Photo by Noe

15 Great Decluttering Tips

As with anything, getting rid of clutter can be made incredibly simple: just go through your stuff, one section, closet, drawer, or shelf at a time, and get rid of everything that isn’t absolutely essential, that you don’t love and use often.

Of course, simplifying a process like that isn’t terribly useful to many people who struggle with clutter. So, with that in mind, I present to you 15 fabulous tip for decluttering. These tips aren’t mine — they’re from you guys, the readers, repackaged into a useful little post.

Recently I asked you guys for your best decluttering tips … and I pulled some of the best of those (there are many more good ones I wasn’t able to use). They’re reworded here slightly, and a couple have been modified indiscriminately by me. :)

But they’re great tips nonetheless. Enjoy!

Declutter for 15 minutes every day. It’s amazing how much you can get through if you just do it in small increments like this.
Don’t allow things into the house in the first place. Whether you’ve begun decluttering the living space, or you’ve just completed it, stop bringing in new stuff NOW. Even if that’s ALL you do and don’t start decluttering immediately, if you can only establish one habit at a time, establish the no-more-stuff habit first. This way, when you do get to decluttering the existing stuff, you’ve already stopped making it worse. Think of bailing out a boat with a hole in it. You can bail and bail, but it won’t do anything for the leak.
Donate stuff you’re decluttering, so you don’t feel bad about wasting it.
Create a Joe’s Goals chart with decluttering on it — either daily, or 3 times a week. Check off the days when you declutter, and you’ll feel a great sense of accomplishment.
Start at the corner by the door and move your way around the room, doing the superficial stuff first - surfaces, empy the bin etc. Repeat, but do more the 2nd time around - ie. open the cupboards.
Whenever you’re boiling the kettle for tea, tidy up the kitchen. If the kitchen is tidy, tidy up the next room - it’s only 3 minutes but it keeps you on top of everything (helps if you have an Englishman’s obsession with Tea as well!)
Use the “one in, two out” rule. The rule: whenever you bring in an item, you have to throw away two other items. First you cheat, by throwing out two pieces of paper, but soon you will have to move to big stuff.
Make your storage space smaller and more minimal. If you have lots of storage, you’ll fill it with stuff.
Clothing rule: If you haven’t worn an item in 6 months, sell or donate it.
The One-Year Box. Take all your items that you unsure about getting rid of (e.g. “I might need this someday…”), put them in a box, seal it and date it for 1 year in the future. When the date comes, and you still didn’t need to open it to get anything, donate the box WITHOUT OPENING IT. You probably won’t even remember what there was in the box.
Declutter one room (including any closets, desks, cabinets, etc.) before starting on the next one. Spending time in that room will feel *so* good, and it will be so easy to keep clean, that it will motivate you to do more!
Keep a list in your planner labeled “Don’t Need It - Don’t Want It.” When you’re out shopping and run across some kind of gadget or other item you crave, note it down on the list. This will slow you down long enough to reconsider. Also, seeing the other things on the list that you nearly bought on impulse really helps.
Internalize that your value is not in your “stuff”. It is just “stuff”. And realize that your value grows when you share your “stuff”. Hoarding is a selfish act.
Have someone else (who you trust!) help you go through things. They don’t have the (sometime’s irrational) emotional attachment that you might have, but can still recognize if something should be kept.
Gift everything. Books you’ve read immediately get recycled among friends, family or local libraries. If you buy a new gaming system, donate your old one – and all the games.

If you liked this article, please bookmark it on del.icio.us or vote for it on Digg. I’d appreciate it. :)

See also:

15 Great Decluttering Tips

But they’re great tips nonetheless. Enjoy!

Declutter for 15 minutes every day. It’s amazing how much you can get through if you just do it in small increments like this.
Don’t allow things into the house in the first place. Whether you’ve begun decluttering the living space, or you’ve just completed it, stop bringing in new stuff NOW. Even if that’s ALL you do and don’t start decluttering immediately, if you can only establish one habit at a time, establish the no-more-stuff habit first. This way, when you do get to decluttering the existing stuff, you’ve already stopped making it worse. Think of bailing out a boat with a hole in it. You can bail and bail, but it won’t do anything for the leak.
Donate stuff you’re decluttering, so you don’t feel bad about wasting it.
Create a Joe’s Goals chart with decluttering on it — either daily, or 3 times a week. Check off the days when you declutter, and you’ll feel a great sense of accomplishment.
Start at the corner by the door and move your way around the room, doing the superficial stuff first - surfaces, empy the bin etc. Repeat, but do more the 2nd time around - ie. open the cupboards.
Whenever you’re boiling the kettle for tea, tidy up the kitchen. If the kitchen is tidy, tidy up the next room - it’s only 3 minutes but it keeps you on top of everything (helps if you have an Englishman’s obsession with Tea as well!)
Use the “one in, two out” rule. The rule: whenever you bring in an item, you have to throw away two other items. First you cheat, by throwing out two pieces of paper, but soon you will have to move to big stuff.
Make your storage space smaller and more minimal. If you have lots of storage, you’ll fill it with stuff.
Clothing rule: If you haven’t worn an item in 6 months, sell or donate it.
The One-Year Box. Take all your items that you unsure about getting rid of (e.g. “I might need this someday…”), put them in a box, seal it and date it for 1 year in the future. When the date comes, and you still didn’t need to open it to get anything, donate the box WITHOUT OPENING IT. You probably won’t even remember what there was in the box.
Declutter one room (including any closets, desks, cabinets, etc.) before starting on the next one. Spending time in that room will feel *so* good, and it will be so easy to keep clean, that it will motivate you to do more!
Keep a list in your planner labeled “Don’t Need It - Don’t Want It.” When you’re out shopping and run across some kind of gadget or other item you crave, note it down on the list. This will slow you down long enough to reconsider. Also, seeing the other things on the list that you nearly bought on impulse really helps.
Internalize that your value is not in your “stuff”. It is just “stuff”. And realize that your value grows when you share your “stuff”. Hoarding is a selfish act.
Have someone else (who you trust!) help you go through things. They don’t have the (sometime’s irrational) emotional attachment that you might have, but can still recognize if something should be kept.
Gift everything. Books you’ve read immediately get recycled among friends, family or local libraries. If you buy a new gaming system, donate your old one – and all the games.

If you liked this article, please bookmark it on del.icio.us or vote for it on Digg. I’d appreciate it. :)

See also:

Posted on 24 October 2007 in Simplicity |
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Comments (38)

SpiKe Says:

October 24th, 2007, 5:17 am

Great list. I especially agree about making your storage space smaller. My partner wants to move to a bigger home with more storage space, but she will only fill it all up with extra clutter. She refuses to use the space she already has efficiently :) Related to point 9 about decluttering your clothes, I did a clothes audit guide if you really want to dig deep into your wardrobe :)

Dagonet Says:

October 24th, 2007, 5:39 am

Great ideas, apart from the books. I would never _ever_ give away my library.

Melanie Says:

October 24th, 2007, 8:01 am

Leo absolutely fab tips! Especially like the ‘tidy up while boiling the kettle,’ I’m British, so I probably do have an obsession with tea!!

Also, the ‘Don’t need it, don’t want it’ is great too - I’m forever buying stuff thinking I need it, then realising I don’t!! Horrible feeling.

Thanks!

Ben Clapton Says:

October 24th, 2007, 9:38 am

Some great tips, I think I need to pass it on to my sister…
However, I don’t agree with the clothing one. It’s quite possible that you would not wear some items of clothing for 6 months, simply because they’re not seasonable. For example, I have a nice thick rain jacket, and it’s been great while it’s been winter, but now that it’s getting warmer (in Australia), I probably won’t wear that until May or June. That’s over 6 months away, yet I’d be missing it if it gets thrown out.

Instead, find a way to store your winter/summer clothes in the off season, then if you don’t end up wearing it the next season, donate it to a charity shop.

Rahul Says:

October 24th, 2007, 12:49 pm

Great tips! Many of them seem to play off the “Law of Giving.” The thing is, people will have to actually enjoy the act of giving to get rid of all the stuff they don’t use anymore. I know plenty of people who horde things, thinking they will use them again someday!

But for those of us who do enjoy the act of giving, some valuable tips :)

Eugene (Editor, Varsity Blah) Says:

October 24th, 2007, 12:56 pm

Great post! I especially love point 13. We often hang onto stuff because doing so almost reaffirms our existence. As long as we have trinkets to prove that “i was here” then nobody can deny that. Getting rid of things you don’t need is not just about clearing space. I really hope people get that.

Danny Says:

October 24th, 2007, 13:14 pm

I JUST moved two weeks and ago and right at that time stumbled onto your website! I have been decluttering like crazy and its working like a charm. 650sq feet of decluttered happiness!

Stephen, Finish today better than the last. Says:

October 24th, 2007, 16:35 pm

I love Tip No 7: “one in, two out”, what a great idea! Although I can imagine some serious decisions being made down the road once you only have your most precious possessions left! I think I’ll adopt this tip for the next month or so and see how it goes, thanks!

RookieMom Heather Says:

October 24th, 2007, 17:19 pm

Nice tips. I like the clean up while the kettle boils, but I have an instant-hot now. Maybe I can tidy while I preheat? Man, when did I become such a housewife?!

Serena Says:

October 24th, 2007, 19:38 pm

The 6 month tip might not work for formal clothing (think your funeral or interview suit) though those do need to be revisited every few years…

Leo Says:

October 24th, 2007, 20:11 pm

@Serena: You’re absolutely right. I live on a tropical island, where we don’t worry about seasons, so I always forget this one, but thanks for the reminder.

For those who have seasonal clothing, a 1-year rule would be better. Also consider boxing your seasonal clothing and just bringing them out when needed.

Schizohedron Says:

October 24th, 2007, 21:07 pm

I’m humbled and gratified that mine made the list (#2). Thanks, Leo, and of course, thanks to all those who also shared their tips!

Ryan Says:

October 24th, 2007, 21:58 pm

If you buy books only to give them away to the library, why not just get them from the library in the first place?

mercurial scribe Says:

October 24th, 2007, 22:13 pm

Love these tips! I’m slowly going through our entire apartment and decluttering… with a baby on the way, we can’t have things we don’t use and love! Now I’m going to have to incorporate some of these great ideas…

Jasi Says:

October 24th, 2007, 22:44 pm

Great post. A good reminder to keep clear of clutter. I seem to collect a lot of well-intentioned clutter from friends and family lending me books, bringing plates, etc. Just above my keys in the closet is a shelf of things to return. A frequent reminder.

cmahlum Says:

October 25th, 2007, 15:45 pm

I agree with the one-year rule on clothing, 6 months is too short. I would say best is a year and a half. My rule is, if it doesn’t make me look great, it goes. life is too short to wear clothes that don’t look good, if I have something else that does. unless I’m working in the yard.

Also, When I think of something I might like to buy or need, i keep a running list in my purse. it helps me avoid impulse buys, or buying things that are similar to things I already have.(it’s not on the list? forget it, I can live without it), or if it is (ie, I desperately need to replace black work shoes), then I know I can buy it and not feel guilty.
Another point, you can look at things this way: say something is sitting around the house collecting dust, you can donate it, and someone else might get so much more joy out of it and use it, than you do.

Rae Says:

October 26th, 2007, 10:36 am

Great post and teriffic ideas. I’m pretty clutter-free. (Someone once told me I had the neatest basement they had ever seen.) But I need to minimalize my kitchen. That’s a challenge for me as I collect dishes and spices and cookbooks and . . .

rob Says:

October 27th, 2007, 12:05 pm

For a trunk full of university notes & textbooks - every few months I had to remove about 10% of the least important. After a couple of years I was down to one small binder and no textbooks! No way I would have *ever* thought that possible. I follow the “bring in one toss out two” and it works. The only problem is that I throw out 2 other things instead of books that I bring in… am down to about 1/2 of all my possessions being books and I can’t seem to get rid of any of them…Help!

Esben Jannik Bjerrum Says:

October 29th, 2007, 6:48 am

An additional tip: Check Freecycle.org for a local group. Its a great place to donate things (or get realistic about their value). After donating and getting things for free for a while, it helps one realise that its just “stuff”.

Argancel Says:

October 30th, 2007, 2:35 am

Make your storage space smaller : this is certainly not a good tip. Stuff are unsorted things. If you have nowhere to store it, it will stay unsorted somewhere in your table or on the floor.

Leo Says:

October 30th, 2007, 3:41 am

@Argancel: While you definitely make a good point, I don’t think the amount of storage space is usually the problem. The problem is that people don’t know what to do with their stuff, so they leave it unsorted.

I think a smaller storage space is a good solution — it forces you to make choices. And that’s the key: making choices. If you have a lot of storage, you’re not forced to make choices. If you have little storage but you don’t make choices, you’ll have stuff on the floor.

If, however, you have a small amount of storage space and you DO make choices, you’ll get rid of the stuff you don’t need. I’ve actually tried this tip and it works well. More storage space tends to attract more clutter.

A Says:

October 30th, 2007, 8:50 am

“Clothing rule: If you haven’t worn an item in 6 months, sell or donate it.”

You obvioiusly don’t live in an area where the seasons vary much… Just because the snow is falling doesn’t necessary mean that you should get rid of your swim-suit forever. Summer may show up again. :)

Perhaps “…in A YEAR…” is more appropriate?

-A

maggie Says:

October 30th, 2007, 15:41 pm

Nice list. And useful.

I give books away all the time…and kids clothes. Recently, I’ve been giving books away on my blog - via the “Pay It Forward” book exchange.

Deirdre Says:

November 3rd, 2007, 23:07 pm

I like this list and may print it out and add it to the clutter on my refrigerator :-) I have a very cluttered house, even though I took on rule number 2 (don’t bring things into the house) a few years ago. I need to work on #1 (15 minute decluttering) — I have tried this before, with a timer, and it really works.

I was going to post about the seasonal clothing problem, but got beaten to the punch. In addition, however, I need to hold onto children’s clothes because I keep my older daughter’s clothes for my younger daughter. We also get by mainly on hand-me-downs for children’s clothes, so I even have a bag of clothes that my older daughter will fit one day.

I was actually swamped in hand-me-downs and have learned to be careful to keep only the items we really like and the girls will actually wear regularly. The rest I put into another hand-me-down bag and pass on to the next person who might use them.

Pamela Says:

December 6th, 2007, 15:17 pm

My apartment had slowly become choked with clutter until deer trails were beginning to form. My energy for doing homework of any kind would drain away within seconds of entering my home. I never had folk over because there was no place for them to sit. All the seating spaces except the toilet and my computer chair were piled up with stuff. Two tables were similarly covered. All the bookcases had piles of midden heaped in front of them.

I rented the smallest storage space I could (5 X 5), bought transparent stackable bins, and just started filling them up. Transparent containers are more expensive than cardboard boxes initially, but they pay for themselves in reduced access time when I have to locate the one bin (out of thirty) that contains the stack of papers from a particular corner of something that shouldn’t have had a stack of papers on it in the first place! ;)

The boost in psychic energy after the first trip to storage was enough to keep me rolling forward. I can walk up to my bookcases and stand right in front of them now. I can sit down anywhere and have invited a neighbor over for tea.

My home should be a place where I can regroup and refresh after whatever the day has dealt me. It should be a place where I can plan and prepare for tomorrow. Tackling the clutter is making my home work for me.

Randy Says:

December 6th, 2007, 19:19 pm

I’m a gamer and I loved the last part! See When I got my WII and PS3, I donated my NES, SNES, PS1 and PS2 to all my relatives in the Phillipines… they’re poor, but it made me feel really good giving it away, I felt a sense of peace and I had more space in my room.

Peregrin Says:

December 19th, 2007, 20:51 pm

@Ryan: Our small local library doesn’t always carry the books I want to read (even with intra-library loan). That’s why I often buy books that I know I want to read but not keep, then donate them.

aracir Says:

January 4th, 2008, 2:12 am

Great tips! I agree with making storage space smaller. My mother just bought a very large cabinet. I was glad because I thought it would make the space in the house bigger. I thought she would give away her old smaller cabinets, but she didn’t. Now we have smaller space in the house, and more space in the cabinets which means more space for clutter!!! How I wish my mother would listen!

Lily Says:

January 22nd, 2008, 10:04 am

It just takes to open a drawer or a purse or look at a shelf to find something to throw away… or actually use.
Yesterday in 5 minutes I found a blank audiocassette (don’t even have a deck anymore), a free dvd of a language course (just the first one), the charger of my old ipod mini (which I dropped in the toilet!) - but also: several sellotapes, some images I was going to use for a collage I forgot to make, 1€, a pencil :-)

chibi Says:

January 29th, 2008, 9:35 am

Stacks, heaps, and piles are the most natural organization arrangements. If for those who clutter means comfort… you will never reach because the concept of de-clutter is uncomfortable, literally.

I have very little idea on how to reach those that feel the fundamentally comfortable with clutter. Perhaps, you will not and they are the people that most need to remove the clutter?!

Thank you very much.

Dan Says:

January 30th, 2008, 1:30 am

not that this should be the only incentive to donating clothing, but you can also write off donated clothing in your taxes…little known fact

Revenant Says:

January 30th, 2008, 11:36 am

No way I’m giving away books. about 60% of my clutter is books that I don’t have bookshelves for because I can’t fit anymore bookshelves in my apartment. I think this article and the other’s on decluttering and quick cleaning are great but not practical for those of that are pack rats, like being pack rats and have every intention of remaining pack rats. Why are there no articles on “How to be a more organized pack rat.” or “Shifting the Clutter”…or maybe I should watch Martha Stewart for that…

Lily Says:

February 12th, 2008, 15:49 pm

A while back my husband and I decided we would not be the library for other people’s lives. We now routinely get rid of books and magazines that don’t have our names in them–which of course is most of such items. We don’t start collections about other people, either. Each of us has some old books and mags that have nostalgic meaning for us. But even those are culls from many hundreds of items. And every few years, we take a hard look at them and something else gets tossed.

By tossed, incidentally, I mean recycled by whatever method is appropriate. Sometimes we donate to libraries, sometimes to charities, sometimes to friends. Rarely, we sell the items. And some items go to paper recycling because they’re not worth the effort to find a buyer or willing receiver.

As I keep reminding my hoarder acquaintances, these are mass produced items. Thousands if not millions more of exactly the same thing exist on the planet. I am not personally responsible for warehousing this one. Whatever the item, once it loses its value to me, I might as well pass it on now, while I have the energy to find its proper home. If I don’t, after I’m dead someone’s likely to toss it in the trash anyway.

Lily Says:

February 12th, 2008, 15:51 pm

By the way, I’m a different Lily than the one who posted above in January. Sorry. Call me Hopeful Lily instead.

Revenant Says:

February 12th, 2008, 18:04 pm

There are times I wish I had that outlook…but to me there is no such thing as a useless book. Thats why the library just keeps growing and growing. 1600 books in my two bedroom apartment with a wife and 17 month old son. And I hope to instill the value of knowledge and books to my son as well even at the expense of space…what I’m looking for is order…

grandmabee Says:

March 6th, 2008, 16:33 pm

it would take more then this too help me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

not possiable

Jody Reale Says:

April 16th, 2008, 18:04 pm

Because I eventually end up with kids’ stuff cluttering things up, I’ve been using Zwaggle.com to get rid of what I don’t need, and give my old stuff a chance to live out its life cycle without dumping it in a landfill. It’s responsible decluttering that embraces the 3 Rs and I love it.

Thomas Hill Says:

June 3rd, 2008, 17:29 pm

Revenant,

You don’t have to keep the books, to have them any time you want them. Sell of the infrequently read ones, and buy news ones with the proceeds. If you miss one of the ones you sold, you can pick it up again for a few bucks, amazon or local used books store, and sell it again when you are done.

The owner of our local used book store once told me that a lot of people “store their book collections here”. That really helped me - to think of as keeping them somewhere else.

And yes, I still have a couple thousand books here, but that’s let me get rid of 24 boxes to the local used book store. I hope to get rid of a few more this week.