How To Declutter Your Entire Home Room By Room

Would you like to know how to declutter your entire home room by room? You’ve come to the right place. I used to feel overwhelmed by the thought of decluttering my entire home. So overwhelmed, that a lot of times, I gave up before I even started. Just the thought of decluttering was exhausting! But obviously, just thinking about decluttering doesn’t get the job done. And living in a cluttered home isn’t the answer. Image if you knew how to declutter every room in your home without becoming overwhelmed. Sounds good doesn’t it? Well, I’m going to share tips on how to rid your house of clutter. Then I’ll walk you through the “how” of decluttering each room in your home. From the areas you share with your friends like the kitchen and living room, to the more private areas like your bedroom and bathroom. I’ve got you covered. You can even join my free Take Back My Space Email Decluttering Challenge to make sure you get it all done. Now, let’s get started.

Where To Start Decluttering

Let’s be honest, thinking about decluttering your entire home can get the best of you. The junk didn’t get there in a day, all of the “extra” accumulated over time. And you’re trying to get rid of the clutter pretty quickly. You want it gone now. To help, one of the best ways to start decluttering is to ask myself a few key questions. These will help decide what to let go of and what to keep.

When is the last time you used it?
How often do you use it?
Is this a duplicate?
Is it broken, damaged or missing parts?
Do you have something else with the same function?
Do you really need it?
Do you really want it?

Here’s a tip if you find yourself emotionally torn about getting rid of an item. Remove it from where it was originally and put it in a “maybe” pile. If you find yourself going to get that item within 30 days, then you can keep it. But if you don’t pick it up and use it within 30 days, then it’s time to let it go.

How To Declutter Your Kitchen

I find that there are a few zones in my kitchen that keep getting cluttered. To easily declutter your kitchen, let’s break it down into sections.

Drawers – in my house, drawers can get so crowded that they sometimes get stuck. They’re literally too crammed full. The best thing to do here is to take everything out of the drawer. Then put like things together. This will help you see if you have any duplicates. Simply keep your favorite and trash or donate the other. Then, only put back what you need.

Cabinets – cabinets can hold a lot. From cups and dishes to your toddlers’ kid-friendly plastic plates. But do you still need those plates if your youngest is a pre-teen? I think not. Now is the time to donate or give items that you no longer need.

Countertops – I’ve had my kitchen counters collect everything from pens and pencils to an air fryer and bills. One rule of thumb – if it doesn’t belong in the kitchen or you don’t use it every day, it shouldn’t sit on the counter. For me, that only leaves a few cookbooks, toaster and a coffee pot. Feel free to store the small appliances that you don’t use every day and donate or give away those cookbooks that you don’t use any more. And of course, relocate anything that doesn’t really belong in the kitchen anyway.

Fridge – Here’s how I decluttered my fridge last time. Take everything out and check expiration dates. Obviously, toss anything that’s expired. Then trash those leftovers that have been in the fridge for over a week. Then decide how you’d like to use each shelf. For example, we have a leftovers shelf, a milk and juice shelf and a salad and fruit shelf. For the food you don’t plan on eating, you can contact your local food bank and make a donation. And then put back everything you plan on using.

Pantry – similar to the fridge decluttering, you’ll want to start by removing everything first and then tossing expired items. If you’re like my family, you’ll end up finding packages and jars of food that you know you’ll never eat. If they aren’t past their expiration date, add to the box it’s designated box for a food shelter. You can also donate lightly used appliances and any canvas grocery store bags that you don’t need.

How To Declutter Your Bedrooms

When I declutter my bedroom, I like to focus on my nightstand, dresser and hot spots.

Nightstand – this is where a lot of junk and clutter starts to accumulate for me. Recycle most of the papers that you don’t need or file them away if they’re important. If you have prescriptions sitting around, tuck them away in the medicine cabinet. No need to have things sitting out if they don’t need to be. And that food? Yes, go put that in the fridge or pantry.

Dresser – just like several junk items find their way onto your nightstand, a lot of knick knacks and other stuff finds its way on top of your dresser. Some items like your jewelry might have a home there, but it’s time to donate any pieces you haven’t worn in over a year. The same goes for any outdated décor or clothing. If you’re not using it, it’s time to say adios.

Hot Spot – hot spots are those areas that tend to accumulate clutter. And every room has different hot spot areas. Yours could be a pile of clutter on the floor, in a chair or on your desk. So, first, move any clothes that aren’t in your dresser into the closet. Either put the dirty clothes into the hamper or put clean clothes in a drawer or hang them up. If you’re left with any miscellaneous things like pocket change, lotions, or perfume, now is the time to put them where they belong.

Last but not least, to help your bedroom feel less cluttered, make your bed.

How To Declutter Your Bathrooms & Linen Closet

The bathroom might be one of the quickest rooms to declutter because of its size. Start decluttering by focusing on the countertops, drawers, cabinets and linen closet.

Countertops – much like the countertops in your kitchen, you’ll likely find a lot of items that don’t really belong. Like unused or old toiletries, empty bottles or prescriptions. Put these things away! Store them in your cabinets or in drawers. Donate them give them away or simply trash what you don’t plan on using.

Drawers – using your bathroom drawers to store items it a good way to keep your countertops clear. Unfortunately, it’s also a good way to move something out of site so that it’s also out of mind. With that said, take everything out of your drawers and see if it’s still good. Yes, toiletries, makeup and beauty products have expiration dates too! If it’s expired, toss it! If it’s good and you’ll actually use it, put it back. And if you don’t see yourself using it again, it’s okay to send it to the trashcan. Bye, bye!

Cabinets – much like the drawers, take everything out of your bathroom cabinets and use the decluttering questions to decide what you’re going to keep. Trash the old cleaning supplies and empty bottles but put the useful ones back. Get rid of the outdated beauty products or give away the perfume samples you know you won’t use. Once you put things back, make sure it’s done neatly.

Linen Closet – similar to the closets in other areas of you house, it’s easy to fill them with clothes, or in this case towels and bedding, that you don’t actually use. Get rid of, or repurpose, your worn towels and sheets. Neatly fold the towels and linen you plan to keep. And trash any items you’ve been keeping “just in case”.

How To Declutter Your Playroom

Decluttering the playroom will probably focus on items that have to do with your kids, right? Toys, games, artwork, craft projects and school papers. Maybe even video games for the older kids. When my kids where younger, I found that a lot of their toys would end up with broken or missing parts. That’s a good way to decide if an item should go or stay. If you have gently used toys or books that your child doesn’t use anymore, don’t just leave it there. It’s clutter and it will at some point become broken or have missing parts. It’s a time for you to decide if you’ll donate, give it away or store it to keep for younger siblings.

How To Declutter Your Bonus Room

When it comes to the bonus room, I can only give you some general rules of decluttering. That’s because everyone uses their bonus room a little differently. If you keep exercise equipment in this room, you’ll need to be honest with yourself and let go of what you don’t really use. If you feel bad about getting rid of it, focus on the fact that you can sell it and help someone else at the same time. Maybe the person you’re selling the equipment to can’t afford it new. Also, because a bonus room typically serves a lot of purposes, you might find a lot of things that just ended up that don’t really belong. Yep, time to get rid of those. Get rid of all the video games and board games or cards that you no longer use. Recycle old instruction manuals and trash those dead batteries. Donate or sell décor that you don’t love.

How To Declutter Your Home Office

I just went through this myself. And since I work from home, and in my office every day, it’s easy for my space to get clutter again pretty quickly. So, this is what I tend to recommend.

Most work from home office clutter tends to come for papers. Papers spread around in different stacks or all over the desk in an unorganized fashion. The best way to handle this is to pick up each paper and either toss or file it. Have a trash bag handy for the items that need to be tossed. And for the papers that you’re going to keep, put them in a pile. Then use your sticky notes to label each pile. You may have a pile for kid’s school letters, bills, or other key areas of your life. Once you have all of your papers together in a stack, think about where you’ll file them. If you don’t have a file cabinet in your office, you can use a decorative hanging file box.

How To Declutter Your Living Room Or Family Room

The living room tends to get a lot of clutter because it’s used by everyone in the family. From the coffee table to the TV stand, you’re sure to find an item or two left behind by everyone in your family.

End tables – these tables are good for keeping your remotes and a few books handy. They’re also good for being a drop service for all the family junk! Including any of the holiday décor from last season. Find a home for everything that doesn’t belong. And feel free to say goodbye to those candles you don’t plan on using. Be honest about what you like and don’t like about your décor. It’s OK to give away, donate or sell any decorations you no longer love.

Coffee tables – Coffee tables are a clutter bugs friend, too. Time to donate or give away the toys, games and puzzles that no one uses anymore. And go ahead and wash the cups, plates and other dishes that were left sitting out. It’s time they go back in the kitchen.

TV stand – I’m grateful that a lot of TVs now are wall mounted, because that means one less TV stand. I found that TV stands seem to just collect clutter or dust. And I’m not a huge fan of either. With that said, it’s time to trash other things that don’t belong. Like remotes that don’t work anymore and dead batteries that were just left lying around.

Bookcase or magazine rack – if you have a bookcase or magazine rack in your family room, first let me say that I’ve love to drop by. I love a good book! But if you have books that you wouldn’t read again, it’s time to donate them or sell them. Recycle old magazines that you’ve already read and go ahead and store your kids’ artwork or school papers.

How To Declutter Your Closet

The first is to put things where they belong. So, put your dirty clothes into the hamper, put your shoes where they belong and put your purses and jewelry up. I’m sure your closet space already looks much better just by putting things where they belong.

The next step is to get rid of things that you no longer use and don’t need. The quickest way to do this is to ask yourself this question:

How do I feel when I wear this? Of course, if you feel good, then keep the outfit. But if you feel bad, then ask yourself if you can easily fix the issue, like having it altered. If you can’t, or you don’t like it, it’s time to donate.

How Do Declutter Your Laundry Room Or Mudroom

Much of the stuff in the laundry room is there because the room has become a drop zone. In my home, it’s where everything that doesn’t have a home. Remove anything that doesn’t belong. As far as your actual laundry, keep it simple. If it’s dirty, wash it. If it’s clean, put it away in the right bedroom or closet. Put shoes wherever they belong – in cubby, mudroom, or bedroom closet. And if you have anything spilling out of your cabinets or off the shelves in your laundry room, then do the same thing you did in the kitchen and bathroom. Take them out, see what’s really needed, group similar items together and put them back.

How To Declutter Your Storage – Basement, Attic Or Garage

I’ve got to be honest, my least favorite areas to declutter are my garage and unfinished storage area. They’re the dirtiest and untidiest areas of my home, and I’m not a fan of bugs. And bugs love dirt and junk. Anyway, the way I work through it is to tell myself that the less decluttered and cleaner this area is, the least likely bugs will want to hang around.

To get started, trash any expired chemicals, sprays or paint you won’t use again. And donate or sell any toys, sports or exercise equipment you no longer use.

How To Declutter Your Home Room By Room

Whew – that was a pretty comprehensive list! We covered how to declutter every room in your home. I shared tips to help you declutter your kitchen, bedroom, garage, storage area, bonus room and office. Just to name a few. If you’d like to take the next step, join my FREE Take Back My Space Email Challenge and get ready for a clutter-free home in just 7 days.

And please, take a few minutes and leave a comment below letting me know how your decluttering is going.