The Ultimate Declutter Checklist (Free!)

Looking for the ultimate declutter checklist to finally get organized? Use this free printable decluttering checklist to get things done!

Hi there!

Do you have the decluttering bug?

Even when it’s not Spring, I tend to get the urge to clean and organize my whole house pretty often.

(And it’s not because I’m just obsessed with decluttering and housework.)

Truth be told, clutter and disarray gives me anxiety and leaves me feeling restless and overwhelmed.

Sound familiar to anyone?

Anyway, I’m so glad you’re here!

I’m going to help you with decluttering motivation, give you a little direction, and then hook you up with a big decluttering checklist to help get you going.

Let’s get to it!

You Might Also Like: 17 Spring Cleaning Tips For An Amazingly Clean Home

Use A Declutter Checklist to Boost Your Decluttering Motivation

If you’re anything like me, visual aids can really help you get things done.

I can’t wait for you to get your free printable decluttering checklist PDF and get started, but first, I want to be sure to leave you with some serious decluttering motivation.

You probably have experience with feeling overwhelmed when it comes to cleaning and organizing. But did you know that there are a whole bunch of reasons why you should declutter and get organized?

Here are just a few really good reasons to get your home clean and organized:

Time freedom – once you’re done, and if you can maintain a decluttered space, you’ll have more time to do other things.
Feel-good – cleaning gives you a great sense of pride and accomplishment. Embrace the endorphins and use them to your advantage mentally & emotionally!
Good example – if you have children, cleaning up and maintaining a clutter-free home is going to help them understand hard work and the value of maintaining a clean space.
Charitable donations – if you declutter and are able to donate your used belongings to charity, you can not only claim them on your taxes, but you can feel good knowing you did something environmentally friendly.
Peace-of-mind – living in clutter is stressful, even if it doesn’t seem readily apparent to you. Your body feels it, and decluttering really does help with stress, sleep, and peace!

If that isn’t enough motivation for you, know that there have actually been studies about cleanliness, decluttering, and mental health. Here are few articles that explore the relationship between health and clutter:

Phew!

Those are some really good reasons to just download your declutter checklist and get started already. But you’ve taken a good first step by getting some motivation to start you off.

Now grab a trash bag and let’s go through the decluttering process together!

Related Reading: 13 Tips On How To Keep a Healthy Home

Different Ways To Declutter

There are no right or wrong ways to clean or declutter your home. You can start small, go big and gut your whole house in one week, or you can land somewhere in the middle.

It doesn’t matter if you have a small space to declutter or an entire house.

You can focus on large messes or small messes (I love to micro-organize), small rooms or big rooms, etc.

It can honestly be pretty fun to get started decluttering your home, but no matter how you do it, I beg you to pace yourself. If you go too hard, you might burn out and quit before you make any significant progress.

Getting rid of a lot of stuff can be a bit draining and take a large amount of time, so try your best not to overdo it.

The good news is that any decluttering you do will help, so it doesn’t really matter how you get started – it only matters that you do!

That being said, here are my other top tips for using this decluttering checklist:

Always add music! Music helps you keep pace (it’s science) and it will help you stay motivated. Find a good playlist on Spotify or make your own to add to the “fun factor.”
Focus on big problems before you focus on small problems. Remember when I said I like micro-organizing? I do! But it’s not usually helpful for the big-picture of a clean and tidy home (At least not at first.) Start with your biggest problems – like laundry and dishes, or boxes and clothes – before you get into the spice cabinet. 🙂
Wear comfortable shoes and clothes. Why? Because aching feet and back pain are two things that are not going to help you get things done.
Enlist family or friends. This tip serves two purposes. First, it is super healthy for kids or family members to actively participate in getting rid of things. This will help them learn to make the decision to clean up and get rid of things more easily in the future. Secondly, getting help from others will help things go faster!
Use the 6-month rule. The 6-month rule is simple. If you haven’t used or opened an item for 6+ months, get rid of it! Of course, there are exceptions to this rule, such as seasonal items like Christmas decorations, family keepsakes, etc. Use your best judgment, but when it doubt, throw it out! (Or donate.) 🙂

The Big Declutter Your Home Checklist

I’m going to do this two different ways for accessibility purposes (just in case you don’t have a printer).

You can either scroll down for your free printable declutter checklist PDF, or you can just use this blog post to go through the process! I’m going to divide the decluttering tasks into typical home areas to break things into smaller chunks. (So you don’t get overwhelmed!)

P.S. If you’re wondering how to declutter your house in one day, this isn’t the declutter your home checklist for you – it’s LONG!

Please don’t place the expectation to clean your entire home in one day on yourself, that’s just too much pressure.

Let’s do this!

* Scroll down for the printable declutter checklist *

Things to Declutter in The Living Room

Excess couch / throw pillows
Magazines
TV remotes
Dying houseplants
The top of the coffee table and in any drawers if you have any
Vases, candles and other trinkets you’ve outgrown
Accent chairs that don’t fit the space
Extra furniture that crowds the space
Old DVDs or movies you haven’t watched in years
Random electronics, chargers, and other cords you don’t need
Books gathering dust
Extra blankets
Broken lamps or anything else taking up space
Other piles of things – go through them and purge!

Things to Declutter in The Kitchen

Junk drawer
Fridge & freezer
Spice cabinet
Dishes and mugs – most of us have way too many!
Supplements and medicine cabinet (also, do you really need that many shaker bottles?)
Liquor cabinet
That random cabinet full of pet stuff or old jars
Extra utensils like spatulas, tongs, etc.
Excess pots and pans (especially that one that’s all scratched up)
Shot glasses, mixers, shakers, whiskey glasses, etc.
Magnets, old pictures, last year’s calendar, and anything else on your fridge
The top of the fridge (it’s gross!)
Mismatched or chipped China or other dishes
Spaghetti-stained plastic food storage containers and other Tupperware types
Under the kitchen sink – sponges, old cleaning bottles, empty wine bottles, etc.
The foil & baggie drawer – get rid of rubber bands, ties, extras, etc.
Old kitchen towels and cleaning rags
Baking sheets, glass pans (like Pyrex) etc.
Any other cabinet – declutter your serving platters, kitchen gadgets, seasonal items, small appliances, etc.
Dining table or kitchen countertops
The pantry – see below!

Things to Declutter in The Pantry

Expired foods – check your canned goods, pasta, beans, rice, and other grains
Old snack foods that no one liked
Storage containers that aren’t in use
Break down bulk boxes and nearly-empty boxes
Spices & condiments
Baking supplies/ingredients like flour, salt, sugar
Old plastic bags or shopping bags
Sauce packets, flavoring, pasta sauce, etc.
Shelf-stable drinks & treats
Napkins, paper towels, picnic supplies, etc.

Things to Declutter in The Bathrooms

Under the sink – old washcloths, cleaning supplies, etc.
Extra or old towels or hand towels
Expired cosmetics and personal care products
Old or extra hair curlers, straighteners, etc.
Old toothbrushes, empty toothpaste tubes, etc.
Clumpy old nail polish
Those empty bottles sitting in your shower
Old razors and hair brushes
Those free hotel soaps you’ve been hoarding
Old hair ties, scrunchies, and broken bobby pins
Old makeup brushes, deodorant, and anything else you can think of

Things to Declutter in The Office

Tax documents that are 7+ years old
Scribbled on paper or sticky notes you don’t need anymore
Spent gift cards or old debit/credit cards you need to cut up
Your old college textbooks
Broken pens or pencils
Scissors, dried-up glue, and other craft supplies
Dried-up Sharpies and dry-erase markers
Extra cords, chargers, and those headphones that don’t work anymore
Thumb drives and other storage devices
That old camera that your phone can outdo tenfold
Junk mail and empty envelopes
Those expired coupons you forgot to use
Spent legal pads, journals, notebooks
Desk drawers / any other home office supplies I forgot 🙂

Things to Declutter in The Bedrooms

Clutter on the nightstands (don’t forget to clean out any drawers)
Laundry on the floor or in piles
Clutter on top of the dresser
Check your bedroom closet and get rid of anything stained or ripped
Loose change – put it in a jar or baggie
Jewelry box or keepsakes box
Hats, gloves, shoes
Any sitting chairs – clean them off!
The treadmill, laundry drying rack or anything else you’re using as a hanger!
TV remotes or anything else that’s creating clutter
Each drawer of your dresser – socks, underwear, jeans, tops, etc.

Things to Declutter in The Bedroom Closet

(Use the 6 month rule!)

Beanies and ball caps – you don’t need 20!
Sports bras, workout clothes, etc.
Check all of your seasonal items (like jackets) to see if you can part with any of them
Old shoes and boots
Scarves, gloves, sunglasses, and other accessories
Those cringey high heels you’ve had since Prom
Old swimsuits
Jeans that don’t fit anymore
Blankets or bedding you don’t rotate through
T-shirts and sweatshirts
Purses and backpacks you don’t use regularly
Formal wear like suits, bridesmaid dresses, etc.

Things to Declutter in The Linen Closet

Old towels and hand towels
Old blankets and quilts that you don’t like anymore or are falling apart
Mismatching sheets or pillowcases
Lumpy extra pillows or stained pillows
Sheets that don’t fit well or you don’t like anymore
Old rags/anything excessive
Baby blankets
Irons, laundry balls, steamers, etc.

Things to Declutter in The Coat Closet

Outgrown winter gloves/snow gear
Excess beanies or hats
Extra hangers or broken/bent hangers
Old jackets or sweatshirts
Outgrown shoes and boots
Umbrellas or other outdoor accessories
Old slippers

Things to Declutter in The Playroom

Broken toys or toys that are missing pieces
Old markers and broken crayons
Ripped books or baby books (they grow so fast!) – really just the whole bookshelf
Lone Legos and other small pieces
Dress-up costumes or other pretend-play items
Snack scraps, bits of cardboard, and other things that remind you that you have children
Old Play-Doh or that terrible slime and dirty kinetic sand they begged for
Magnatiles or similar
Stuffed animals (or stuffies/plushies, as the kids say these days)
Old coloring books or drawing supplies that have been used up
Puzzles, games, workbooks, etc.
Anything your child has outgrown

Extra: Things to Declutter in The Garage or Mudroom

Declutter & organize your screwdrivers and other small tools
Workbench clutter – solo screws, nuts, bolts, etc.
Boots, coats, etc.
Empty cardboard boxes
Cans/bottles or other things that need to be taken out to the recycling
Camping or other outdoor gear
Old appliance or tool manuals
Wood scraps (or other building or landscaping materials)
Get rid of any old or dried-up glue, caulk, etc.
Old batteries and other unwanted items

Extra: Things to Declutter in The Laundry Room

Cleaning supplies
That broken laundry basket that buckles when it’s full
Laundry supplies (think baking soda, old bleach, broken clothespins)
Household manuals or other small booklets you might have in a drawer
Hangers or racks
Empty laundry detergent bottles or boxes
The basket of mismatched socks – it’s time to let go. 😉
The donation box – load it into your car!
Emergency preparedness stuff (I personally have more candles and flashlights in my laundry room than I care to admit)
Vases or other little decor items that got stored in the laundry room

Wow…was that not the declutter checklist of your dreams?

Printable Declutter Checklist PDF

In case you just want to print and go, here is a free printable decluttering checklist for the whole house. Click on the image, download, and print!

ultimate declutter checklist free pdf download

I so hope you enjoyed this big declutter checklist as much I enjoyed writing it.

(Be sure to share this decluttering checklist with any family and friends that might need it!)

Just a reminder to think of this as a to-do list that should take you a month or more to complete. You aren’t going to declutter an entire house in one decluttering session.

Take it slow and admire your work anytime you make great progress in the fight against excess clutter.

You might not notice a huge difference on the first day, but this is the best thing you can do for your peace of mind.

Just keep at it – you’ll get to enjoy a clutter-free environment sooner than later!

Best of luck,

Chantal

The Ultimate Declutter Checklist (Free!)