Power Decluttering: 5 Areas of Your Home to Declutter Now

When it comes to decluttering our home, I haven’t been known to “chip away slowly.” 

Maybe it’s a personality thing—going big is in my blood (like the time I quit my desk job and moved to Spain or the year I let go of 75% of my possessions).

Creating change quickly, especially when decluttering, has always held its appeal.

Sure, there have been seasons of more methodical decluttering (like after having a baby—sleep trumps jettisoning possessions). 

But generally, when I get a vision of our living space that no longer involves clutter, I find a way to make it happen. Fast.

The trick, I’ve found, is knowing how and where to invest your time. 

If you want to make a real difference in your home in one week (or 2-3 weeks depending on the amount of stuff needing decluttered) by decluttering just 20 minutes a day, here’s how.

Tackle these five different areas for 20 minutes a day and your home will feel instantly lighter:

Things you drink from 

Most kitchens contain exponentially more items to drink from than needed. Experiment with removing at least half of them and boxing them out of sight for three months (if you haven’t needed them after three months, let them go). Here’s how:

Consider the physical boundaries of where you store things you drink from. Your glasses, coffee mugs, water bottles, and to-go drink containers don’t want to be crammed in a cabinet in a haphazard, inaccessible assortment.

Designate one shelf for your glasses and one shelf for your coffee mugs. Keep only what fits comfortably on the shelves.

Next, pile all your water bottles and to-go drink containers in one clear space. Each person in the family chooses his/her favorite. You know the one you always hope is clean—grab that one. (Keep a couple extra for guests if you feel called, but not more than that.) 

Then, place the water bottles and to-go drink containers you plan to keep into a basket. Put the basket in a lower kitchen cabinet. Storing these items together in lower cabinets frees your upper cabinet space and gives them an uncluttered, unified look upon opening. 

Box up the glasses, coffee mugs, water bottles and to-go drink containers that didn’t make the cut. After three months of realizing life was lighter without them, it will be much easier to let them go.

(Minimalist tip: Consider swapping your glasses for multifunctional mason jars. These jars can be used as drinking glasses, vases, and food storage containers (think sliced veggies, fruit, or soups). When one item serves multiple purposes, you need to own fewer possessions. Also, let go of all plastic drinkware—they leach toxins into your body, especially when heated.)

Paper

Every piece of paper that enters your home (or is created within your home) needs a designated place. I like the idea of piling all papers together in one basket and storing it in a low kitchen cabinet (ours is next to our basket of water bottles mentioned above).

If you’re looking to create quick change, grab all the papers in your home and put them in one basket  (pile the bills on top if they are unpaid). 

This basket serves as a designated holding place for all your actionable “to dos” (including: mail, receipts, forms to complete, bills to pay, letters to read, kids’ artwork and notes you write to yourself). This centrally located basket eliminates the piles that form around your house and on your kitchen counters. Plus, you’ll always know where to find a paper when needed.

Now, choose a set weekly time to go through all the items in the basket. Try to go through the basket at the same time each week. Decluttering paper from your home will make the environment feel instantly lighter. Read how to declutter paper more in-depth here.

Bathroom counter

A clutter-free bathroom counter has the power to set the tone for your morning. Space invokes relaxation, deep breaths, and positive thoughts. Clutter invites chaos, anxiety, and stress. You can create either.

Declutter your bathroom counter by first, eliminating any trash. That toothpaste box? You don’t need it anymore. The empty containers you’re saving because you think they will remind you to buy a refill? Make a note on your to-do list and just toss the empty containers already. 

Once the trash is gone, remove any items that don’t belong in your bathroom. Put them in their proper home. 

Now, put whatever’s on the counter in the drawers. If you don’t have drawer space, use under-the-sink storage. If there are certain items you do want on your countertop, say makeup brushes or toothbrushes, make them beautiful. You can search “luxury aesthetic containers for bathroom” on Amazon and find nice, low-cost containers.

Elevate your countertops further by adding a plant or fresh flowers. 

Bedroom

Bedrooms often serve as a catch-all space, hiding everything that doesn’t have a “home” within our homes. Why not make your bedroom a sanctuary?

Give your bedroom a refresh by first, removing all trash. Then, remove everything that doesn’t belong in your bedroom. Hang up your clothes in the closet instead of letting them pile up on the floor. If you have exercise equipment in your bedroom, I highly recommend relocating it if possible. A spin bike doesn’t match the “calm and relaxing” environment you’re working to create.

If items that are scattered on the floor (books or extra blankets, for example) need a home, invest in a basket to hold them. We don’t have nightstands, so I keep a small basket of books by the recliner in our bedroom, which helps keep the area uncluttered. 

If you have a dresser, clear the top (use the tips from the bathroom counter decluttering section above). Consider using the top drawer of your dresser to hold all items usually placed on top of the dresser.

Commit to being a gatekeeper of your bedroom—only let things in it that support rest and calm. Make the bed and open the blinds each morning. This small habit alone will elevate your room. Soon your bedroom will be a refuge you feel great walking into.

Drop zones

Each house has drop zones—the places people dump all their random things as they enter or pass through the home.

They may include: kitchen countertops, the bottom of the stairs, or inside the front door. Identify your drop zones, and then create a system right where the clutter is piling. 

Get an aesthetically pleasing, closed container to hold keys and wallets that pile on the kitchen counter. Put a basket at the bottom of the stairs and bring it upstairs at the end of each day. Place a bin for shoes at the entryway. 

By creating a system where clutter already piles, you simply reshape an already occurring behavior. This makes it easier for an area to stay clutter-free. Decluttering the drop zones of your home will make your home environment feel calmer.

Myquillyn Smith, author of Cozy Minimalist Home, said, “When home feels out of control, no matter what the reason, unsettledness and anxiety can seep in, and then the chaos becomes internal as well as external.” 

If clutter is making your home feel chaotic and out of control, then it’s time to take action. Start with this 20-minutes-a-day decluttering crash course and watch your living spaces be transformed.

If your home environment needs a change—fast—I encourage you to try this decluttering challenge.

Why not see how much lighter life is with less?

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Julia Ubbenga is a freelance journalist whose teachings on minimalism, simplicity, and intentional living have reached thousands of people worldwide through her blog. Julia also practices what she preaches in her Kansas City home. She resides with her husband, two extremely lively young daughters, three-year-old son, and baby girl. You can also find her on Instagram.

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Want to get serious about decluttering your life? My signature course will show you how to change your inner and outer environment for good. Now is the time to choose change. Now is the time to live lighter. Learn more here.