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Do you need to simplify and declutter your home? Does the thought of decluttering make you feel anxious and stressed? This simple 30-day decluttering challenge is a great place to start! Each day you will tackle one room, one drawer, or one area of your home and spend 30 minutes to an hour focused only on that one task.

Are you overwhelmed with the idea of decluttering your home? You know it needs to be done, but you have no idea how and where to begin?

If you answered yes to both of those questions, I can assure you that you are not alone! Knowing that you need to declutter your home is the easy part. The hard part is first, finding the motivation to get started; second, deciding how and where to start; and third, finding the time to do it.

Well, let me tell you…I know exactly how you feel. As much as I love to live in a clutter-free, well-organized home, putting in the work and time to keep it that way is a daunting task! I often find it difficult to stay focused on just one area of my home at a time without walking into another area and realizing it needs to be decluttered as well. So, I have created this simple 30-day decluttering challenge as a guide to help you (and me!) take control of the clutter and create a home living space that you love coming home to.

Where to start?

Begin with the mindset that you will have to let things go. You can’t and don’t need to keep everything.

Not only is it difficult to get motivated to declutter your home, but it is also hard to let go of some things. We often keep items for sentimental reasons or because we might use them someday. It is important to ask yourself when you last used the item or last wore that article of clothing. If you haven’t used or worn the item in a year, it’s time to let it go.

Use bins or bags to create a 3-way system of decluttering. One bin or bag for throwing away, one for donating, and one for keeping.

As you go through each area of your home, create a space to set up this 3-way system. This will help you make decisions about items that you haven’t used or worn or that are broken and need to be replaced. Keep in mind – you could sell some of the items or take them to a consignment shop to make a little money as well!

Get rid of the items you choose not to keep immediately.

Make sure you take your “throw away” items to the trash and your “donate” items to your local charity immediately after decluttering an area. The longer the items remain in your home, the more likely you are to decide to keep them.

Start small! Don’t start with a large area or an area that has a lot of clutter.

By starting in a smaller area, such as your kitchen utensil drawer or your dresser drawers, you will be less likely to get overwhelmed and more likely to continue with the daily challenge. Save the bigger and more daunting areas for later in the challenge.

As you go through the decluttering challenge, my hope is that the task of decluttering will get easier and you will begin to see the benefits of doing all of this work to create a clutter-free, well-organized home for yourself.

30-DAY HOME DECLUTTERING CHALLENGE

This 30-day decluttering challenge is set up to tackle one room or area of your home per week. Each day you will declutter a certain area in that room and by the end of the week, you will be so pleased with the result!

#1 - Kitchen area

Your kitchen is where you and your family spend a great deal of time, and where we all seem to accumulate a lot of clutter. With this challenge, you will focus on certain items and areas to get you started on decluttering your kitchen space.

Organizing your Tupperware, kitchen drawers, pots and pans, or dishtowels first is the best way to "start small" in your kitchen. Once you have accomplished these, then consider moving to bigger areas, like your pantry! It can be a daunting task to declutter your pantry!

Click here for some great organizational ideas for your kitchen space.

#2 - Closet and Bedroom

Do you have clothes and shoes that you haven’t worn in quite a while? Are you keeping that little black dress or your favorite boots because you “might need them one day?” I get it! We all do it! But now it is time to take a long, hard look at your clothes, shoes, purses, accessories, etc., and get rid of anything you haven’t worn or used in the last year!

Oh! While you are in your bedroom, don’t forget to organize your nightstand! Nightstands tend to be a catch-all space in our bedrooms. Clean the clutter off the top and go through the drawers and throw stuff away! You don’t need worn-out charger cords, old receipts, old books, or anything else that is cluttering up your nightstand.

Click here to see some of my favorite closet organization items.

#3 - Living Room

After a long day at work, who wants to come home and relax in a cluttered living room space? I am sure none of us do, but as with other rooms in our home, our living room also frequently collects the clutter from our daily lives.

Let’s start with getting rid of old, worn-out pillows and home décor items. This is the time to get rid of home décor items that you don’t like, that don’t match, or that you are keeping because you might put them somewhere else one day. On a positive note, by getting rid of the old, worn-out stuff, you will have the opportunity to update your living space with some new pillows and accessories to give your living room a fresh, new look. Don’t forget to throw out old electronics, charger cords, magazines, and books! Buy stylish storage baskets for your kids' toys or throw blankets that can create a cluttered look in your living room.

Click here to see some of my favorite storage baskets.

#4 - Bathroom

Bathrooms! Oh, the potential for clutter is huge in your bathrooms! We have beauty products, hair products, soaps, bottles, towels, washcloths, and so on. Similar to your kitchen, in your bathroom you will need to focus on one area at a time to avoid getting overwhelmed.

Go through your towels and washcloths – get rid of any that are old and worn out. Also, do the same with your hair brushes, hair dryers, curling irons, electric razors, etc. Remove everything from your bathroom drawers. Clean the drawers well and place organizers in the drawers so that everything will have a place. And, go through your makeup – get rid of makeup you no longer wear, half-used tubes of lipstick, the samples you don’t like or won’t use, and any expired makeup.

Click here for great organizational ideas for your bathroom.

#5 - Office

If your home has an office space, you know that it can also be a catch-all space for clutter! I hate to admit but that is the case in my home! Decluttering my office seems to be a weekly task for me.

Start with sorting through all of the paper and mail that is lying around. Organize them into stacks. File them accordingly. Go through pens, pencils, and highlighters – throw out the ones that don’t work. Throw away old receipts! Or, if you need to keep them, designate a box or file for important receipts. If you have any mystery cords or cables and outdated computers or software, get rid of those as well.

Click here for home office organization ideas.

#6 - Miscellaneous

There are so many other areas of our homes that accumulate clutter. So, spend this week going through areas that you need to focus on in your home.

Get rid of old paint per your local disposal guidelines. Organize your laundry room. Go through your cleaning supplies and throw away bottles that are almost empty or products that are expired. Be sure to get rid of expired medications – this one is also a plug from the nurse in me! Please do not keep a bottle of medicine that expired 5 years ago! Spend some time in your garage or storage rooms and get rid of old tools and equipment.

Lastly, here are a few tips to help you get through the decluttering process without getting too overwhelmed…

Turn on some music or a podcast. Allow yourself a certain amount of time for each project and do your best to remain focused on that one task.

If you are having a hard time with sentimental items, consider giving the items to another family member. Find a creative way to keep some of the most sentimental items. And try not to feel guilty because it is impossible to keep everything.

For those items that you just can’t part with, find a storage system that works best for you. I have storage bins in the top of my closet with a variety of items that are special to me. When we recently moved, I went through an attic full of my kids’ artwork, old high school, and college memories, etc., and scaled it down to those items that I treasured the most. By doing this, you will feel like you are keeping some of your favorite sentimental memories and hopefully feel less guilty about getting rid of the others.

Why do we need to declutter our homes?

In this day and time, we are all so busy! So, it is easy to come home and throw things down. Before we know it, our home is cluttered with mail, worn-out home and clothing items, papers, magazines books, and so much more. Eventually, it becomes an overwhelming task when you sit back and think, “How can I declutter and organize my home?”

This is why I created a 30-day challenge to declutter your home. If you spend a little time each day focusing on one area or room, at the end of the 30 days will see the benefits of having a clutter-free home. You will enjoy the look and feel of your home! You will look forward to coming home to a warm, inviting space! You will feel less anxiety and stress in the end!

Download your free 30-day decluttering challenge today and get started! You will be so glad you did! I have also included a blank 30-day challenge planner for you to complete if you need to develop a personalized plan for your home.

Good luck and happy decluttering!

CLICK HERE FOR YOUR FREE 30-DAY HOME DECLUTTERING CHALLENGE!