Clutter, clutter everywhere! When it comes to decluttering your house, it can be such a daunting task. Trust me, I’ve been there! The idea of sorting through all those rooms filled with belongings, mementos, and memories can be so overwhelming that it’s easier to push it off for another time than to actually tackle the task. But in reality, this is one of those things that doesn’t need to be a big ordeal. I’ve found that with a little planning, it’s actually possible to declutter your entire home room by room in one weekend (or less)!
Clutter causes chaos and stress at home, which is why a good decluttering plan is exactly what you need to get things under control! I’ve create a super fast decluttering schedule that helps you sort through everything one room at a time. It takes all of one weekend to go everything room by room, and in the end you’ll have the clutter free home you need and deserve!
Psst… Don’t forget to pin this for later so you can easily refer back to it!
A good decluttering gives the home room to breathe. Not to mention, it can be a very eye-opening experience. Often times we find that we don’t even use or need a lot of our possessions. So why are they sitting around our homes taking up space and collecting dust? If you give your house a good decluttering and limit what you bring back into it, your home will stay clean and clutter free for a good long while!
If you’re feeling overwhelmed and stressed out at home, it’s so important to take the time to simplify your home. Think about how much less stressful your home will be once you’re no longer tripping over, putting away, cleaning up, dusting, organizing, and moving around all that clutter.
So what do you think? Are you ready to declutter your own home? It’s time to say goodbye to clutter-tossing zones and hello to your nice, clean home. If you follow the steps in this post, you’ll have a room by room plan to help you declutter your home fast. Read the steps and download my free decluttering planner below to help you create a decluttering schedule and get your home under control this weekend!
This post contains affiliate links. For more information, see my disclosure.
How to Declutter Your Entire Home in One Weekend (or Less)!
1. Make a list of all the rooms in your house, and estimate how much time you’ll need to go through each room.
Some rooms, like bathrooms, might only take 30 minutes, while your kid’s bedroom might be more on the 2 hours side. When making your list, you want to try to limit yourself to no more than 1-2 hours per room, that way you don’t lose focus and get sucked into side projects. (Awww here’s a photo album from when you were a baby! Cue falling down a rabbit hole and not making any progress for the rest of the day.)
When you limit your time in each room, you have to get down to business and make progress. It doesn’t give you time to reminisce about each and every object in your home. It forces you to make quick decisions. Because when you take the time to stop and think about every object, you can end up spending an entire day on ONE room, and you’ll find that there’s nothing to get rid of, because you’ve attached meaning to EVERY little object. We want this decluttering to be as quick and painless as possible!
If you’re following along with the free decluttering planner, you’ll find a place to list your rooms and the time you’re going to spend on them in the very first section.
2. Create your weekend decluttering schedule, with the appropriate amount of time blocked off for each room.
Once you’ve made a list of all the rooms in your house, create a decluttering schedule and block out a specific date and time you’ll be going through and decluttering them. When planning your weekend decluttering session, don’t forget to leave some time for breaks. It also helps to save an extra hour or so at the end of the weekend to tie up loose ends.
This is the second section of the free decluttering planner. Make a list of the date and time you’ll be decluttering each room.
3. Gather your supplies.
To ensure your decluttering is successful, make sure you have some large trash bags and empty boxes nearby to fill up with things you’re getting rid of. I also recommend a timer of some sort. This can be a kitchen timer or even an app on your phone to keep track of when it’s time to move on to the next room.
If you have a lot of stuff you’ll be selling or donating, it’s also helpful to keep some sticky notes and markers nearby so you can label what’s inside those bags and boxes. And, although it’s not necessary, putting on your favorite upbeat tunes while you’re decluttering can make the day seem less tedious and even a little fun!
4. Set your timer!
When the time comes to actually start decluttering, begin by setting a timer when you enter each room for the amount of time you set aside for that room. Make sure when the timer is up, you move on to the next room.
5. Choose what stays and what goes.
Go through every object room by room and decide whether what stays and goes. Ask yourself these questions:
*Will I actually use this item in the near future?
*Does this item hold significant value to me, or have I just been holding onto it for no reason?
*Is this item in usable condition, or is it broken and worn beyond repair?
*Do I have the right amount of this item, or are there duplicates and more than I’ll ever use?
Put everything you’re getting rid of in a separate discard pile. Don’t waste time debating about it, just make a decision and move on. If you find yourself really stuck on an item and can’t decide whether or not to keep it, put it aside in a separate pile and keep going. When you’re finished going through all the rooms, you can go back and spend some time with your indecision pile. (Just make sure everything doesn’t end up in this pile!)
6. Sort your discard pile into: trash/recycle, sell, and donate.
Every item in the discard pile should be sorted into trash/recycle, sell, and donate piles. Then when you’re finished decluttering, make sure you actually get rid of the things you planned on getting rid of so they don’t end up back in your home. Throw away/recycle the things in your toss pile. Make a trip to a local charity or thrift store for the things you’re donating. Plan a yardsale or post the items you’re selling online. Don’t put this off, or you’ll find things might migrate from the discard pile back into the home.
You’ll find a space to write where you want to sell and donate your items in the third section of the free decluttering planner. It helps to figure out where you’ll be donating your items beforehand so you’re not sitting around looking at piles of stuff for weeks on end. You might want to do some research to see what items different charities accept. Some will even come pick up the stuff from your home, so you don’t need to make a trip!
7. Celebrate your decluttered home!
Now that the hard work is over, take a minute to sit back and celebrate your accomplishment! How’s that for some super fast decluttering? Take some time to enjoy your favorite treat, and invite some friends over to relax and admire your freshly decluttered home. Who knows, they might even be interested in some of the things you’re getting rid of. That’s a win-win situation!
8. Keep your home decluttered!
Once your home is wonderfully decluttered, don’t undo all your hard work by bringing more stuff into it! Follow the golden rule: only bring things into your home that you actually need and will use. This is an essential habit for keeping your home clutter free! You’ll save a ton of time, money, and frustration! If you find you’re still bringing a lot of things into the home, for every item that comes into the house, try to get rid of one item so you don’t end up with a lot of clutter all over again.
Easy Things to Get Rid Of
Everything in your home should serve a purpose. If it’s no longer usable, there’s no point in keeping it in your house. Some things to get rid of include unused/worn/broken/expired:
- Toiletries & medications
- Kitchen appliances & gadgets
- Utensils & dishware
- Clothes
- Towels
- Electronics
- DVDs & games
- Old paperwork
- Books
- Toys
- Decorations
- Random clutter & accessories
Getting the Family on Board with Decluttering
Ok, let’s be real here for a second. Decluttering is hard. Getting rid of belongings can be difficult. You never know when you might find a need for the thing you’re getting rid of again. Suddenly everything has a memory or emotion attached to it, so you just can’t part with it.
I know how that goes! The second I mention the word “decluttering,” my husband forms an emotional attachment to anything and everything within a one-mile radius, including the raggedy socks with holes in them in his dresser. It can be hard to get your family to cooperate when it means they might have to part with their belongings. These ideas might make it easier to declutter with kids (and husbands, who, let’s be honest, are basically like grown kids)! 😉
- Make a game of it. Create a competition, and give a reward to the person who can get rid of the most belongings. This is a fun way to stir up some friendly competition and get the decluttering done in record time!
- Create a reward for everyone to work towards. Ideally, this should be something non-material so you’re not bringing more things into your freshly decluttered house. Once the decluttering is finished, maybe a family ice cream and bowling night, or a trip to a favorite amusement park is in your future?
- Give family members a “veto” box. Give everyone their own small veto box, and if there is something you want to get rid of that they absolutely cannot live without, it goes in the veto box and it gets to stay, no questions asked. But once the box is full, that’s it!
- Send your family outside the house. Sometimes it’s easier to declutter without family members hoovering over your shoulder and analyzing everything you touch. Sending the family out of the house on a day trip will allow you to declutter in peace and quiet!
So what do you think? Are you ready to give your home the decluttering it deserves? Trust me when I say this will change your life! Less belongings mean less things to clean, organize, and put away all of the time. I don’t know about you, but that is a huge win in my book! There’s so much less stress in a clutter free home. Plus, when you simplify your home, there’s a good chance you’ll make a little money from the belongings you sell!
We have a small house, which means we don’t really have space for things we don’t use on a regular basis, so I give our house a thorough top-to-bottom decluttering about once a year. Keeping a small home decluttered is absolutely essential. Clutter adds up so quickly! And even though my husband won’t admit it, keeping our home decluttered is pretty much how we keep our home looking nice and our sanity intact.
Enjoy this post? Be sure to pin it for later so you can easily refer back to it! And don’t forget to share it with friends and family on Facebook who could use some help decluttering their home! Happy decluttering, friend!
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Sending the family out, is – for me – the best tip. I can do very little when they are around.
I veto the books. Books ain’t “clutter”. They are valuable collection items. I guess, I am as biased as a bookworm can get. =)
Yes, it helps to clear out the house before a good decluttering session! I’m also a bookworm, but our book collections get out of control quickly if we don’t go through them every now and then. Probably because we tend to go to those library sales where they sell books for 25 cents, and we end up bringing home stacks of books, half of which we never read. So a lot of them eventually end up going back to the library anyways, haha!
I get most of my books on My Kindle so I’m starting a library at work to ‘share’ my books with my co-workers. I’m actually, of course, giving these books away. But I get to see my co-workers enjoy these books!! I’ve decided to have built-in book shelves to accommodate the ones I feel compelled to keep-like my Stephen King collection.
But I absolutely love, love your de-clutter steps and definitely plan to implement them!!’
Ellen Pfau
That’s a great idea, Ellen! It’s always great to see other people get enjoyment out of things we don’t need anymore. Plus, you get to clear out some space in your home! It’s definitely a win-win for everyone. Good luck with the decluttering!
In that case, you can veto an entire wall 🙂
Celeste, it is very hard to get rid of all that no brainer stuff. Most of that stuff says “repurpose” to me. Oh I may need help after this job. Maybe I should hire you to come over and do it for me. I cannot part with anything that remotely says repurpose or upcycle to me.
Lol I completely understand, Mary! It can be hard to get rid of things when there are so many upcycle projects you can do with them. I try to limit the things I keep on hand for upcycling. To be honest, I don’t have a lot of space to store a ton of stuff anyways, and a lot of things I know I’ll just never get around to, so there’s no point in keeping them. Of course, I don’t think I’m nearly as creative with upcycling as you are!
Mary,
Re-purpose re-purpose! It is so hard for me to get rid of anything due to the fact I can upcycle ANY item to use for something else. My mother feels I am boarder line hoarder..haha..However, I have an idea for all items, including clothing for scraping & re using for something else;in ex: a braided rug. This de-clutter your home piece is just not for me. A lot of my “clutter” has a repurpose objective and I intend to follow through and open my own shabby chic shop with all my clutter. Good luck with your upcycling.
Stay creative-Orchid
That’s great so long as you aren’t keeping these items for years with plans to do something with them, later. I’ve been helping my mother who has had the same plan for 25 years and the amt of stuff we now have to get rid of as she is downsizing to an apartment is seriously stressful. And of course they are all special to her.
Another amazingly helpful post Celeste! Great tips!
Thanks so much, Linda!
Really enjoyed your post, and used some of your tips in my latest declutter! Sharing on my blog as a Friday Favorite this coming Friday! Would love for you to visit!
Thanks so much, Erin! Glad to hear you got good use from some of the tips!
I am so ready to declutter. I cannot download the journal. How do I do that?
Linda, you can click on any of the links that say “free decluttering planner” and enter your email into the box that pops up. The planner will automatically be delivered to your inbox. Happy decluttering!
I found this post very inspiring! I did find that it took me almost the whole month of November to systematically purge our entire house. The reason I was slowed down was mainly because I needed to vacuum and damp cloth many of the areas during the purge. I found the suggestions of putting a time frame on each of the areas helpful.
Starting this process worked best without the assistance of my husband. I would start a container labelled hubby, to look at at his convenience. Eventually this inspired him, to start doing some purging of his own.
I am inspired to organize my life in other ways because of this purging. YAY!!!!
I love that your decluttering inspired your husband to start doing his own, Bonnie! That makes it so much easier when the family is on board! It’s true, a good decluttering can often help you get organized in other areas of your life, which is a fabulous win-win in my book!
Hi,
I signed up to receive the free declutter planner, and I received the link to register and download it. I went to the link, but I forgot and started working on something else, and closed the window without downloading the planner… Now when I go back, it just tells me I’m already activated. Can you please send me another link to download the declutter planner?
Hi Rachel, you should receive the download link in an email separate from the activation email. It’s not single use–you can click it as many times as you want. If you’re still having trouble, let me know and I’ll send it again!
Could I receive the declutter planner link? Thanks.
Hi Ronda, once you enter your information in the form, you’ll receive the link directly to your e-mail. Happy decluttering!
Wish me luck! I haven’t decluttered since we moved into our house 6 years ago… and the baby is not a baby anymore but I’ve held onto the baby items and haven’t had a chance to purge much of anything! 😣 I rented a dumpster, took a full week off of work, and am going full-boar this time! I plan to donate a lot of things, but we have clutter indoors AND outdoors – driving me insane 🙂
Great tips about setting yourself time limits on rooms… it will help me find somewhere to “get started” bc I can easily get carried away. All the kids will be at school, so I hope to get their input after they get home each day!
Great tips! I know I we will feel wonderful after its gone!
Good luck with your decluttering! I hope you’re able to take control of all that clutter once and for all! It can definitely be a challenge with kids and all their stuff, but it sounds like you definitely have a handle on things. Nothing left to do now but set that timer and get down to business!
Another wonderful Idea for too many books is to donate to area Little Free Libraries. That is what I plan to do with my overstock of books.
That’s a great idea for book donations, Vickie! I love those little free libraries!
For the past 7 years, I’ve been hoarding boxes since I moved from a 3 bedroom apartment into a one bedroom rental. It’s time to purge!!! I can’t take it anymore!! Great inspirational post to “just do it now.”
Definitely, Patti! Seven years is long enough! Time to clear out the clutter and make some space in your new place. Best of luck!
Hi my problem is that we moved into my father in laws house. He doesn’t live here but his ultimate junk collection does. Then over the last 3 years my husband his father and his uncle’s have increased that collection inside and out. So not only do we have 2 kids 2 adults and the GREAT collection we have my bad back my anxiety and no help from hubby. Help me lol.
Keri, I’d definitely suggest having an honest conversation with your husband about everything! It’s especially hard when you’re holding onto things that aren’t yours. Also talk to your father-in-law and uncle about it and ask if they wouldn’t mind going through their things themselves to get rid of a few things to free up some space and give you guys some breathing room. You might dedicate a space for their belongings, and once that space is filled, let them know they’ll have to find some place else to store their stuff. You need space to live! Best of luck!
Hello I am very interested in this article and getting the printables also so I can do my super declutter however I have never received my email with the attachment. I tried twice with no success. Can you please help me?
Gretchen, I show that you’re subscribed to my newsletter and have received the decluttering planner. Please check your spam and/or promotions folder, and add celeste@decorbytheseashore.com to your contacts to ensure you receive my e-mails!
Hi – I’ve requested the free planner twice, but haven’t received it. I also subscribed to your newsletter, but did not receive a confirmation email.
Hi Sandi, I show that you’re subscribed to my newsletter and have been receiving my e-mails and the decluttering planner. Please check your spam and/or promotions folder, and add celeste@decorbytheseashore.com to your contacts to ensure you receive my e-mails!
I’m getting the confirmation email but the planner isn’t attached. I’ve tried several times now, it isn’t in spam either.
Scratch that, found it!
I signed up for the emails yesterday. I still have not received my email with the printable for the decluttering my house.
Peter, I resent you the e-mail. Be sure to check your spam folder and add celeste@decorbytheseashore.com to your contacts to ensure you receive my e-mails!
I am waiting for the free printable to clutter my house. I have activated the email address but nothing.
Nancy, I show that you’re subscribed to my newsletter and have received the decluttering planner. Please check your spam and/or promotions folder, and add celeste@decorbytheseashore.com to your contacts to ensure you receive my e-mails!
I have tried a few times to get the download and have checked my spam folder but it still hasn’t arrived. I am hoping you can send me a link.
Christina, I’m not seeing you on my list. I sent you a confirmation e-mail. Once you confirm your e-mail, you will receive the link to the download in a separate e-mail. Happy decluttering!
Hi Celeste!
I totally loved your declutter idea to do it in a weekend, versus spending 10 weeks or 10 months as others have stated you need to accomplish the task. I am hoping to do this this week – weekend.
Can you give me suggestions on how to best organize things once the decluttering is done? I have 3 daughters and a son and my dear husband! I will be doing the majority of the decluttering, however, I will have the girls to help in their rooms, they are 9, 7 and 6, (my son is 2). One of my biggest concerns is once the decluttering is done, where to put everything and how to give everything a home.
Thanks again for such a great post!!!!
Joy
Glad to hear you found this helpful, Joy! I’d rather just get it done and over with than drag it out for weeks and months! As far as organizing goes, I recommend using whatever you have available, such as closets, shelves (built-in, bookshelves, cube shelves), dressers, etc. Keep like things together, and use something like baskets or bins to keep smaller things together. Label those baskets and bins so everything is easy to find and put away! Hope this helps. Happy decluttering!
What do you do if the time runs out and you haven’t finished a room
Clare, you will want to leave a little time at the end of the weekend to tie up any loose ends, such as a room you were unable to finish. You could also adjust your schedule as you go if you need to. But it’s really important to try to stick to the time allotted so you don’t end up wasting time in each room. You’ll make more progress if you limit your time and know you need to finish in x amount of hours than if you spend half a day going through just one room. Hope this helps!
Thanks for sharing! I think the hardest part is setting aside the time. It definitely takes time so it has to be a priority.
These are great ideas! I think the part I have had to worked the hardest on was being intentional about the things I started to buy or the gifts that I kept. It’s a fight to keep it decluttered.
Celeste, loved the timer idea. And yes, the baby photos/mementos always pull me away – and i get completely off track.
Also, I wanted to reply to Keri as well – I can imagine the overwhelming anxiety she is feeling.!!
Your suggestions were great and should help her.
. Just in case….. wanted to mention the warehouse idea. I know it’s wasteful to spend money on storage, but in her case – it seems justified. Maybe the uncle /dad would agree to part with a few things they don’t routinely use – – Keri could persuade them by agreeing to pack it for them. Maybe?
Hopefully, they will get it. As for $$$, they will probably balk at first. Maybe eventually they will come around.
And Celeste – wanted to let you know I have been following websites like yours for so many years – since some of the first ones started,. I love them. But this is first time I have ever posted anything online. Thanks for your tips – I am constantly trying to declutter & don’t have the organizing skill, so…it’s a challenge.
first post turned into book….. sorry
Two things caused my clutter.. #1 is Recycling and #2 is Pintrest!!!
The problem at our house is the kitchen desk. It seems like that’s where everything that doesn’t have a home ends up. Mail, sunglasses, keys, coupons, you name it. After a while, it becomes ubiquitous and no one even thinks twice about the mess. Part of keeping the house decluttered in a family is training the family members not to dump their stuff at the most convenient spot (like our kitchen desk!) Thanks for posting!
This is a good read! I like the idea of getting the family in on it since it’s everyone’s responsibility, but then having reward of doing something together afterwards.
Celeste,
I really enjoy getting your emails on decluttering. I am getting pretty far. but, have to stop til our garbage pickup day. I even got my husband to declutter his garage ( which I feel is our dumping area). I even got rid of some of my vases to a local flower shop and they gave me a rose. I’m so happy I found your post on pinterest.☺
I agree with making a schedule because you will not be able to finish all the work in a day. It is really important to organize your time and work. Great blog by the way and thanks for sharing this information!
I’m a serious crafter that decided to be more selective of my up-cycling. I got rid of a lot of ‘craft’ items because it wasn’t realistic to keep them. I got rid of ugly fabric that I knew that I would never use. I started saying “no” to sewing requests and that gave me time to declutter and clean my house.
This was a good read! It is helpful to have a strategy before starting the process!
Some very good ideas although perhaps more useful for younger readers. After I recently cleaned out my parents home, my house became a cluttered nightmare. Add 50 years of seasonal decorations, which have been purged through the years, there is no way I can do the decluttering in a weekend or alone. As we age, simply having the stamina to get decluttering done is truly overwhelming. Having no local family compounds the issue. I do work on little at a time.
Hi Celeste! Your decluttering information is so motivating, your ideas are great. I have a concern that you may or may not be able to advise me on. My husband of 47 years has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and we have a huge garage filled with a wood shop, power tools, and hand tools he is not longer able to use. He refuses to let anything go, saying “Don’t get rid of my things!”. I’m not sure how to handle this. Do you have suggestions? Thank you!
This is the best post I have read on this topic! I love how you talk about every possible detail and emphasize the use of a timer. I’m going to be making a plan this weekend and working on it next week. I can’t wait!
I’ve minimized my craft interests to just one: Paper Cutting or Scherenschnitte. It only requires pattern books (easily stored on shelf in 2nd Linen Closet), an embroidery-type scissors with sharp point, and a small Tupperware container to catch scrap bits of paper as you cut. I’ve done many cuttings which I framed & have given as gifts to family/friends…and it’s a craft I can even do while LISTENING to a TV show. So it has replaced past interests of Needlepoint, Counted Cross Stitch, and I don’t even have a sewing machine anymore. I do keep a large 3-ring binder with copies of finished cuttings, should I ever want to use one as a pattern to make a duplicate of it. Guess I could say I’ve DOWNSIZED my crafts !! And am pleased with just having ONE craft interest now.