31-Day Home Decluttering Challenge

Welcome to the 31-day home decluttering challenge! Get rid of the clutter and get your home in order with this simple plan!

If you’re like me, staying on top of the clutter can sometimes feel completely overwhelming, especially after the holidays.

Often, quite a few new items have made their way into the house. If you have kids (and generous family members), the influx of new stuff can be significant.

After coming up with several different home decluttering ideas, it seems like a challenge is in order.

This year, I decided to create a 31-Day Home Decluttering Challenge for the month of January. Get a jump-start on decluttering and organizing your home for the new year!

31-Day Home Decluttering Challenge

Declutter your home in just 15 minutes a day with this simple decluttering challenge!

Every day, grab a timer, set it for 15 minutes or more, and work as fast as you can in the area designated for that day.

If you have more than 15 minutes to spend, that’s great! If not, you’d be amazed at how much you can accomplish in just 15 minutes when you work fast.

Keep in mind, we’re not going to be doing any deep cleaning during this time. This is just a time to get rid of the clutter. We’ll work on the deep cleaning later.

I’ve created a few handy printables for you to use, which you can download below. Here are the areas we’re going to be decluttering for the next 31 days:

Day 1: Entryway/Coat Closet/Mudroom

Day 2: Living Room

Day 3: Linen Closet

Day 4: Main Bathroom

Day 5: Master Bathroom

Day 6: Purse/Handbag

Day 7: Master Bedroom

Day 8: Master Closet

Day 9: Nightstands

Day 10: Kids’ Rooms

Day 11: Kids’ Clothes

Day 12: Kids’ Toys

Day 13: Junk Drawer

Day 14: Dresser Drawers

Day 15: Fridge

Day 16: Freezer

Day 17: Pantry

Day 18: Kitchen Cabinets

Day 19: Kitchen Drawers

Day 20: Games

Day 21: Medicine Cabinet

Day 22: Kitchen Counters

Day 23: Dining Room

Day 24: Paperwork

Day 25: Paperwork

Day 26: Desk/Office

Day 27: CDs and DVDs

Day 28: Books

Day 29: Laundry Room

Day 30: Craft Room

Day 31: Basement/Garage

How to Customize This Plan

Obviously, 15 minutes won’t be enough time to make headway in a big area like the basement or garage, especially if there’s a lot of clutter there.

Feel free to spend more time if you have it, but if you don’t, spending 15 minutes getting rid of clutter in each area is better than nothing!

Also, all homes and families are different. You may not have some of the rooms/spaces on the list. If not, feel free to add or eliminate areas that don’t apply to your family or home. This may allow you to spend more time in some of the other areas, or take that day off.

You may notice that I’ve included “paperwork” on the list twice. That’s because paper can be such a huge issue in many homes, and I figured it might take more time. If you’re all caught up on your paper piles, feel free to work in a different area for that day.

I’ve included 31 days of decluttering ideas, but you don’t have to work all of the 31 days.

I usually don’t do tasks like decluttering on Sundays (to have one day of rest), but there are a few simple things that wouldn’t be a huge project.

For example, decluttering your purse (the day 6 task) is a simple job that could be done on a Sunday afternoon or evening.

What You Need to Declutter Your House

This post contains affiliate links. Read my full disclosure here.

The supplies needed for this decluttering challenge are simple. You just need the following items:

• a timer (use the one on your phone or a wearable one like this)
• trash bags
• boxes

Label your boxes “giveaway,” “put away,” and possibly “to sell,” if you intend to sell them at a garage sale or online.

How to Declutter

When you’re ready to declutter, grab your supplies, set the timer, and go through the designated area for that day as quickly as possible.

Quickly go through the room/drawer/area and evaluate the items that are stored there. Do these items serve a useful purpose or bring you joy? If not, then it’s probably time to get rid of them and give your home some room to breathe.

Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful. —William Morris

If the items are something you no longer need or want, but they’re still usable, put them in the box labeled “give away,” or “to sell.”

And if the items are damaged or not usable, go ahead and put them in the trash.

Work as fast as you can while the timer is ticking. When the timer goes off, you’re done for the day!

Need some inspiration for decluttering? Check out this list of my 10 favorite decluttering books.

More Homemaking Ideas

Don’t miss these homemaking posts!

• How to Declutter When You’re Overwhelmed
• Homemaking 101: Home Management for Beginners
• 7 Things to Do Every Day to Keep Your House Clean
• 7 Habits of Highly Effective Homemakers
• How to Love the Home You Have

Free Decluttering Printables

I created a few simple printables to help you along on this decluttering journey. Download the free printables below (click on the link and then download it to your computer and print it off):

Decluttering Challenge Printables

You can file these printables in your homemaking binder or just use a simple clipboard like I’ve done in the photos here.

Join in the Home Declutter Challenge!

I hope you’ll join me in this 31-day home decluttering challenge!

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