We all know that clutter isn’t a good thing to keep in our lives, it makes it harder to clean and maintain your home, it can be an eyesore, and it can even have negative effects on your mental health. The average American has around $7,000 of things they don’t use kept around the house! That is absolute madness. If you own too many possessions, they will own you.
Day One- Tackle the kitchen. Go through your pantry and toss any expired food that may be hiding in there. So many people have unnecessary kitchen appliances sitting around collecting dust and taking up space. Do you really need to keep that waffle maker you thought was adorable, and then used once in the two years you have owned it? No, you need to be realistic with yourself when you are assessing the items you own. For myself, if I don’t use an item at least monthly or if I have something else that serves the same purpose, it needs to go. I do not need both an instant pot and a slow cooker- the instant pot has a slow cook setting as well as many more. If these extra appliances are working and in good condition you don’t need to throw these away- ask friends and family if they want them or donate the item. Just because something doesn’t serve a purpose in your life doesn’t mean it is useless for everyone either.
Day two- Bedroom. Assess the items in your bedroom. Do you get use out of the bedding you own, or do you have sheet sets that never end up in your rotation for one reason or another? While you are decluttering, be mindful and take note of why you are getting rid of these items. You can apply these observations to your future shopping habits. An example for me is I never buy holiday or seasonal themed sheet sets . Personally, I do not want to own Christmas sheets. To me, they look goofy if I use them outside of December. For this reason its not worth it for me to store them if they are only getting use one month out of the year. Instead, I would choose some nice fleece or flannel sheets in a more standard print or a solid color- such as florals or stripes. This way, I still have warm, cozy sheets but they can be included in my cold weather rotation and never feel out of place. Other items to look through might be books, decor you don’t like, the contents of your nightstand drawers, maybe your jewelry box or perfume collection.
Day three- the great wardrobe purge. This is where I think most people have the most unused or unworn things. Aspects to consider when you are deciding to keep or get rid of clothing are the fit, quality, style, and occasion. Do you like the way the garment fits your body? Remember that clothes are made to fit your body and there is no value attached to the size tag. If a medium is more comfortable than a small, there is nothing to be ashamed of. It is a part of life for your body to change overtime. Is this a garment that is made well, or do you never wear it because it feels like wearing a trash bag? Does it fit your style and lifestyle? Your wardrobe is yours and should reflect the way you like to dress and be practical for your lifestyle. If you are an active person it makes sense to own more workout clothes than the average person, but if you live in jeans and a t-shirt there isn’t a reason to keep 20 dresses in your closet. Are there clothes you only wear on occasion? These can be okay to keep and aren’t necessarily clutter! You may not wear a formal or cocktail dress on a monthly basis, but if you have one you like it isn’t a bad thing to keep for events such as weddings. Other clothes you might not use monthly but don’t need to get rid of might be outerwear, maternity clothing, or a few items of different sizes if you tend to have weight fluctuations, and sentimental items. Remember to be realistic with what you keep however, you probably don’t need to keep a dozen cocktail dresses, an entire wardrobe in another size, or every single item that has the slightest sentimental value. Use your judgement.
Day four- photos. Look through all your photos. I’m talking physical printed pictures as well as the photo library on your phone. In terms of physical photo prints, there tend to be some hanging around that you don’t need to keep. There may be a stray thumb in the frame, or some other factor that causes you to be dissatisfied with it- toss these! For your phone library, this can be really overwhelming because it feels like these pictures accumulate so quickly. I like to delete these by category. I start by deleting all of the screenshots I have that I don’t need. Next, I move through other categories such as photos that I didn’t like how they turned out, duplicates, blurry photos, or pictures that are simply unnecessary. These might not be the first thing that comes to mind when you think of clutter, but keeping things in your home that you don’t need or want just simply isn’t a healthy habit. Also, having excessive photos in your phone library takes up valuable storage space and makes it harder to navigate to the pictures you are actually wanting and looking for.
Day five- Bathrooms. Get into your bathroom and look at everything in them, you’ll probably find that you are housing a lot of junk. Expired makeup, products you don’t like, unnecessary duplicates and appliances you don’t use. Recently, I went through and decluttered my makeup. I found I had a lot of things I didn’t wear or didn’t like and I was allowing it to take up space and clutter my home. No! In your shower, you might find that you have several products that have the same purpose. Take note of this and apply this to your shopping habits. If you see that you have more than one shampoo you use, pick one to use until it is empty, and then move through your stock. Hold yourself accountable to not buy more product until your current one is empty, or nearing empty. It is reasonable to have a backup of some products, just be mindful of your stock and avoid unnecessary purchasing.
Day 6- Books and tech. Examine your book and tech collection. You probably have books that you didn’t enjoy, won’t pick up again, or no longer fit your stage of life. Donate these, there are so many people who would enjoy the books that no longer have a place in your life. Tech can be a big area of clutter, it seems like the endless cords never end. My system for this is to only keep one type of cord, excluding anything regularly plugged in. I think it’s good to have a backup phone or laptop charger, but you end up with duplicates of random cords that end up just sitting in a junk drawer.
Day seven- basement. The dumping grounds of junk you call “one day”. So many people keep extra items in their basements under the guise of “one day” it might be needed. Now, I’m not saying everything in your basement is useless junk, but be realistic and honest with yourself. Sort through whatever you store there, maybe it’s seasonal decor and look at what you actually use for seasonal decorating and get rid of what you aren’t actually going to use. There may be some items you find that you want to sell- making a little money can make decluttering feel especially good.
Thank you for reading my seven day declutter challenge! Now go forth and declutter! Remember- the more stuff you own, the more stuff owns you.