Extreme decluttering – what to focus on for best results

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Have you ever felt like organizing and decluttering your house is a never-ending task? It seems like you close your eyes briefly and the house is overflowing with things that occupy too much space and cause stress. This article will provide you with a clearer understanding of the top categories of items that will yield the best and quickest results for extreme decluttering.

How does clutter happen?

Clutter can happen in one of two ways.

Big life events can often cause clutter. For instance, having a baby, moving to a new home, or starting a new job that requires more of your time can lead to an increase in possessions, limited storage space, or less time to manage your stuff.

Clutter can easily accumulate in your home due to a lack of focus and discipline. We all know that if we bring in something new, we should get rid of something old. However, in reality, we often fail to follow this rule consistently. Life can get in the way, and we may become more lenient with our habits, which slowly results in the buildup of clutter.

Therefore, every now and then, we all need a good extreme decluttering blitz to get back on track.

Extreme decluttering – where to start?

Let’s face it. If it’s been a while since you last decluttered your home, it can be extremely overwhelming to get started.

Take a deep breath, look at your calendar to carve out some time where you can focus on decluttering, and make a plan.

Clothing

This is a common problem for many of us. We often accumulate new clothes each season without getting rid of old ones.

Furthermore, did you know that having more clothes in your closet can actually make it harder to decide what to wear? This is why capsule wardrobes have become popular recently.

A great way to limit the number of things you need in your closet is to build a simple and versatile one. Having items that you can mix and match is a good strategy. Bold and difficult-to-pair styles and patterns will inevitably cause your closet to grow. When I need something more special, I prefer using rental services.

I created a comprehensive guide to help you do an extreme decluttering of your wardrobe. Check it out for detailed tips. Here’s a summary of the steps:

1. Define your needs (assess your lifestyle and current wardrobe)
2. Set up stations: keep, donate or sell, trash
3. Do a first sweep
4. Do a second sweep
5. Clear the space
6. Assess the “keep” station
7. Organize
8. Keep it up

Pro tip: For a little extra money, try to sell unwanted clothing items at thrift stores or online via sites such as ThredUP and Poshmark.

Dishes/kitchen tools

The kitchen is another area that can get disorganized and out of control somewhat rapidly.

Many families keep plastic or glass containers from food packaging, and some of us buy cheap seasonal kitchen dishes and tools. Seriously, where do all these mugs come from???

Spend a couple of hours decluttering your kitchen by reviewing each drawer and cabinet to assess what you have and what you really use.

To assist you with your kitchen items assessment, here are questions to ask yourself:

• When was the last time I used this?
• Do I plan to use it in the next 6-12 months?
• Is this something I have multiple of? If so, how many do I realistically need?
• It is damaged or broken?
• Do I like this item?

Pro tip: It’s important that you answer questions honestly when decluttering. If there’s something you no longer like, it’s okay to get rid of it or replace it with something else. However, you should avoid the temptation to purchase a new item while still keeping the old one that you no longer need. This is how clutter accumulates over time!

Food

I bet this one is a surprise, isn’t it?

However, if you think about it, I bet I can convince you. How often did you buy extra cookies for little Susie because they were on sale? How about the time you bought everything to make two large batches of spaghetti sauce only to run out of time and not make it? And how about all these healthy snacks you were going to need when you started eating healthier in January?

Without an intentional focus, I assure you that your pantry, freezer, and refrigerator are likely overfilled.

I hate throwing away expired food. Food is expensive and we all know that it’s a privilege to have pantries filled with all the necessities.

At least 4 times each year, I perform an extreme decluttering of my pantry, freezer, and refrigerator.

1. Check all of the expiration dates
2. Donate unexpired food items that your family will not eat
3. Meal plan for the items soon to expire or that you have an abundance of.

I have a passion for meal planning, healthy eating, and minimizing food loss. Check out my many blog posts to learn how to meal plan for you and your family: Meal planning for beginners and healthy family meal planning,

Cosmetics/body care items

This is another slippery slope category for clutter in our household.

It is common for me and my daughter to feel the need to try out new makeup and skincare products even before we finish using the ones we currently have. As a result, we end up accumulating a collection of unused products over time.

It’s a good practice to discard makeup that has been lying unused for a long time. If I can’t remember when I bought a particular makeup item and I am not currently using it, it’s probably time to let it go. While I hate to waste things, old skincare products can do more harm than good, and it’s best to replace them with fresh ones.

Here are some decluttering tips in that area:

• Toss out expired or not currently used makeup that you don’t remember buying
• Combine unexpired containers of the same shampoo, lotion, body wash, etc.
• Be more intentional. Do not purchase a new item until you’ve used what you have.
• Discard or donate old, unused, or duplicate makeup accessories.

Pro tip: Use this time to clean your makeup sponges and brushes.

Paper/mail

Last but not least, paper and mail are often the primary sources of clutter in households.

While I go through our mail weekly, I still occasionally need a proper extreme decluttering.

We all have a pile of things that we feel we need to keep for some reason. It could be coupons that do not expire until later in the month, receipts that we keep until we are certain that we won’t need to return an item, or even a school paper with information about an upcoming field trip.

Although we had a valid reason to keep all of these at the time we last organized them, many are now, no longer needed.

For this reason, it’s important to set aside time each month to declutter your mail and paperwork, as you’ll be amazed at how much can be thrown away.

In conclusion

Maintaining a clean, well-organized, and uncluttered living space is a continuous responsibility. Every day, new items find their way into our homes, while others leave. It is important to recognize that nothing in our environment stays the same, and that is why, from time to time, we all need to engage in extreme decluttering to regain control of our surroundings.

Thanks for reading.

Cat xx

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