Need to get a grip on your clutter problem fast? These simple but powerful 5-minute decluttering tips will help.
Every mom has been there: the house is a disaster. You feel like you can’t see the floor or the counters or maybe you’re tripping over shoes or kids’ toys everywhere you turn. Whether you realize it or not, all that clutter causes stress.
As a busy mom, a clutter-free home where there’s less stress – and less mess – can feel like an impossible goal!
Who has the time to pick up every day?
Believe it or not, you can make some simple changes to your routine and drastically reduce the clutter in your home.
In this article, you'll find simple and effective 5-minute decluttering tips to help you get it done.
If you find yourself dreaming of a home where you can walk without fear of breaking an ankle by stepping on a toy, you’re going to love these decluttering project ideas!
Related: Decluttering Motivation: How to Begin
5-Minute Decluttering Tips
The best decluttering tips are those that give you a clear plan of action to help you tackle your clutter problem.
Use these quick decluttering tips to help you get closer to your dream of a stress-free, organized home. The best part is that these tips just take 5 minutes (or less!), so they won’t eat up your precious time yet will still deliver powerful results.
1. Make Your Bed Every Day
If you don’t currently make your bed every morning, start doing that now. Have the kids make theirs too. It just takes a couple of minutes and makes a huge impact.
2. Clean Off A Counter
Pick one. A section of your kitchen counter, a bathroom counter, a craft workspace. It doesn’t take long and it feels freeing to see the countertop again once it’s clean.
3. Create a System for Incoming Paper
Mail, school papers and projects, flyers on your door, etc. We receive mountains of paperwork every day and where do they end up? In piles on the counter or the dining table.
Create a paper organization system (recycling, filing, adding to your command center, etc.) quickly and easily so you avoid piles and losing important papers.
4. Clean a Drawer
It sounds small, but cleaning out just one drawer a day hardly takes any time and covers good ground against clutter. Tomorrow (or next week), clean out another drawer. If you're feeling extra ambitious, clean out a junk drawer!
5. Break the Shopping Habit
You can declutter your house all you want, but if you buy as much or more than you declutter, you will never get a grip on the problem. When you want to buy something non-essential, pause and wait at least a week while you evaluate if you really need it.
Most of the time, that simple pause will keep you from spending unnecessary money and adding to your clutter problem.
6. Ditch Expired Food
Do a quick sweep of your pantry and your refrigerator to throw out any expired, rancid, or moldy food.
7. Empty the Trash
When our eyes see trash, our brains see clutter, and stress increases. One simple decluttering tip is to take a few minutes to empty out the trash cans.
8. Tackle the Dishes
If you tend to have dishes in the sink for a full dishwasher, declutter by taking a few minutes to wash them, put them in the dishwasher, or clean out the dishwasher – whatever needs to be done.
9. Pick up for 5 Minutes
Do you have an area that always has stuff laying around? Blankets in the family room, toys on the floor, etc? Set a timer and dedicate 5 minutes to pick up the most bothersome items.
10. Clear off the surfaces in your laundry room
Clear off the tops of your washer and dryer, or wherever things start to accumulate. Having this open space to fold towels and clothes will make the space feel more open.
Related: Do It In a Day: Laundry Room Organization
11. Declutter one hanging clothes rack in your closet.
Start on the left-hand side, and keep going. Pull out each piece, and decide if you want to keep it, throw it out, or make it part of your next donation to the local charity shop.
Read more: A Practical Guide to Decluttering Clothes the Easy Way
12. Declutter extra hangers
If you have old plastic or wire hangers that you're not using, donate them! You'll open up a lot of space in your closet.
13. Declutter your silverware drawer.
Go through all of your utensils, and find items to edit out.
14. Detrash.
Grab a trash bag, and walk around your house. Throw away anything that's obviously garbage. This is the ultimate no-guilt decluttering activity!
Read more: Detrashing: An Easy Way to Start Decluttering
15. Make a decluttering checklist.
Too tired to declutter today? You can still make progress by making a decluttering list. Plan out all of the areas you want to declutter, and then when you have energy, pick one area to work on.
16. Break down cardboard boxes and put them in the recycling.
You'll be surprised to see how much space those empty cardboard can take up!
17. Corral like-items into baskets.
It makes things easier to find if they're grouped into categories. Baskets are great decor items that also give you storage space.
Read more: Practical Ways to Organize with Baskets
18. Use hooks to store coats and towels.
Putting larger items on hooks is much easier than hanging them up with a hanger or towel rack.
19. Clear a surface
When your flat surfaces are clear, your whole space feels more open. So, if one particular part of your home feels cluttered, clear off a surface!
By using these quick 5-minute decluttering tips, you can quickly and effectively make a positive daily impact on your clutter problem!
20. Declutter storage containers!
You don't have to be a professional organizer to have a lot of extra bins, shelves, and organizing accessories that you're not using.
You have permission to get rid of them and pass them on to someone who will use them.
When you go through different stages of life, your storage needs change.
It's okay to move on!
Don't let stacks of baskets and bins clutter up your basement or attic.
More Decluttering Tips
- What Should I Do With Decluttered Items? Answers to your questions!
- Declutter 101: How to Start Decluttering
- How to Declutter Your House in One Week
