Top 10 items to declutter from your home to get you started on your decluttering journey.

Getting Started

When starting out on a decluttering journey it can be overwhelming to know where to begin. Do I start in the kitchen with my silverware drawer? The attic filled to the brim with home decor, old photos and who knows what else? Should I just throw away everything I own?!

Fear not, we are here to help take away the decision fatigue so you can finally get started on decluttering your home!

#1 Garbage

Garbage sounds so obvious that it might not be worth putting on the Top 10 Items to Declutter From Your Home list, however, in every space I’ve ever decluttered there is always garbage to remove. Sometimes clients even say “oh there’s no garbage here”. Once we get going, we realize there is, in fact, plenty of things to toss.

Some garbage is super obvious, like wrappers, old food containers and scrap pieces of paper. Other garbage is slightly less obvious. Like things you’ve been meaning to fix for three years but never have, and really never will. Or old clothing that’s so far gone it can’t be donated. Random souvenirs that you thought you would want but you don’t (and no one else will either).

Sometimes the more trash you throw away the more trash you realize you have. As you begin moving things out of the space, more and more garbage becomes obvious. Of course, some garbage can be recycled, but if it’s truly garbage, call it what it is and get it out!

This truly is the fastest and easiest way to get started with your decluttering process. Grab a trash bag, set a timer and look ONLY for trash. Do not get distracted by other items, we are only focusing on obvious trash here. You will be shocked by how quickly you fill up your trash bags and how much better your room will feel!

#2 Clothes That Do Not Fit

We all do this, we keep the clothes that are too small hoping and wishing for the day when we’re going to lose the weight. We also keep the clothes that are too big just in case we gain all that weight back. But the reality is, all that those clothes are doing for you is cluttering up your closet and making it more difficult for the life you have now.

Barring some specific circumstances, like having a baby, there’s no reason to keep clothing in sizes that don’t fit us currently. Keep the items that fit you and make you feel your best. You don’t need to look in your closet every day and see those clothes that are two or three sizes too small.  Beginning your day with guilt because you haven’t lost the weight you intended to lose is not the way to live your best life. No matter your weight, you deserve to have clothes that fit you. No more wasting time feeling bad about the clothes that don’t fit.

Your closet is not a museum to the past. Whether your past was a smaller size or a larger size. Keep only clothes in your closet that you could wear today!

#3 Excess Mugs

Excess mugs are a funny one, because they are usually a mix of sentimental and useful. In most homes, you might have a handful of coffee drinkers, and maybe a few hot chocolate drinkers. Yes, at times you might host a small group in your home with as many as 20 people. Often times, however, homes are holding far more than 20 mugs anyway.

Mugs are souvenirs, common gifts, and usually come in our set of dishes. One of the best ways to decide which mugs to get rid of is actually to decide first, which mugs stay. For example, pick out yours , your partners and other coffee drinkers in the home favorite mugs. Next choose everyones back up favorites for when your top choice mug is dirty.

Lastly, pick out handful more for when you have guests. The best way to do that is to determine the max number of people you would ever have in your home drinking coffee at one time and do not keep more than that. Let the rest GO. If you’re really struggling to let some go, think about how happy someone else is going to be at the thrift store when they come across that mug that you haven’t used in two years.

An extra note on mugs – If you have a sentimental mug that you don’t want to get rid of, but you never use, challenge yourself to use it. See if you can replace one of your worn out favorites with the sentimental one. Even if using the mug means you wear it out isn’t that what it was intended for in the first place? Use your usable items or get rid of them.

#4 Hobby Items You Haven’t Used in Years

Hobbies are a funny thing because at first glance, they seem like something we just do to fill our time. When you really think about a hobby, though,  it’s actually a huge part of who we are. Emily and I are both runners. We don’t think of running as our hobby, we think of running as something that we are. I know crafters, seamstresses, pickle ball players, who feel the same way. Our hobbies define us in someway.

It can be hard to get rid of the items related to that hobby because we are afraid that if we lose the items, we will lose a piece of ourselves. We are afraid we will be less interesting or less creative. None of these things are true. The season you’re in now will not be your season forever. There will be time for hobbies again, but they might be different by the time you get there!

Holding on to items that don’t reflect your current lifestyle only hinders you from enjoying the things you’ve chosen to prioritize in your current season. 

#5 Uncomfortable Shoes

Life is too short to wear shoes that hurt your feet. Your daily shoes should fit your feet, breathe, and be comfortable. I used to think that it was better to have 20 pairs of cheap shoes so I could look trendy and cool. I have since learned that five pairs of nicer shoes serves me and my body much better.

Often, we have shoes in our closet that we love the look of, but we never actually wear because we know they hurt. Maybe you wore them once and your feet ached so much that every time you thought of wearing them again you choose a different pair. If that’s the case, it’s time to move on. If they’re in decent shape, go ahead and donate them. Maybe they hurt your feet, but they’ll feel better to someone else.

Ultimately, any clothing items that you’ve had the opportunity to wear but have passed up for a whole year, it’s time to let go.

#6 Just-In-Case Items

Just-in-case items are tricky. It feels like if we’re going to be a good steward of what God has given and be wise with our money, we should keep everything that’s a just-in-case item. However, so often in this scenario, we are keeping the just-in-case items for events that never end up happening. In that case, we have just turned our home a storage unit for all the “what if” scenarios.

Let’s say that the opportunity does indeed come along and you have already decluttered the just-in-case  item. The fear is that we won’t have the money we need to acquire the item again. This is a scarcity mindset. Very often these items cost less than $20. So, if you do declutter an item that you end up needing later, you can rebuy it. While it may cost you $20, the years of not having that item and all the other items you decluttered is worth more than $20.

Another thought is that you could always borrow from a friend or family, or find the item on a local buy nothing group. Or, you can buy second hand like on Facebook marketplace or at a thrift store. We live in a time where it has never been easier to acquire things.

Overall, the peace and freedom of decluttering far outweighs the risk of getting rid of that just-in-case item.

#7 Decor Items You No Longer Love

Styles change, our tastes can change. We may not have money to constantly change our decor along with our taste but sometimes a certain piece can just get stale.

Often times we can really change up the look of our house by simply removing a few pieces. It’s OK to get rid of decor you no longer love and leave a space blank.  You can leave it blank for a long time, you may find you like it better that way. You may find that  you actually do want to refill that blank space you just created, but this time you will be more thoughtful and specific about what you choose. Or, we can even just accept that some things are for now, but not forever.

Every piece of decor in your home is something to manage. It’s something to clean and to clean around. Ultimately, it’s something that will take up more of your mental space and energy.

#8 Gifts You Don’t Like or Use

Gifts can be hard to get rid of when we really love the person who gifted it to us. We think more about the feelings of the person who gave it than we do about reality of the state of our homes. In a lot of ways that’s commendable. However, we live in a culture that gives a lot of gifts and buys a lot of stuff. So much stuff, that you are reading a blog about how to get rid of said stuff.

With that said, it’s important to focus on the reason the person gave the gift. Some people give gifts as a way of demonstrating their love, and some people give gifts as a way to control other people. If the gift was given from love, then the love was expressed at the time the gift was given. The intention was for you to feel cared about and loved, and in that moment, that’s exactly what happened. The most important purpose of the gift has been fulfilled.

If the gift was given as a way to try to control, then the item should be decluttered because we shouldn’t give someone else that kind of power in our lives. A great way to donate items that were gifts given in love is to offer them on a “Buy Nothing” Facebook group. This gives new life and new love shared for your items, which is a tribute to the person who gave you the item in the first place. 

#9 Kitchen Gadgets and Appliances

This is for kitchen gadgets or appliances you haven’t used in at least a year. These items are often not as great in their use as they initially seem. I find that one of the main reasons why I end up getting rid of one of these kitchen items is because of the difficulty to clean them. Sometimes a specific gadget really does make it easier to cut a pineapple or julienne carrots, but in the end, I can generally just use a knife, and a knife is so easy to clean!

We also purchase gadgets and appliances sometimes in an attempt to be someone different. Maybe we bought a food processor to make our own baby food, or a blender to start making protein rich smoothies. If you’re not already making those things, then every day when you open your cupboards you have these items staring at you, reminding you of all the things you thought you would do but you’re not doing. Of course this leads us down a disappointing path of feeling like a failure for not following through on our goals and dreams. It might just be time to get rid of those things. They are talking to you, telling you lies and tearing you down, and nobody needs that.

#10 Toys Your Kids Have Outgrown

There’s a research study that says the ideal number of toys for a child is 17. I’ve never subscribed to just 17 toys for my kids, but knowing that might make it easier to rid your kids play area of toys that are no longer age-appropriate. Another thing to think about is that most parents set up a place for their kids toys, often called The Playroom. The intention is for the kids to play in the room with all their toys. Unfortunately, however, the room is so overrun with furniture and bins to store the toys that there’s actually little room left to play. In this case, kids often strew toys all over the house.

If you find toys are leaving their dedicated area, it’s likely because the dedicated area has become too messy and overwhelming for the kids to play in. If you go to clean up your kids play area and you feel overwhelmed, imagine how overwhelmed their young and undeveloped brain feesl! Consider reducing the number of toys your children can manage. Most of us will keep more than that, but getting rid of toys they’ve outgrown is a great start. I think you’ll find your kids will play with their toys much more often, giving mom a little more quiet in the house, and a little more peace.

To Wrap it Up

I hope these 10 things have given you the inspiration and motivation you needed to declutter items in your home. Whether you’re new to decluttering or you’ve been chipping away at removing unnecessary items from your home for a while now, these 10 things are a great way to get the ball rolling so you can have more peace in your home!

Which of these Top 10 items will you declutter from your home on this list? Let us know in the comments below!

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