15 Day Declutter Challenge to Get Your House in Order…FAST!

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Follow this 15 day declutter challenge to help you get control of your messy house fast! Use this step-by-step process to make decluttering your home finally feel possible.

Follow this 15 day declutter challenge to help you get control of your messy house fast! Use this step-by-step process to make decluttering your home finally feel possible.

Do you feel like your home could use a good declutter?

Sometimes it starts to feel like your clutter is multiplying all around you. 

Maybe your house always feels messy. 

And that’s probably because you have too much stuff…

…and each item needs a specific home.

If you’ve been putting off decluttering because you feel overwhelmed, this challenge is for you!

The 15 day declutter challenge is designed to help you get a jump start on removing excess clutter.

You’ll tackle one area a day, and by the end of it, you will be free of the items clogging your space.

As you clear and tidy each area, you will find yourself calmer and more relaxed. 

Almost like you can actually breathe easier in your home.

You’ll even be able to keep your house cleaner going forward!

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Why bother decluttering?

Maybe you keep thinking that your home needs to be organized.

While that may be partly accurate, the truth is that you only have so much space.

It’s not an organization problem…it’s a STUFF problem.

You can only keep what will realistically fit into your home.

That’s where decluttering is very helpful. Getting rid of your excess belongings is incredibly freeing!

Crowded, cluttered spaces just make you feel anxious.

Questions to ask yourself when you declutter

As you go through this decluttering challenge, ask yourself these questions.

They’ll help you decide what to keep, and which items have you stuck in indecision limbo.

  • Does this item make me happy?
  • When was the last time I used it?
  • Does it have a specific place in my house?
  • How many similar items do I have just like it?
  • Does this item benefit my life on a regular basis?
  • Am I saving it ‘just in case’?
  • Can this item help someone else more?
  • Would I buy it again?
  • Am I holding onto it out of guilt or obligation?

Follow this 15 day declutter challenge to help you get control of your messy house fast! Use this step-by-step process to make decluttering your home finally feel possible.

How do I get started decluttering?

Step #1 is to stop overthinking it!

I KNOW it feels overwhelming.

But there will never be a magical day where you have hours of free time, endless energy, and superhuman motivation.

You just have to get started. The momentum will come.

Simply follow the steps in the 15 day declutter challenge. Don’t think about it. Just do it.

Put on some comfy clothes. Turn on your favorite playlist, podcast, or audiobook.

Set a timer for 30 minutes or 1 hour. And just START.

15 Day Declutter Challenge

Day 1: Prep Work

Go through your entire home, and throw away anything that is clearly garbage. 

Take anything that obviously belongs in another room to that room.

This will get you in the right mindset for the challenge!

Gather supplies to help you with the declutter challenge, such as:

  • Boxes for donations
  • Garbage bags
  • Sharpie marker
  • Post-it notes for sorting (keep, toss, donate)
  • Bins of various sizes that can be used for storage or organizing
  • Dusting spray and cleaning cloths to wipe down surfaces as you declutter

Follow this 15 day declutter challenge to help you get control of your messy house fast! Use this step-by-step process to make decluttering your home finally feel possible.

Day 2: Kitchen

Since the kitchen is one of the most used spaces in your home, we’re starting there.

Put away countertop clutter. This will instantly make the room look cleaner.

Then go through all the kitchen drawers and cabinets. 

Donate or get rid of gadgets, pans, utensils, drinkware, and small appliances that you haven’t used in 12 months.

Related: 10 Things You Need to Organize Your Messy Kitchen

Day 3: Entryway & Coat Closet

The entryway of your home tends to be a dumping grounds for random items.

Find a tidy way to store shoes, mail, coats, and accessories. Hooks or a shoe rack can make things look much neater, if you don’t have a closet you can use.

In the coat closet, use bins to store ‘like’ items together (i.e. gloves and mittens, hats, scarves, etc). 

Pack up coats and other items that you don’t love or use regularly for donation.

Follow this 15 day declutter challenge to help you get control of your messy house fast! Use this step-by-step process to make decluttering your home finally feel possible.

Day 4: Bedroom(s)

(Don’t worry, we’ll tackle the closets another day!) 

Remove clutter from nightstands and dresser tops. Try to find hidden ways to store these items, so you can keep the surfaces as clear as possible.

Sort and organize the dresser and nightstand drawers, taking out anything you haven’t used or worn in the past 12 months.

Look under the bed, and pull out any dusty nonsense hiding underneath.

Bonus Task: Come up with a system for how you’ll handle dirty or worn clothing going forward, so that you don’t end up with piles of clothes throughout the week.

Day 5: Pantry

Start by taking everything out of your pantry. 

Throw away expired food, and plan to give away non-expired food that you won’t actually eat.

Put things back in an organized fashion, keeping similar items together. Whenever possible, decant items to minimize packaging.

Bonus task: As you organize the pantry, inventory what you have, and write down a list of meals you can make with those ingredients.

Related: 31 ‘Eat From the Pantry’ Recipes (to use up what you have!)

Follow this 15 day declutter challenge to help you get control of your messy house fast! Use this step-by-step process to make decluttering your home finally feel possible.

Day 6: Bathroom

If your bathroom counter is covered with beauty products, consider finding a way to keep more of your items hidden in drawers and cabinets.

A cluttered counter REALLY makes a room look messy!

Go through your vanity drawers and bathroom cupboards. 

Toss any makeup or hair and skin care products that you don’t use, or are past their prime.

Make a list of items to replace next time you’re at the store. (But just the ones you really use!)

Donate or throw away any hair appliances that you don’t actually use.

Day 7: Linen Closet & Medicine Cabinet

Donate towels, washcloths, and sheets that are still in good condition, but you don’t love or use.

(Animal shelters can often make good use of these!)

Throw away stained or hole-y towels.

Sort through your medicine cabinet, tossing expired medications and vitamins.

Note: Prescription medications can be taken to your local hospital or police department for proper disposal.

Organize your first aid supplies, and make a list of any items you need to purchase or replace.

Follow this 15 day declutter challenge to help you get control of your messy house fast! Use this step-by-step process to make decluttering your home finally feel possible.

Day 8: Closets

Most of us only wear about 20% of our wardrobe. 

Part of the reason for that is because we wear, wash, and cram the same clothes into the most visible part of our closet over and over.

The other reason is that we only really like and feel comfortable in a small percentage of the clothes we own.

Try to be ruthless about what you keep in your closet. Definitely donate anything you know you won’t wear.

But also consider packing up the clothes you’re undecided about. You can revisit them in 6 months to see if you actually missed having them.

In the meantime, you’ll love having a lot more space in your closet!

Be sure to also sort through your shoes and accessories using that same method.

Day 9: Fridge & Freezer

Remove everything from the fridge and freezer, and wipe down the shelves and interior walls.

Throw away any food and condiments that you know you won’t realistically use.

Put the rest back in an organized fashion that makes it easy to see what you have or need.

Bonus task: Take an inventory of your food, and write a list of meals you can make with those ingredients.

Follow this 15 day declutter challenge to help you get control of your messy house fast! Use this step-by-step process to make decluttering your home finally feel possible.

Day 10: Paperwork

It’s time to go through all those piles of paperwork that stack up day after day.

You know, all the mail, bills, sales flyers, coupons, and receipts that seem to hang around forever?

Chances are, you hardly need any of it!

Use a box or bin to put recyclable paper in, removing your address from each piece.

(And make a point to take it to the recycling bin ASAP.)

Shred any personal paperwork, or use a stamp like this to hide your sensitive information.

Come up with a system for managing paperwork going forward. You could keep your coupons and receipts organized in an envelope or binder, for example.

👉 To opt-out of junk mail for 5 years, visit optoutprescreen.com, or call 1-800-5-OPT-OUT.

You can also request to get your bills delivered electronically instead of through the mail to further reduce paper clutter.

Follow this 15 day declutter challenge to help you get control of your messy house fast! Use this step-by-step process to make decluttering your home finally feel possible.

Day 11: Cleaning Supplies

Sort through all your cleaning supplies and tools, and get rid of any you don’t use.

All-purpose cleaners can cut really down on the amount of supplies you need.

Or here’s how to easily make your own homemade cleaning products for super cheap!

Use a bin or cleaning caddy to keep your products organized going forward.

And remember to only keep what you actually use!

Day 12: Basement & Garage

Depending on the current state of your basement or garage, this may take more than a day.

But start with the areas you can tackle the fastest, and that will have the biggest impact.

(Like clearing walkways so you can move around easily, if your basement or garage is really crowded.)

Make piles of things you’re sure you want to donate.

Bonus task: Take those items to your car or wherever will be a strong reminder to drop them off at the donation site, or schedule a pickup with a local charity.

Throw away anything that is clearly trash (like empty shipping boxes).

Sort through tools, yard and garden implements, sports equipments, etc. and make a plan to get rid of everything you don’t regularly use.

Consider selling some of those items on Craigslist or Facebook Marketplace. 

You can create a listing in just a few minutes, and maybe even end the day with cash in hand!

Follow this 15 day declutter challenge to help you get control of your messy house fast! Use this step-by-step process to make decluttering your home finally feel possible.

Day 13: Junk Drawer

Chances are you have at least one drawer that’s a catch-all for random items.

Things like batteries, pens, flashlights, chargers, and instructional manuals.

While you do need to keep most of those things, it’s important to organize them within the drawer so it stays tidy.

Start by taking everything out.

Test the pens and flashlights to see if they work. Chances are that loose, unpackaged batteries are old and need to be replaced.

Sort through the chargers to make sure you still have a use for them.

When you put things back, use small containers to keep the items organized.

Small boxes, or plastic food storage containers, work really well. The dollar store also has lots of little bins for pens and such.

Day 14: Entertainment

Today we’re tackling books, magazines, CDs, and DVDs.

Most of us tend to keep these items forever!

Take an honest look at your movies, music, and reading materials, and decide what you will honestly still use.

Electronic and streaming versions of things make it a lot easier to store entertainment items without taking up any physical space.

Consider the space in your home, and how much of these things you can realistically store.

Follow this 15 day declutter challenge to help you get control of your messy house fast! Use this step-by-step process to make decluttering your home finally feel possible.

Day 15: Kids’ Toys

Note: If you don’t have kids’ toys in your home, use this day to declutter and organize your purse and wallet, or as a catch-up day.

If your kids are old enough, include them in the process of decluttering their toys.

Ask them to choose which toys they no longer play with. Explain that you’re going to donate them to children without toys.

Or offer to sell them and share the profits.

For younger children, wait til they’re sleeping (or not around) to remove toys you don’t see them use.

At the very least, pack up and hide a good portion of your kids’ toys, and then rotate which ones are available to them each week or month.

That way there will be far fewer toys and mess lying around…driving you nuts!

Follow this 15 day declutter challenge to help you get control of your messy house fast! Use this step-by-step process to make decluttering your home finally feel possible.

Ready to try a 15 Day Declutter Challenge?

As you can see, doing one project a day really does add up!

Even if you can’t get each area completely decluttered in one day, you can repeat this challenge a few times a year.

Over time, you will have a LOT less clutter, and start enjoying the freedom of a much tidier home!

For more decluttering and organization tips, check out:

Follow this 15 day declutter challenge to help you get control of your messy house fast! Use this step-by-step process to make decluttering your home finally feel possible.

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