Some days it feels like clutter multiplies overnight, doesn’t it? I’ll walk into the kitchen in the morning and suddenly there are 6 cups on the counter… and a bunch of random Barbie accessories! Or I’ll open a drawer and wonder why I’ve kept all of these random receipts.
If the amount of clutter in your house ever feels overwhelming (somehow I feel like every room in our home gets cluttered at once at least two or three times a year), I hope that this list will help you as much as its helped me!
And remember, you don’t need to do everything at once – just pick one category, set a 10-minute timer, and start where you can.
Small wins add up fast!
Here are 101+ things you can declutter today, broken down into easy categories (and perfect for a printable checklist!).
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Entryway & Drop Zone
- Old mail
- Worn-out shoes
- Extra jackets nobody wears
- Broken umbrellas
- Outgrown kids’ gear
- Random paper clutter
- Empty shopping bags
- Bags that haven’t been emptied and dealt with yet
- Old coupons
- Dried-up pens
- Out of season accessories
Tips for keeping this space organized:
- Wall hooks – I like this for our keys and this large hook space for our jackets and hats. Each member of the family gets a hook and whatever doesn’t fit on it goes into the closet.
- Shoe rack – I like this one because its adjustable to the size of your space
- Basket – this is nice for storing mail and other miscellaneous items that often end up with a temporary home in the entryway!
Living Room
- Old magazines
- CDs, DVDs, or Blue Rays you’ll never use again
- Board games with missing pieces
- Throw blankets nobody uses
- Pillows past their prime
- Trinkets you don’t love
- Decor that ends up being clutter
- Broken or old candles
- Old electronics (who else has a box of old cables they don’t know what to do with?)
- Random toys and toy pieces hiding under the couch
We like the following for keeping our living room organized:
- Storage ottomans – we have a couch like this and love the built-in storage! You can put out of season pillows, extra blankets, books, and all sorts of other stuff in here. A storage basket like this is another great idea for larger things and actually looks really nice too!
- Cute baskets – these types of small storage baskets great for books, pillows, games, and other small things
Kitchen Counters
- Old receipts
- Takeout menus
- Small appliances you don’t use
- Expired coupons
- Old mugs and cups no one uses anymore
- Junk mail and flyers
- Spices you never reach for
Kitchen Cabinets & Drawers
- Excess duplicate utensils
- Bent and worn out baking pans
- Plastic containers with no lids
- Lids with no containers!
- Chipped plates
- Worn spatulas
- Old water bottles
- Scratched pans
- Expired pantry items
- Appliances missing parts
Cupboard organization ideas:
- I really like these spinning trays and
- A can organizer like this is really nice too and helps you to use things according to their expiry dates
Fridge & Freezer
- Expired condiments
- Freezer-burned foods
- Old leftovers
- Multiple open containers of the same thing (condense them!)
- Duplicate seasonings
- Half-empty jars nobody wants
Fridge organization ideas:
- I like clear bins for organizing snacks, salads, and kids items
- A lazy Susan like this one is great for condiments that often get buried and forgotten about at the back of the fridge
Dining Area
- Table clutter
- Worn out placemats
- Napkins that have seen better days
- Center pieces you don’t love
- Worn out chairs
More ideas to get your home in order:
- Here’s How We DIY-ed Our 1970s Kitchen Renovation and Remodel with IKEA
- 15 Best Amazon Home Decor Finds for 2026 (Under $100!)
- How to Clean Your House Fast When You Have No Time!
- Ultimate List of Decluttering Ideas to Finally Get Your Home Organized (and Stop Picking Up the Same Messes!)
Bathroom Counters
- Empty bottles
- Expired makeup
- Old skincare
- Hair ties with no stretch left
- Broken hair clips
- Old toothbrushes
- Worn washcloths
Bathroom organization tips:
- Use the wall – I have this wall organizer in our bedroom bathroom. It helps keep my makeup, brushes, hair accessories, and products organized.
- Cute baskets – for larger items like skin care, makeup palettes, and creams, I use baskets like this to keep like things together. It gets less dusty than leaving everything on the counter too!
Shower & Bathtub
- Worn out loofahs
- Empty bottles
- The historic remains of any bar soaps
- Old razors
- Damaged wet brushes
- Old kids bath toys
Shower organization ideas:
- A good large shower caddy like this is so helpful for lifting things off the edges of the bathtub! I’ve had lots of cheap ones in the past but they don’t hold up to large salon bottles. It keeps things cleaner and organized below too!
- A pole shower organizer like this one is great for bigger families with more toiletries.
Bathroom Cabinets
- Hotel toiletries (you’ll probably never use them)
- Expired meds
- Old razors
- Duplicates of random products
- Towels that are worn out
- Broken hair brushes and combs
Bathroom cabinet organization ideas:
- I recently got these under the counter organizers and can’t say enough about them! They’ve really helped us contain the mess that used to always show up in the same spots. With the kids bath toys, things always got out of order after their baths.
- Bath toy organizers – I love this thing. When the kids are done bathing, they just put their toys in here and we condense it to store it underneath the cupboard until next bath day.
Your Bedroom
- Clothes that don’t fit
- Socks with holes
- Underwear with holes or worn out bands
- Pajamas you never wear
- Old bras with worn out bands
- Worn out leggings
- Jewelry you don’t love
- Books you won’t reread
- Empty boxes
- Miscellaneous nightstand clutter
Bedroom decluttering ideas:
- I like using a rolling rack for the things I’m selling. It helps me keeps clothing that’s in good condition looking that way! I keep a laundry bin (this one is great because its flexible and can be put away while taking up almost no space when not in use!) underneath for clothing that will be gifted or donated.
- Thin velvet hangers like these are a game changer too – its incredible how much more you can fit in your closet using them!
Kids’ Bedrooms
- Outgrown clothes
- Toys they no longer play with
- Stuffed animals
- Broken toys
- Random toy pieces with no set
- Excess blankets
- Old artwork
- Books they’ve outgrown
- Puzzles with missing pieces
Closets
- Shoes that hurt your feet
- Purses you never carry
- Scarves you don’t wear
- Hats nobody likes
- Belts you forgot you owned
- Outgrown kids’ outerwear
- Worn out adult outerwear
Laundry Room
- Empty detergent bottles
- Stained cloths that aren’t salvageable
- Single socks
- Old cleaning products
- Broken hangers
Homeschool & Office Areas
- Old curriculum you’re done with
- Dried out markers
- Crayons down to nubs
- Papers you don’t need
- Duplicate supplies
- Old planners
- Manuals you’ll never read
- Broken craft supplies
Office and homeschool organization ideas:
- A rolling cart – something like this is fantastic for art supplies, paper work, and even books. I love how it can be rolled into a different room for when company comes over too.
- Magazine holders – these are great or floppy books, magazines, and agendas. I love ours!
- Label maker – these things great for organizing small paperwork and bins in your office space. We recently used it in the kids room to organize their toys (dolls, legos, mini figures, doll clothing, etc.)
- Laminator – this is such a great tool if you find yourself constantly printing out the same things again and again. I like how you can just use a dry erase marker and do it over again instead of wasting paper.
- Wall storage – I like these wall grids for organizing little paper items, tickets, business cards, and even a small calendar. It helps me not forget about things that are coming up.
- Wire baskets – these are great for holding notebooks and agendas. They take up way less room on your desk when they’re standing vertically!
Garage, Basement, or Storage Areas
- Seasonal decor you never put out
- Broken tools
- Old paint
- Sports gear the kids outgrew
- Empty boxes
- Dead batteries
- Holiday lights that don’t work
- Extra flower pots
- Camping gear you haven’t used in years
- Rusty or worn out tools
- Extra IKEA parts
Digital Decluttering (Bonus!)
- Old screenshots
- Emails you don’t need
- Apps you never use
- Blurry photos
- Duplicate files
- Duplicate photos
- Unsubscribe from mailing lists that no longer serve you!
Sentimental Items (Go Slowly, Friend)
- Cards you don’t need to keep
- Gifts you kept out of guilt
- Old photos or items that have negative memories associated with them
- Kids’ paperwork (keep the best and toss the rest)
Decluttering Tips to Make This Easier
Here are a few things that help me stay motivated when I’m feeling overwhelmed:
- Pretend you’re moving (you’ll keep far less)
- Use the “one shelf, one drawer” method
- Keep a donation bag (or bin) in your closet
- Do a 10-minute reset before bed
- Stop storing things “just in case”
- Play music while you tidy up!
- Celebrate small wins
And remember that your home is allowed to evolve as your life changes!
Free Printable Decluttering Checklist
You can download this post as a free printable decluttering checklist.
Simply click any of the images or text below to download and print it at home.
Final Thoughts on How to Use this Declutter Checklist
You don’t have to declutter your entire house this week – you don’t even have to finish a whole room!
Just pick ONE small category on this list, set a timer, and let yourself be proud of the five minutes you spent caring for your home.
Even just 10 small things a day will add up to 300 items decluttered each month and those baby steps lead to big progress.
That’s over 3,650 items a year!
So print off your checklist and get started 🙂
Happy decluttering, friend!
– Nikki