7 Little things to declutter that will make a difference in minutes!
Do you feel that your house is getting smaller? That you don’t have enough storage space? The thing is, we probably all have the adequate square footage we need. It’s just taken up by stuff we don’t. Not only is this stuff taking up our storage space, it’s also taking up our headspace.
Studies show that cluttered environments can raise stress levels, make it harder to focus, and even affect your sleep. When your space feels chaotic, your brain often follows suit.
However, decluttering your home can offer significant health benefits by reducing stress, anxiety, improving sleep quality, and boosting your mood. Organizing and decluttering isn’t just about having a picture-perfect home—it’s about creating space for what really matters. When your environment feels light and organized, everything else in life feels a little easier too.
Decluttering your home can seem a bit overwhelming, especially if you’ve put it off for a while. That’s why starting with a few little things will hopefully open the doors to letting go of more.
Here’s a list of 7 little things to declutter right now that will make a huge difference in no time!
1. Get rid of anything broken that you know you’re not going to get fixed. We all have that drawer where we throw broken phones or cords that no longer work? How about those cracked Tupperware lids or those dried up pens? Get rid of it!
2. Spices that have been sitting in your pantry for a VERY long time. Take a few minutes to go through them and get rid of expired or spices that you no longer use. You’ll be surprised of the extra space this will create in your pantry.
3. Extra totes, baskets or bags that you collect. I’m extremely guilty of hoarding bags in my house. Yes, it’s nice to have a few sitting around for use but not a whole closet full! Consider donating them to a local food pantry. They may be useful for people to carry their weekly groceries.
4. Old notebooks/journals. Chances are, you have multiple notebooks laying around, stuck in a drawer, or stacked in your home office. Take some time to go through them, rip out pages of significance and shred the rest.
5. Make-up and beauty products. Did you know that you’re supposed to discard mascara 2-3 months after purchase? Those drawers in your bathroom most likely have a few expired mascaras in them! If you have old nail polish that’s hardened, broken eyeshadows palettes (that are also messy)…it all has to go! Consider purchasing drawer organizers to keep hair clips, lipsticks, hair bands, etc. more orderly. It’s so refreshing to open a makeup drawer that isn’t chaotic.
6. Vases your flowers came in. You only THINK that you’ll use that vase again to arrange your own flowers one day but chances are, you won’t. Keep one or two nice vases to use and get rid of the rest. Florists will happily take them back, so upcycle your vases by dropping them off at your local flower shop!
7. Clean out photos and apps on your phone. Most of us have a phone that we look at multiple times a day. A constant reminder that we need to get all of the thousands of pictures that we took printed and put in storage. Unfortunately, we tend to put that chore on the backburner. Leading to more and more clutter on our phones. Believe it or not, reducing digital clutter has significant mental and physical health benefits. Such as, lowering stress, improving focus, enhancing better sleep and freeing up mental energy. So, get those important memories printed and then delete them from your phone. You can even upload them to a hard drive if you want to keep a digital version long-term. Delete any apps that you no longer use, as well.
I encourage you to start with at least 1 item from this list of 7 little things to declutter your home and give it a try this week!
