Are you looking for a way to declutter your home in just 30 days? This is the perfect challenge for you, complete with a printable declutter checklist. This 30-day decluttering challenge will help you get rid of all the clutter that is taking up space in your home.
Follow these daily tasks with simple steps and you’ll be on your way to a clutter-free home in no time!
It can be tough to know where to start when it comes to decluttering, but our handy 30 day declutter checklist will make it easy for you.
The Ultimate 30 Day Decluttering Challenge
The thought of decluttering an entire house is a daunting and overwhelming task for a lot of people. But it doesn’t have to be! With a 30 day decluttering challenge, you can take on decluttering your whole house one small task at a time.
But the first step… let’s look at some of the reasons why less clutter can make your life better!
The Benefits Of Less Clutter
Studies have shown that having less clutter in your home can benefit your health, from improving focus to sleeping better at night and leading to an overall reduction in stress!
When you have less clutter in your home, you will find that you have more time and energy for the things you love.
You won’t have the constant battle of keeping your space tidy or trying to find things you are looking for.
A calm space leads to a calm mind!
Plus, decluttering can even save you money. When your home is cluttered, it’s easy to lose track of what you have and end up buying things you already own.
Now that we’ve gone over some of the reasons why less clutter can benefit your life, let’s get started on the challenge:
Why Do A 30 Day Declutter Challenge?
A 30 day declutter challenge is the perfect way to jumpstart your journey to a more organised and clutter-free home. It’s easy to get started and you can complete the tasks at your own pace.
Plus, with our printable declutter checklist, you will have a daily guide to help you declutter each room in your home by completing smaller tasks that won’t leave you feeling overwhelmed!
Having a daily goal or task is also an effective way to stay focused and motivated.
It feels great to tick items off a checklist and this challenge will give you that satisfaction as you complete each daily task!
How To Declutter Any Area In Your Home
Before you start decluttering each area in your home, it’s important to have the right mindset and plan of action.
If you’re feeling overwhelmed or like you can’t even start, then take a few deep breaths. You got this!
- Start by removing any obvious rubbish from a space.
- The second step is to collect any items that do not belong and put them aside to put away in their proper place
- The third step is to declutter by sorting all your remaining items into three piles: keep, donate/sell and toss
- Once sorted, put your remaining items away in an organised manner.
Get rid of the rubbish in your ‘toss’ pile immediately by putting it in the bin.
Find a home for all the items in your ‘keep’ pile. If an item doesn’t have a home, then rethink if you really do need to keep this item!
Make a plan to donate or sell your remaining items ASAP so you don’t end up with lingering piles of unwanted items in your home. The longer you wait, the less likely they will leave your home at all…
You might also want to check out these tips before you start:
What To Do With Your Unwanted Clutter
If you have items that you no longer want or need, then it’s important to get rid of this clutter as soon as possible!
Donating is a great way to declutter while also giving back to those in need. There are many organisations and local churches that accept donations of clothes, furniture, toys and more.
The best part about donating is that you can get the items out of your home quickly, giving you a clean slate straight away.
Selling your unwanted items is another great way to declutter. Not only will you free up space in your home, but you can make some extra cash.
There are many ways to sell your items, such as online marketplaces, such as the Facebook marketplace, a garage sale or even consignment shops.
The key is to get the items out of your home so you can enjoy the benefits of the decluttering process sooner.
Using The Free Printable Declutter Checklist
To help you declutter your home in just 30 days, I’ve created a free printable declutter checklist with all the tasks you need to complete.
Unlike some 30-day decluttering challenges, this declutter calendar is not dated. This means you can pick and choose any task from the 30 and complete them as you go.
My recommendation is that you start with one of the bigger tasks.
This doesn’t necessarily need to be your biggest personal declutter hurdle though. You can build up to that one but start with something larger, while your motivation is high.
This will help you kick off with strong momentum and get that wonderful emotional high once the first task is done!
Then you can balance out your month with a few little things on the days when you are feeling less motivated or don’t have a lot of extra time.
You will be surprised how much clutter you can clear even in a space of 10 minutes though.
You can find the declutter checklist here.
The 30 Day Declutter List
While the declutter tasks are not numbered on the free printable declutter checklist, I have listed them with numbers below just to make it easier to find them in the list.
This declutter task list is to give you extra tips and resources to help you tackle each of the 30 declutter tasks, so make sure you save this post so you can come back each day for tips before you get started!
Use these decluttering questions to help you make decisions on what to keep and what to declutter from your home.
Task 1: Dining Table & Kitchen Bench
Today’s task is all about clearing the surfaces in the kitchen and dining room!
Dining tables and kitchen counters are areas that tend to collect a lot of paper clutter, such as junk mail and newspapers.
For any important paperwork, such as bills or statements, put them aside for filing.
If you have a catch-all drawer or spot in your kitchen, now is the time to go through it and declutter anything that doesn’t belong.
This includes anything that’s been sitting on the benchtop for longer than a week!
If you have a lot of appliances sitting on your kitchen bench, consider finding cupboard storage for them to clear up more space for food preparation.
Once you’ve decluttered the surfaces, give them a good wipe down.
Task 2: Bed Linen & Towels
Linen is one of those areas that can easily become cluttered. We often have spare blankets and pillows that we don’t use, as well as old towels that we save just in case.
Unwanted linen is often in high demand at animal care and rehoming centres. This is a great option for any old linen that may have holes or stains.
Good quality linen is also much needed in homeless shelters so this is a great option for any excess linen you do not need or want, but it is still in good condition.
As a rule of thumb, keep no more than two to three sets of sheets and quilt cover sets for each bed in your home.
Baskets can be a great thing for organising your linen closet into types of linen.
Task 3: Under The Kitchen Sink
Be ruthless with your decluttering here as this is an area where we tend to hoard cleaning products that we never use.
If you have half-used bottles of cleaning products, consider whether you really will use them and throw out anything that has been there a while.
The same goes for old sponges and scrubbing brushes.
Most cleaning products lose their effectiveness after a while so find a few favourites and ditch the rest!
Task 4: Cosmetics & Toiletries
Just as beneath the kitchen sink can be a home to old products, so too can your bathrooms!
Go through all of your toiletries and cosmetics and declutter anything that is old, unused or you no longer like.
This includes makeup that is past its expiry date, skincare products that you have had for ages or shampoo and conditioner bottles that are almost empty.
As a rule of thumb, most make-up should only be kept for a year or less, so think carefully about what you are putting on your face!
Use this day to also clean out under the bathroom sink and any bathroom drawers or cupboards as well.
Read my full bathroom declutter guide for more tips.
Task 5: Medication & First Aid Supplies
Check your medicine cabinet for old or expired medications. If you have any medications that are no longer needed, be sure to dispose of them safely.
While you are there, check your first aid supplies in the house and also in any vehicles you have and throw out anything that is outdated or unused.
This includes bandaids, antiseptic cream and bandages.
If your first aid supplies are running low, this is also a good time to add a few of the essentials to your next shopping list to make sure you always have emergency supplies on hand at home and in the car!
Task 6: Kitchen Utensils
The kitchen is full of potential clutter hotspots, so today’s task is all about decluttering your utensils.
This is one of those tasks that might raise a few surprises, like ‘Why do we have 8 potato peelers?’ or ‘Why are we keeping these broken tongs that keep jamming the drawer?’ so be strict in your cull!
Most kitchen utensils are inexpensive to replace so decluttering duplicates rather than holding onto them just in case is not likely to cost you a fortune if one breaks in the near future!
Task 7: Kitchen Cupboards
Today’s task is decluttering your kitchen cabinets. This includes anything from pantry staples to Tupperware and pots and pans.
Today’s task is also a great opportunity to deep clean your kitchen cupboards while they are empty so make the most of giving your kitchen some TLC while also freeing up space.
That old frying pan that you hate because it burns everything. Goodbye! The 38 plastic lids that have no matching food storage containers… see ya!
Enjoy opening your container cupboard without everything falling at your feet!
Task 8: Small Appliances & Electronics
You might have already gotten a head start on this task while sorting through your kitchen cupboards, however, small appliances aren’t just limited to the kitchen.
Consider this task for all small electronics around your house that are no longer used.
Lamps, old laptops or tablets that no longer work, cameras, electric toothbrushes, fans and heaters, irons, and especially all those gadgets you simply don’t use!
There are electronic recycling programs for a lot of devices, such as phones, laptops and computers so this is worth checking out if they are no longer in a condition worth selling or donating.
Task 9: Junk Drawer
Hands up if you have a junk drawer. Maybe 3 junk drawers? Or an entire junk closet? All of the above are our targets for today’s decluttering task!
Junk drawers seem to be a universal problem so chances are you have at least one in your house!
The first thing is to identify all of the junk collection areas in your house. These are usually the catch-all places for everything that doesn’t have a home.
Once you know where they all are, it’s time to tackle them one by one using the declutter any area strategies outlined above – toss, sort and action!
Be ruthless! If you haven’t used it in the past year (or longer) or if you don’t know what it is, chances are you don’t need it!
Task 10: Clothes In Closets
Today’s decluttering task is tackling the hanging clothes in your wardrobe.
Downsizing your wardrobe can be a hard one because there is so much we wish we loved to wear, but realistically, most of us only wear a small fraction of the clothing in our closets and drawers.
Sort through your hanging clothes in your bedroom closet and be strict with what you keep and donate.
If you’ve never worn it, you probably never will! If it doesn’t make you feel good, it doesn’t deserve space in your home!
BONUS TIP: Afterwards, turn all your hangers around so they are facing backwards using this wardrobe downsizing hack so you can do this task quickly every 6 to 12 months!
Task 11: Toys
Decluttering toys can be a big task if you have young kids, however, it is so worth it for both you and them!
Too many toys can be overwhelming for kids and actually lead to them playing less. It also creates more work for you in terms of keeping the house tidy.
So today’s task is to declutter your child’s toys.
This might mean going through their toy boxes and anywhere else they tend to collect around the house, such as the living room and their bedrooms.
The goal is to get rid of anything they no longer play with, is broken or damaged, or is age-inappropriate.
Kids toys can be donated to charity shops, given to younger cousins or family friends with younger kids, or even sold online!
If you do not have kids at home, consider decluttering any pet toys or use this day for a catch up for a task you might have missed or one not on the list that you know needs tackling!
Having the right toy storage systems can also help keep the toy clutter from getting out of hand again in future!
Task 12: Paint & Chemicals Around The Home
Most homes have some sort of chemicals or unused cans of paint somewhere in the home. This is typically in the garage, but consider other areas of your home when doing today’s task.
This might include cleaning products, pesticides, weed killers, and any other chemicals you may have stored around the house.
Some chemicals can not be thrown in the trash for disposal, so before you dispose of chemicals and paint, be sure to check the local guidelines and options for disposing of these items safely.
This may require a visit to a local refuse centre so research ahead of time when planning today’s task and make it a day when you can complete the disposal in full.
Task 13: Board Games & Puzzles
Many households store board games and puzzles in a separate area from kids’ toys, so they deserved a day on their own to sort through what to keep and what to declutter.
The task for today is to go through all of your board games and puzzles and declutter anything you no longer play, are missing pieces, or are damaged.
Any puzzles or board games that are in good condition, with all pieces included, can be donated to schools, child care centres or nursing homes. This is a great way to spread a little joy to others.
Task 14: Garage Storage
Depending on the size of your garage, this garage declutter challenge task may be a big one or a small one!
The goal for today is to go through everything stored in your garage and declutter anything you no longer need or use.
Things such as old tools, and garden equipment, random items that don’t fit inside your indoor storage, camping gear, and so on.
If this is a really big task for you, consider turning it into a 2-day weekend project instead and get the rest of the family to help out!
Task 15: CDs & DVDs
With the rise of streaming services, many of us no longer use physical media as much with services such as Spotify and Apple music replacing CDs and Netflix or Disney+ taking over from visual media.
This often means most of our electronic media is sitting collecting dust these days so if you’ve made the switch, this is your chance to create a lot of extra space in your home!
The task for today is to go through all of your CDs and DVDs and declutter anything you no longer listen to or watch or that you are unlikely to do so in future.
These can be donated to local goodwill shops, given away to friends or family, or even sold online!
If you have a lot to declutter, this could be a great way to make some extra cash if you have the time to do this.
The value is relatively low these days since these types of media are less in demand but in bulk, you might make a little back to make it worth your time.
Task 16: Christmas & Holiday Decorations
Today’s task is to declutter your Christmas and holiday decorations.
This might include anything from tree ornaments to lights, tinsel, wreaths, and so on.
The goal is to only keep what you love and will actually use. Anything that is damaged, you no longer like, or is taking up space without being used can be decluttered.
This category can also include other types of holiday decor that you have, such as Easter decorations, seasonal decor for spring/autumn and Halloween decorations too.
Task 17: Stationery & Notebooks
As someone who loves pretty stationery, I have an impressive collection that sometimes needs a drastic cull! If you can relate, today is definitely for you.
Toss any old planners, notebooks, etc that you no longer need.
Unused stationery such as sticky note pads, pretty accessories and notepads can make good stocking stuffers or teacher gift ideas.
BONUS TIP: If you have kids, get them to test old pens and throw out any that don’t work.
Task 18: Sporting Gear
Over time, most households tend to accumulate a variety of sporting gear and exercise equipment that may no longer get regular use.
The goal for today is to go through all of your sporting gear and equipment and declutter anything you no longer use, are unlikely to use in future, or are damaged.
This could include things such as old bikes, bats, balls, ski equipment, weights, pads and so on.
If you have kids who play sport, this is also a great opportunity to declutter any old gear they have outgrown or no longer use.
Quality sporting equipment can often be donated to local schools, clubs, or organisations so this is a great way to declutter and give back to the community at the same time!
Task 19: Documents & Paper Clutter
Often one of the dreaded decluttering challenges most households face is dealing with paper clutter! From mail to old magazines, receipts, invoices, bills, newspapers and catalogues, it all adds up!
The task for today is to go through all of your documents and paper clutter and declutter anything you no longer need.
With important documents such as birth certificates or passports, be sure to keep these in a safe and secure place, such as a fireproof box.
For everything else, consider shredding or recycling where possible.
Task 20: Suitcases, Bags & Backpacks
The average household has far more suitcases and bags than they need, with many of these having been well-loved and used often in the past, but now no longer being in such good shape.
When it comes to decluttering suitcases and backpacks, consider how often you travel, the type of travel you do and the amount of luggage you typically take as a family.
If you have substantially more bags than you likely need, it’s time to declutter the rest.
As for general use backpacks and bags, declutter anything you don’t use, that is damaged or that you no longer need.
Task 21: Hats, Belts & Shoes
It’s accessory day! Go through your accessories and work out any that you never wear or any that might be damaged, and let them go. Same goes for hats and shoes.
Don’t keep any shoes that are uncomfortable to wear, that cause you blisters or are falling apart. You want to feel good in your footwear!
The same goes for the rest of the family. It always amazes me how often we go through the kids’ shoe collections and find so many pairs they’ve outgrown in the last 6 months. Kids grow way too fast!
Task 22: Outdoor Storage
For the purpose of this task, outdoor storage could mean a garden shed, patio storage boxes or simply items you have in your backyard or patio area.
This may also include BBQ and outdoor cooking equipment and outdoor toys.
Task 23: Craft & Hobbies Supplies
The average person has at least one hobby collection. In most cases, a few of these hobbies may have since been abandoned too!
Combine that with each house member who might have more than one hobby and you’ve got a lot of extra stuff in your house.
Today is the day to declutter any craft or hobby supplies you (or your family members) no longer use. This could include things such as fabric, yarn, old craft paints, half-finished project kits and so on.
If you have kids who like to do crafts, this is also a great opportunity to get them involved in decluttering and help them to sort through their own supplies. They might be surprised at how much they don’t use!
This is a great opportunity to organise your craft room and hobby supplies too.
BONUS TIP: Hobby and craft supplies are highly sought by early education centres, schools and nursing homes so consider donating your unwanted craft items to somewhere you know they will get lots of use!
Task 24: Books
Decluttering books is a difficult task for a lot of avid readers! If this is you, I’m sorry in advance for this one.
Thankfully this is one area I have managed to change my ways with drastically and I almost never buy physical books anymore.
Instead, I mostly read Kindle books, listen to audiobooks on Audible or borrow either format from the local library.
But even I have my favourites that I could never part with! Today is your day to decide which books you can’t part with and let go of the rest.
Consider only keeping books you know you will reread or those with significant sentimental value.
If the thought of switching to digital makes you want to cry, your local library or community book exchange is a great alternative! We have a community library box nearby where you can swap a book you have read with something new.
Swapping books with friends is another great way to keep your book love happy, without having to add new books to your bookshelf too.
Task 25: Pantry & Freezer
The pantry and freezer are places you should be decluttering often since no one wants to eat expired foods or meat with freezer burn! Eww…
But often time gets away from us so if you haven’t done either of these areas recently, now is the chance to do a complete pantry declutter and freezer cleanout.
Bin anything expired or spoiled, anything you can’t identify and anything that has been there too long and has probably lost its quality.
Sometimes even when in date, this can be the case if a packet has been opened or something has been in the freezer a really long time.
This is also a great chance to give your freezer a defrost and your pantry a deep clean and consider your pantry organisation systems while you’re there!
Task 26: Extra Storage Areas
Extra storage areas could include storage cupboards, attic, basement or any other different areas of your home where you tend to store things that aren’t otherwise covered in this challenge.
This task is all about decluttering these spaces and getting rid of anything you no longer need or use.
If you have a lot of extra storage spaces, this might become a weekend project instead of a one day task and that’s okay! The declutter any area rules still apply – sort, donate/trash/sell/keep and organise!
Task 27: Purses, Wallets & Handbags
Today’s decluttering task is a double task. Not only do I want you to declutter excess handbags, purses and wallets, I also want you to declutter the contents too!
Go through all the items in your regular use purse, wallet or handbags and give them a thorough cleanout.
Throw away the rubbish collecting at the bottom of your handbags and the random sand that seems to collect in there (tell me it’s not just me… ) and anything else that doesn’t belong.
Sort through the cards and items in your purse or wallet to get rid of anything expired, no longer used or not necessary. This includes expired credit cards, memberships you no longer have, receipts, gift cards etc.
Task 28: Memorabilia & Photos
Decluttering sentimental items is one of the hardest tasks for everyone! It’s hard to let go of things that have sentimental value, even if we don’t use them or look at them.
Today is the day to go through all those items and in the words of Marie Kondo, decide which of these spark joy!
Just because something has sentimental value doesn’t mean you need to keep it. If you can’t display it or don’t look at it, consider taking a photo of the item to keep the memory without having to keep the physical item.
The same goes for decluttering photos. It’s so easy now to take and store digital copies of our favourite photos that we don’t need to keep every single one. Keep print copies only of your favourites.
Consider also decluttering your digital photos too, deleting any that aren’t worth keeping such as accidental photos of your feet or duplicates taken of the same moment.
Task 29: Kid’s Rooms
Your other tasks have sorted out toys, and kids’ clothing in wardrobes (and task 30 with clothing drawers) so that takes up a few of the big clutter zones in a kids’ room.
Today’s task is to declutter the extra stuff in your kid’s bedrooms not already considered, such as bedside tables, dresser tops, bookshelves and that random pile of stuff in the corner of the room.
Get the kids involved to help you out. If you don’t have kids, this is another catch-up day for you!
Task 30: Clothing Drawers
One of the best ways to do this 30 day declutter challenge task is drawer by drawer.
One draw is a pretty easy task to tackle, so one at a time makes it far less daunting than pouring the contents of every single drawer on top of your bed and sorting through them all in one go.
Time to let go of those clothes you don’t feel good in or the ones that have tags on them that you have never worn in the 4 years they’ve been folding up in your drawer.
And that’s it… 30 days of decluttering tasks complete!!! You did it!
Declutter Your Home Workbook
Need an extra hand to stay on task during your 30 day declutter challenge? My Declutter Your Home Workbook goes beyond the 30-day challenge with extra tips, resources and worksheets to keep you motivated.
It’s packed with 22 pages of decluttering goodness, including:
- 30-Day declutter challenge with daily tasks
- Declutter trackers and checklists
- Printable 22-page PDF workbook
- Declutter mindset activities & goal setting
- Long term habit creation ideas
- Quick declutter project wins
- How to declutter sentimental items & more!
This declutter workbook helps you think beyond the clutter to change your mindset and let go of unwanted stuff for good!
The 30 day decluttering challenge is a great way to get rid of clutter in your home, bit by bit. The printable declutter checklist can help you stay on task and make sure you don’t miss any areas. If you’re feeling overwhelmed by clutter, the declutter challenge is a great place to start!
What area of your home would most benefit from a declutter?
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