anything you enjoy can be a reward, and once you are done, you will be motivated to complete the following task to receive the following prize.

Be sure to consciously decide on the reward and the set task before you begin each time. That way, there will be no ambiguity around when you should rest and what the reward should be.

#6. Declutter Daily

One of the most crucial decluttering hacks is to keep your home decluttered after the initial purge.

We all wish that decluttering was a one-time deal, but in truth, it is more like cleaning. The dirt and debris keep on coming, so we must keep on dealing with it.

Set a timer for a specific daily time and tidy your home for a short while. Pick up any odds and ends that are not where they should be and return them to their spots. Next, go around the house and notice if any objects are not needed or wanted.

An extra serving spoon you haven’t used in about two years? Unpaired socks? Whatever is no longer needed, declutter it.

#7. Make a Donation Box a Staple Item

If you have an ongoing donation box or two in your home, it will be easy to pop items in there whenever you notice that you no longer need them.

Whenever you see the box, you will be reminded of the concept of letting go of unwanted things, so your lifestyle of giving away will become a normality.

#8. Utilize a Timer

We mentioned setting a timer for a specific time of day, but you can also set one for a certain length. You can set a timer for ten or fifteen minutes daily and use that time to speed-declutter. (You will find this 15 minute declutter challenge helpful).

Use that short time to sort through excess paperwork, junk mail, toys and clothing that your children have outgrown, and anything else that catches your eye.

You might just be surprised by how much you can achieve when you tackle something every day.

#9. Be Mindful of New Purchases

Retail therapy can be a great way to destress, but when you are maintaining a clutter-free home, you should be mindful of what you bring into your house.

Whenever you feel tempted to buy something, consider where it will go in your home. Is there a place for it? Do you already have something like it? Do you really need it? Will it enhance your home and life or add to the clutter in the long run?

You can use the principle of waiting to make the purchase. Choose to wait a day, a week, or a month before making the purchase.

If you have not thought about the item in the designated time, you know you do not need it. If it is still high on your priority list, it may be beneficial to purchase it.

#10. Apply the One In, One Out Principle

For some, the best way to curb purchasing more clutter is to practice the one-in, one-out principle. When you use this principle, for every one item you buy and bring into the home, you must purge one.

This does not apply to consumable items like food. Instead, to objects that will remain in the home indefinitely if not cleared out. So, if you buy one dress, you should give one dress away. If you buy one ornament, you should give one ornament away, and so on.

Since you are likely emotionally attached to many of the belongings in your home, you might think twice about purchasing more if it means having to let go of beloved ones that you already have.

#11. A Place for Everything, and Everything in Its Place

Having a place for everything and everything in its place helps to make decluttering easier. If you don’t have a space to keep an item, then don’t buy it. And every item should be returned to its proper place after each use, ensuring that nothing is out of place or cluttering your living space.

Final Thoughts

Decluttering doesn’t have to be overwhelming. Everyone can begin the task, build momentum, and then maintain a home free from clutter with a few easy steps. Taking only one action at a time and rewarding yourself afterward can lead to success. Make decluttering time enjoyable with your favorite music. Once your home is decluttered, implement daily decluttering practices to maintain a clean and orderly home.

Related Decluttering Articles: