Decluttering tips for your home….I’ve gotta be honest—my house was that house. You know the one. The kind where you open a closet and get hit in the face by a rogue board game or that hoodie you thought you lost in 2012. I’m not proud. But I am real. And if you’re looking for decluttering tips for your home, let me just say—I’ve been there.

Like, under the bed, behind the fridge, “is this banana from last month??” levels of there.

It wasn’t even all my stuff. Okay, 80% was. But I live with other humans (and one very judgy cat), so the chaos was definitely a group effort. Still, something had to give. Mostly my sanity.

The Day I Snapped (A.K.A. “The Socks Incident”)

You ever have one of those days where a small thing just breaks your brain a little? Mine was a drawer of mismatched socks. I swear it looked at me with intent. I was digging through it looking for just one pair that matched when I totally lost it.

I stood up, stared into the abyss (a.k.a. my linen closet), and yelled, “WHY DO I HAVE NINE BURNT-OUT CANDLES?!”

That was the moment. I wasn’t going to live like this anymore.

Or, at least, I was gonna try to make a dent in the madness.

Decluttering Tip #1 — Start with the Dumbest Spot First

Not the hardest. Not the sentimental “this was my grandma’s toothbrush cup” shelf. The dumbest.

For me, that was the junk drawer. You know, the Bermuda Triangle of your kitchen? Where tape measures and birthday candles and ancient receipts go to die?

I gave myself 15 minutes. Set a timer, blasted Lizzo, and just started chucking stuff. Why did I have FOUR takeout menus from the same Chinese place?? It has a website.

And let me tell you—the rush of clearing that little drawer? Kinda addictive. Like a weird little hit of domestic dopamine. Try it.

Decluttering Tip #2 — The “Would I Buy This Again?” Test

This one sounds simple, but dang, it slaps. Hold up an item—like that weird owl-shaped teapot you impulse-bought during a post-breakup Target spiral—and ask yourself:

“Would I actually spend money on this right now?”

If the answer is “absolutely not, what was I thinking,” congrats, you’ve got yourself a donation item.

I did this with my closet and ended up with three garbage bags full of clothes I hadn’t worn since Obama was in office. Not even kidding.

(Also found an old concert tee from 2009 with actual holes in it. I was like, “Oh, it’s vintage.” My sister laughed so hard she wheezed.)

Decluttering Tip #3 — Give Every Item a “Home” or It Has to Go

If it doesn’t have a spot, it doesn’t stay. That became my mantra. (I said it out loud. A lot. My cat looked concerned.)

This works especially well for stuff like office supplies, makeup, kitchen gadgets—things that multiply when you’re not looking.

So I bought a couple of bins (clear ones—so I could see the chaos I was pretending to control), labeled them badly, and designated “homes” for:

  • Chargers (which were previously hiding in every sock drawer in the house)
  • Loose change (because I still believe in Coinstar)
  • Gift bags I kept “just in case” (??)

If it didn’t fit anywhere? Out it went.

Decluttering Tip #4 — Stop Guilt-Hoarding

Okay. This one hit hard.

You know those gifts you’ve held onto for YEARS because someone gave it to you and now you feel like a monster getting rid of it?

Yeah. Let that go.

I finally said goodbye to the neon green vase from my aunt that I never liked but kept because “she meant well.” (And, sure, I felt a little guilty at first. Decluttering tips for your home, But then I remembered I also hate dusting it, so… bye.)

You are not a terrible person for not wanting to keep stuff that gives you stress sweats.

You can be grateful for the gesture and say “nah” to the object. That’s what grownups do. I think.

Decluttering Tip #5 — Make It a Game (or at Least Less Awful)

Here’s how I got my kids to help:

I told them we were going on a “treasure hunt” for things to donate. They got points for every item they picked that they didn’t want anymore. Winner got ice cream.

Did they find random junk just to win? Yes. Did I care? Nope. Stuff was leaving my house.

You can also do:

  • “10-10-10” game: 10 things to trash, 10 to donate, 10 to put away
  • “One shelf at a time” challenge (Set a timer. Stop when it dings.)
  • “Closet roulette” (Close your eyes, grab a hanger—keep it or toss it)

Make it weird. Make it fun. Or at least not scream-inducing.

Decluttering Tip #6 — Sentimental Stuff Deserves Its Own Box

You don’t have to go full Marie Kondo and whisper thanks to every object (unless you want to, you do you), but it does help to separate emotional items from the random stuff pile.

I made one bin labeled “emotional baggage (literal)” and chucked old journals, love notes, embarrassing yearbook messages into it. Did I cry a little? Maybe. But it kept me from spiraling mid-declutter.

One memory box is fine. Ten? We’ve got a storage problem, friend.

Final Thoughts: Decluttering tips for your home

Listen, I’m not some minimalist monk. I still have too many mugs. My garage is… let’s just not. But I can breathe now. And I don’t yell at inanimate objects (as much).

Decluttering your home isn’t about being perfect—it’s about not tripping over a box of VHS tapes every time you walk into the guest room.

So take it one drawer, one shelf, one sock at a time.

And if all else fails, light a candle. (Just not the burnt-out ones. You should throw those away.)

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