80+ Micro Decluttering Ideas
January is here and you’re probably feeling the urge to declutter. All around you, people are excited to purge. You’re seeing the lines at Goodwill being longer than normal. You’re hearing people talk about the cool new bins they’re getting to store their stuff. But what if you are super busy and don’t have time to declutter? Or do you get overwhelmed when trying to declutter? Maybe you just don’t know where to start. Try “micro-decluttering”! Spend 10-15 minutes on decluttering and organizing a small task, and watch how great you feel as your life quickly becomes more organized! Here’s a list of 80+ micro decluttering tasks you can do to start feeling more organized now.
Kitchen
- Throw away expired food in the fridge/pantry
- Group like items in the pantry and use containers to help keep things organized
- Organize your spice cabinet
- Look for and give away appliances and kitchen items you don’t use
- Organize your junk drawer
Bedroom
- Organize the nightstand
- Assess bedding and give away what you no longer need
- Clean under the bed
- Organize the top of your dresser
- Organize your jewelry
Clothes Storage
- Either put away or wash that pile of clothes you have to “rewear”
- Either give away or fix all those clothes you’ve been meaning to mend
- Declutter/organize your underwear drawer
- Declutter/organize your sock drawer
- Declutter/organize you clothes
- Declutter/organize your shoes
Bathroom
- Throw out old cosmetics/medication
- Assess towels and give away what you no longer need
- Use containers to help you group like items
- Order/install necessary hooks or shelves to organize your stuff such as under the sink, above the toilet, or in the shower
- Wipe down the shelves of the medicine cabinet or bathroom drawers
Laundry Room
- Throw away empty bottles and used dryer sheets that didn’t make it to the trashcan
- Put a trashcan in the laundry room if you don’t already have one
- Organize cleaning supplies
- Put away clean laundry
- Decant your laundry soap into a container that is easier to use
Front Entryway
- Take the trash/recycling out
- Go through the mail (or even just some of it if you have a lot)
- Refresh your décor
- Sweep the porch
- Mail back those returns that you’ve been meaning to send back
Living Room
- Clean the couch cushions and under the couch
- Put away blankets and fluff couch pillows
- Pick up miscellaneous clutter
- Donate old tech/media
- Tend to your indoor plants
Dining Room
- Clear off the table and put things where they belong
- Give away dishes/serving ware that you don’t use
Office/Books/Paperwork
- Clear off the top of your desk
- Clean out a desk drawer
- Declutter file cabinet/old notebooks
- File loose papers
- Shred paper to be shredded
- Sort office supplies
- Declutter books you don’t need/want
- Organize your bookshelf
Pet Areas
- Wash/organize bedding
- Declutter old toys
- Organize food/treats/supplements
- Organize grooming supplies
- Organize pet clothing, leashes, and collars
Outdoor Areas
- Spend some time weeding the garden
- Organize grilling area
- Organize outdoor furniture
- Repair anything broken
- Throw out trash that has accumulated
Garage/Storage Shed/Hobby Areas
- Clear off your workspace
- Sort like with like
- Clearly label containers or other storage systems
- Let go of abandoned projects or finish them
- Give away unnecessary supplies/tools/gear
Kid’s Areas (do this with your kids, if possible)
- Wrangle toys/art supplies and group like items
- Give away toys/books that are outgrown (or store toys for younger kids)
- Sort/declutter clothes, and give away ones that are outgrown (or label and store for the next kid)
- Declutter old kids art/schoolwork, and/or create a storage system so it can be archived
- Create/organize a desk so that your kid can do schoolwork and knows where to store current paperwork
- Declutter backpacks
Personal Items
- Declutter your wallet
- Declutter your purse
- Declutter the contents of purses/bags/pockets not in circulation
- Declutter/organize your mementos (if you feel inspired)
- Declutter/organize your photos (if you feel inspired)
The Car
- Declutter your glove box
- Declutter your center console
- Declutter your trunk
- Declutter any other remaining clutter
- Vacuum and wipe down the interior
Basement/ Storage Areas
These areas may take longer than 10-15 minutes. If you’ve got a major clutter/organization problem in these areas, and you’re having trouble getting started, set a timer for 10-15 minutes. Start with throwing out trash and recycling. Look for obvious things to donate. Break down the decluttering/organizing process into small chunks based on what you’re storing. By setting a timer for 10-15 minutes, this will help you get started, which is often more than half the battle!
Digital World (these can be super tedious and time consuming… make sure to pace yourself instead of trying to do it all at once)
- E-Cycle old computers and phones
- Unsubscribe and delete email
- Delete unnecessary digital files
- Delete unnecessary apps off your phone
- Delete unnecessary photos
Although you may realize that some organizing projects require more time devoted to them, there is PLENTY of progress you can make just by devoting 10-15 minutes on each of these tasks. Take lots of before/after photos and focus on what you’ve accomplished. You got this!
Posted By Jean Prominski, Certified Professional Organizer
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