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Here’s a big myth: you need a lot of time to declutter your home. The truth is, if you plan smartly and focus single-mindedly you can declutter your home quite quickly and start to see some real, visible impact. With this step-by-step guide I will show you how to declutter your home fast, even if you just have 15 minutes on hand.
We all lives busy lives. If you’re a mom you probably have your hands full most of the time. If you have a corporate job – you’re probably already struggling to make time for yourself.
We all sometimes let our home take a backseat. When that happens, clutter tends to accumulate. The good news, however, is that there is are smart ways to keep the home organized and tidy. Routines that can fit into your lifestyle and show us quicker results, with lesser effort. My intent with this article is to take you through a simple process of how you can quickly declutter your home – without getting overburdened.
This whole declutter process is full of hacks and strategies and is divided in stages. From prep, to actual declutter to maintenance. I will cover every tool you’ll need to keep your home tidy.
How To Get the Most Out of This Declutter Guide
While I’ve listed multiple strategies and areas in this article, you should choose your declutter strategy according to the time you have on hand.
I’ve prioritized which strategy you should to start with.
And if you have more time, you can progress to strategies labelled as Priority 2, 3, 4…etc.
So let’s get into it, shall we?
Stage 1: Getting Ready to Declutter
Time Needed for This Stage: 5 minutes
Decide On A Time Limit For Your Declutter
If you want to declutter your home fast, you need to decide on the time you can allot to the process – before you actually begin.
It could be 15 minutes, could be an hour. It could even be a day.
The idea is to just set a timer and give decluttering some uninterrupted time.
This will make sure you get the maximum done with minimum distractions – all within the time you have.
Get Boxes or Bags For Sorting Items
Before you start to declutter, grab a bag or a box each for:
- Trash
- Donate
- Relocate
- Keep
Put On Some Music. Or Your Favorite Podcast.
Make a playlist if that’s what motivates you. Anything that gets to going and gives you the vibes you need.
Stage 2: Pick Your Declutter Strategy
Time Needed for This Stage
As per the deadline set by you. You can start even with just 15 minutes.
Pro-tip
When you have less time, prioritize. First, start with the tasks that you can do easily and the ones that get maximum impact.
Below I’ve put down declutter action points, according priority. Start from the top and work your way down. Finish what you can in the time you have.
Priority 1: The Clean Sweep
Inspired by Becoming Minimalist, this has quickly become my favorite way to declutter the home fast. Super simple and effective. All you need to do is grab a garbage bag, and start going through your home and dump any trash you find in the bag. Start from the entryway and work your way into the house.
As you go room by room, just quickly drop what you definitely know is trash into the bag. Old mail, empty bottles, take-out cutlery, shampoos that have run out, expired medicines – trash it all.
The key here is to single-mindedly focus only on trashing things. Don’t get carried away and start organizing a drawer (even though you may be tempted). And don’t start keeping things back in their place. The idea at this stage is solely to declutter the junk.
This shouldn’t take you very long and even if you have just 15 minutes – you’ll be surprised how much you’ve been able to declutter. The best part? Doing a “clean sweep” declutter of the home is extremely satisfying because the results are very tangible and immediate.
Priority 2: The Surface Clear
Some of this may be covered in the earlier step, but your surfaces still may need special attention.
Think of this as a second wave of the clean sweep, only this time, focus specifically on flat surfaces.
Dump what you don’t need. Collect stuff to donate and to relocate elsewhere in the house by dropping them into separate bags/bins.
Clearing out flat surfaces gives you the most visible impact in the home, almost feels like you’ve done more than half the job – in very little time.
Priority 3: The High-Impact Zone
Once you’ve covered the above two steps, earmark the area in your house that looks the messiest. It could be your entryway, your pantry, or even your closet.
A lot of organizing experts actually advise on prioritizing an area that is stressing you out the most.
Once you’ve picked that area, focus on decluttering just that one space.
Declutter only, don’t get into organizing just yet.
Separate into the earlier created boxes of Trash, Donate, Relocate & Keep.
Tackling even one messy, high-impact area – will give you the maximum result even if you have limited time.
Priority 4: The Room-by-room Declutter
Once you’ve covered the high-priority stuff, you can start a slightly deeper room-by-room declutter.
Go into each room, and start decluttering. You can even do some amount of organizing at this stage.
Just try not to get completely derailed and be swept into another room. To get this done quickly you’ll have to stay focussed on the room you’re in.
Here are a few room declutter action points to help you get started:
1. Living Room
– Clear all surfaces first (coffee tables, shelves).
– Store or discard magazines, books, and remote controls.
2. Kitchen
– Empty the sink and dishwasher.
– Toss expired food and consolidate pantry items.
3. Bedroom
– Make the bed to instantly tidy the room.
– Declutter nightstands and dressers.
4. Bathroom
-Dispose of old toiletries and medications.
– Wipe down counters and organize under the sink.
5. Home Office
– Clear the desk of papers and office supplies.
– Digitize important documents and shred unnecessary papers.
I go into much deeper detail in my Complete Home Declutter Checklist. This contains a room-by room granular checklist of each and every item you can declutter. And when I say room-by-room, it includes every single room – even the laundry room and the garage.
So make sure you don’t miss a thing, check out the Complete Home Declutter Checklist. It’s on a discount currently, so you may want to grab it while you can.
Stage 3: Keep The Clutter Away
Time Needed for This Stage:
On-going, long-term habits, so no specific finite time period.
Make Decluttering Part of Your Daily Flow
One of the simplest hack for keeping your house clutter-free is by decluttering as you go about your day.
Clear out empty bottles as you step out of the shower.
Clear out your desk when you first start your work day. Quickly dump unused and expired food when you reach into the pantry for a snack.
Simple. Quick. Efficient.
Make a Memory Box
Not yet ready to trash a few sentimental things? Keep collecting all the ‘maybes’ and stash them away in a ‘memory box’, somewhere separate. Revisit the box every few months – and see if you feel ready to give a few things away. If not, at least they’re not taking up space in your active storage like cupboards and cabinets.
Hopefully, in time, you’ll be able to part with a few more things.
Add a Daily 10 Minute Declutter Routine
This is how I like to start my day. Just 10 minutes, to clear out whatever I can.
Makes a huge difference to how I feel the rest of the day.
Follow the One in One Out Rule
This is an age-old declutter rule. Every time you buy something new, let go of one thing.
Simple to understand yet hard to follow. But if you can keep a strong intention, you’ll find you’ll be able to do it a lot of times, even if not all the time.
And that itself can make a big difference, clutter-wise.
Recruit Help
Keeping the house tidy and clutter-free should be shared responsibility. Find interesting ways to involve your kids and spouse. Make it a competition, tie it to rewards – anything to take the load off of you!
If you’re looking for detailed ideas and secret tips to keep the clutter away, check out this article where I go into deeper detail.
In summary, the key things to declutter quickly: set a timer, prioritize and eliminate distractions. Hope this guide inspires you and helps you learn how to declutter your home fast. At the end of the day, clearing clutter shouldn’t have to feel like a daunting, never-eneding task.
Have only 20 minutes? Here’s how you can declutter any room in 20 minutes flat.
