Decluttering Your Home in One Week Checklist

Why Should You Declutter Your Home?

There are many reasons people choose to declutter their home, including:

• Homeowners looking to downsize
• People wanting their home to be more efficient and easier to run
• People looking to find the items that they use the most more quickly
• People adding a member to their family
• People wanting more space in their home

Decluttering your whole home can certainly feel intimidating. Focusing on a different area each day can help you break this large task into smaller chunks.

Day One: Bathroom Decluttering 

There’s something about personal care items that just seem to build up over time. Here are some things you can do in order to declutter your bathroom.

• Toss out any expired products like sunscreen or makeup.
• Toss out cosmetic or personal care items you no longer use.
• Toss old bathroom cleaners.
• For new or unopened items, consider opening and tossing out packaging to create more space.
• Gather items together and consider tossing duplicate items.
• Keep only items that you use on a daily basis on the bathroom counter, and find storage for the rest.
• Consider donating old towels to local animal shelters in need.
• Restock first aid supplies as needed.

Day Two: Decluttering Your Kitchen 

Few rooms get used as much in your house as your kitchen. While you may be staring into your fridge daily, there may be some cabinets that just don’t get as much attention. To tackle organizing your kitchen, you need to come up with a plan that encompasses all areas where clutter could be hiding.

• Throw out any expired food in your refrigerator.
• Throw out any expired condiments in your refrigerator.
• Throw out any ripped or stained dishtowels, or keep them for cleaning rags.
• Consider storing appliances that you do not use daily in areas other than your counter.
• Consider donating appliances that are in good working order that you no longer use.
• Consider donating duplicate pots and pans that you do not use.
• Donate cookbooks you no longer use.
• Inventory your collection of mugs and toss or donate ones that you do not use
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Day Three: Inventory of Your Coats and Shoes   

Coats and shoes can end up in a lot of different places in your home, from the entryway hook to storage bins in the attic. It can be difficult to cut down on a coat or shoe collection, but here are some things you can try.

• Gather all of your coats together.
• Organize your coats by season.
• Toss coats that no longer fit.
• Consider donating duplicates that are in good condition.
• Take this opportunity to wash your coats (remember to clean out your pockets!).
• Gather all of your shoes together.
• Consider donating shoes you no longer wear.
• Toss shoes that show visible signs of wear or breakdown.

Unsure whether or not to toss something? Grab a box and write a date on it. The date could be a few weeks from now or a few months. Put any items in the box that you may want to use in the future. If the date comes and goes and you still have not used the item, you are probably safe to donate it.

Day Four: Decluttering Papers, Bills, Forms, and Art Projects 

Paper clutter can quietly snowball into a pile that can take days or sometimes even weeks to go through. Here are some ways to keep clutter at bay when it comes to paper.

• If you don’t already have a filing system in place, create one. Use a filing cabinet or similar piece of furniture to organize important documents that you need to keep.
• Toss any promotional mailers, postcards, or magazines that you do not need to keep as soon as you receive them.
• Consider tossing birthday or holiday cards that are from past years or that do not contain a personal message.
• Consider tossing school projects, old workbooks, or related materials.
• Shred sensitive documents before tossing.

Day Five: Decluttering the Garage 

Often overlooked, but never unimportant, your garage often becomes a catch all for power tools, seasonal storage, and landscaping equipment. While other areas of your home are typically cleaned on a regular basis, many people forget to include their garage in their cleaning rotation.

• Toss any broken or rusted tools.
• Toss broken or cracked plant pots.
• Toss old gardening soil.
• Before tossing chemical cleaners or paint, check the local guidelines for your area.
• Consider donating sports equipment you no longer use.
• Consider installing vertical storage like shelves or pegboards to store tools.

 

Day Six: Decluttering Bedrooms   

 

• Sort clothing into seasons and identify duplicates you may want to donate.
• Donate clothing that no longer fits.
• Consider storing out of season clothes in a different location.
• Set aside accessories you no longer wear to donate.
• Donate luggage, bags, and backpacks that you have duplicates of or that you no longer use.
• Donate old bedding that you no longer need.
• Create a “home” or designated area for sentimental items, special collections, or important things that you want to keep. This could be a cabinet, floating shelving, or a special display case.

 

Day Seven: Closets 

Closets can keep things out of sight- and out of mind. That box to a new item that you may have a warranty on? That boardgame you played once and was hilarious but you have not thought about it since? All that and more may be lurking in your closets.

The nice thing about cleaning out your closets? More room storage space for the items you actually want to keep.

If you have the space, move seasonal decorations to a different location like your attic or basement.

While You’re At It, Shop Insurance Quotes for Your Home  

Requesting an insurance quote for your home is as simple as filling out our form here. If you would prefer to call someone to start the quoting process, you can find a list of our office phone numbers here. With offices in Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, and Florida, your local office may be closer than you think.

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This article is for general informational purposes only and is not to be relied upon or used for any particular purpose. Cross Insurance shall not be held responsible in any way for, and specifically disclaims any liability arising out of or in any way connected to, reliance on or use of any of the information contained in this article. The information contained or referenced in this article is not intended to constitute and should not be considered legal, insurance, accounting or other professional advice, nor shall it serve as a substitute for the recipient obtaining such advice. The views expressed in this article are that of its author and do not necessarily represent the views of Cross Financial Corp. and its subsidiaries and affiliates (“Cross Insurance”) or Cross Insurance’s management or shareholders.