The 5-Step Guide to Decluttering Any Room

We all have that one room (or, ahem, multiple rooms), that seriously bug us. It’s probably full of clutter, random stuff we don’t know what to do with, piles of junk we do know what to do with but we just haven’t gotten around to it yet. I know, I’ve been there.

So how do you approach a room like that? It’s so easy to stand in the doorway feeling overwhelmed, and then just give up and go watch Netflix instead. But today I want to share with you five simple steps to declutter any room, whether it’s just a little messy or seriously crazy chaotic.

1. Determine your vision and make a plan.

Before you do anything else at all, take a few minutes to visualize what you want the room to look like when you’re finished. Write it down, and be specific.

Example: my vision for my office — I want a clear desk with only my computer and a spot for my coffee cup. I want my craft supplies housed on just this bookshelf, no overflow on the table. I want that chair cleared off with a side table for a book so I can read there. I want my Doctor Who collection on this shelf. I want the work table completely clear so the kids can do crafts there while I work at my desk.

Goals such as “I want the room clutter-free” or “I want this clean” are just too vague. You need a plan, a map of where you’re going, so you can stay focused while you’re up to your elbows in outgrown kid clothes and 10-year-old scrapbook paper.

2. Gather a few tools.

You only really need three things to get started. Trash bags for garbage, a large box for collecting discards, and a laundry basket for items that don’t belong in the room that need to be taken back to where they should be.

3. Sort into categories.

Quickly go through the room and sort items into like piles. Clothes in one pile, books in another, craft supplies, papers, CDs, toys, and whatever other categories fit the room you’re working on. Don’t try to make decisions yet — just gather all the items in each category together so you can see what you have.

If items don’t belong in the room, chuck them in the laundry basket so they can be taken back to their proper locations. Garbage needs to go into trash bags, pronto.

4. Discard the excess.

Now that items are in categories, it’s time to get to the actual business of decluttering. One category at a time, go through each item in the pile and ask yourself “Do I use this? Do I need this? Does it bring me joy?” If you can’t answer a solid yes to any of those questions, it’s got to go.

Don’t hold on to things out of guilt, because they were gifts, because they were expensive, or because you might need them someday. If you can’t answer an enthusiastic yes to those questions, it must go.

5. Give every item a home.

Don’t try to put things away until you’re done discarding. You can’t know how to organize your books if you don’t know how many books you’re keeping, right?

As you finish each category, assign each item a home of its own. If an item has a specific spot where it goes when not in use, then there is no question when it’s time to clean up where to put it. It has a home, that’s where you put it. Without a home, the item is destined to be on the craft table you wanted to keep clear for your kids, or on the kitchen table where your family should be eating dinner together, or heaven forbid, back in a pile on the floor. Set yourself up for continued success by giving each item a place for it to belong.