Declutter Your Home

If you want to sell your house or maybe you’re thinking about listing it in the next few years . . . start decluttering ASAP. 

Selling your home means staging every room, taking good photos for your listing, and having lots of interested buyers touring every inch of it. All three of those require you to have a clean and organized home. And the good news is that having a well-staged, picture perfect house requires owning LESS stuff, not more. 

I’m a decluttering enthusiast, I love getting rid of stuff. It’s actually one of my favorite things to do! And I don’t know anyone who wouldn’t benefit from donating a few bags of unused dusty stuff to Goodwill. It can be a lot of work, but I have some really great advice to share with you on how to declutter your home without buying a thing. 

Most people who have a lot of stuff think that their home is too small and don’t start decluttering until they start looking for a bigger house. But in my experience, after sellers purge and organize their home, they say “If my house looked like this when I lived here, I would have stayed!”

Your house most likely isn’t too small. It might be, but you probably just have way too much stuff. When every closet and drawer are already overflowing, no wonder you can’t find a home for anything new you buy! But before you think you need a bigger house with more square footage, I highly recommend doing some serious decluttering.

My Best Tip to You:

Declutter Early and Often.

Our family has no plans on moving anytime soon, but if we did, I could have my house listed TODAY. I would only need about 30 minutes to get it ready for photos because I’m constantly decluttering. I’m not trying to brag and I’m by no means a minimalist, but I am a big believer in the fact that you get to live MORE when you have LESS stuff. 

This doesn’t mean that I don’t love to go shopping for new things. I’ll be the first to admit that I’ve bought a dozen coffee makers in the last 5 years (maybe even more) because I’m VERY picky about my coffee! Is that a lot of coffee makers? Yes, but I don’t currently have a dozen coffee makers in my home. Because I have a habit of decluttering early and often.

When I find myself at a coffee shop more than my kitchen counter, then I know I’m itching for something new. I don’t force myself to hang onto a coffee pot I don’t like just because I spent money on it.  Once anything I’ve bought isn’t useful or enjoyable anymore, I sell it on marketplace, donate it, or give it to a friend. 

Holding onto it doesn’t save you money. That money was gone the minute you bought it. Don’t beat yourself up for changing your mind. The coffee pot, pair of shoes, bicycle, etc was  the right thing for the right moment. Things always change. It’s okay to let it go and move onto the thing that you need now. 

I always tell people that if you haven’t used it in a year, get rid of it. If an entire twelve months have passed and that thing still hasn’t been touched . . . then you know it’s time to say goodbye. Especially if it’s something that would be affordable to replace in the future. 

Life is way less complicated when you have fewer things to manage. The more stuff you own, the more stuff owns you. Even if you aren’t selling your house, I highly recommend pursuing a simpler life at home.

Here are 5 Areas You Can Start Decluttering Today. 

HOLIDAY DECORATIONS: 

If it’s been a year (or a few) and you haven’t even glanced at that bin labeled “Halloween” or “Christmas”, then it’s probably time to go through them and purge some stuff. I’m not saying not to buy decorations, but I am saying that if you buy a pink Christmas tree, three years from now you’re probably not going to want to own a pink Christmas tree anymore. 

Following new trends means you’re going to want to change your style every year or two—which is fine as long as you’re letting go of the old decor as you bring new items into your home. 

I’ve done a lot of holiday decor shopping, and what I’ve learned is that it’s best to keep things simple when decorating. Go for the white string lights. Classic never goes out of style, and when you move to a new home, you can easily buy more if you need to without having to start over fresh.

SMALL KITCHEN APPLIANCES:

Owning a donut maker or ice cream machine sure sounded like a great idea when you bought them, but once you put them in your cabinet you probably never pulled them out again (or you did for a while and now they’re retired). It’s okay to purchase something, not use it, and then get rid of it once it’s taking up space.

Our family had a waffle maker for every season at one point and they just sat in a cabinet all year long, cluttering up our kitchen. After purging the things we used once a year or never used, it practically felt like we got a brand new kitchen with all the space it freed up. 

TECHNOLOGY:

If you have a bin full of miscellaneous cords, a stack of vintage VHS tapes, or old TVs and laptops laying around, let's face the facts. You’re probably never going to use these things. They’re just taking up space.

You probably won’t even look for that random cord in the place it's in when you need it. Chances are you’ll just order it from Amazon. Do yourself a favor and get rid of things that can be replaced for under $20 and found easily online.

If you’re worried about throwing money away by donating something that might be valuable, sell your things on Ebay. And if you’re like me and that feels like too much work, just think about what a thrill it will be for someone to get a sweet deal on your stuff when they’re shopping at the thrift store.

KIDS TOYS:

When my daughter outgrows a toy or simply doesn't play with it anymore, I get it out of the house. If we go to a birthday party or an event that sends us home with a goodie bag, those trinkets might stick around for a week . . . tops! If she’s playing with something, I’m happy to keep it. But I’m not shimmying a clutter pile around my kitchen counter just because.

There’s always a holiday, birthday, or reason to get some shiny new kids toy. For me, this actually makes it easier to get rid of things guilt free. Even if I mistakenly get rid of something, another toy will be making an appearance soon.

Before you feel bad for my daughter and imagine me throwing away all her toys, know this—there is no shortage of fun in our house. But instead of spending our weekends cleaning the house, we get to relax and go on adventures. And that’s better than any amount of clutter!

PANTRY AND FRIDGE:

In case this needs to be said—you don’t need that can of chicken noodle soup that’s been in your pantry since 2009. Whether you’re selling your home or just making it nicer to live in, it’s time to get rid of the expired condiments and already opened box of pasta. 

And one thing that’s for sure if you are selling your house is that buyers will open your fridge, pantry, and all your closet doors. Anyone who tells you they won’t is just trying to be nice, but it’s simply not true. So start trashing the easy stuff like that mushy banana in the back of your fridge now. You’ll be so glad you did!

Less Clutter = More Living

There are so many benefits of decluttering even if you’re not selling your home. Less stuff equals more time to do what you want. Clutter costs you time and money. It sucks the fun out of your weekends because you spend so much time cleaning, organizing, and maintaining all of the things that you own. And it just makes life feel chaotic.

The goal of decluttering isn’t to create a stark and empty space. It’s about creating more freedom and fun in your life. Decluttering lets you live in a home that’s filled with items that have purpose and bring you peace. 

I do a deep purge on my house about once a month, but I am constantly decluttering all the little things that manage to quickly add up in my home. I love the feeling after decluttering when everything feels fresh and simple . . . like I can breathe again.

Whether You’re Staying or Moving, Upsizing or Downsizing . . . Declutter Your Home. 

If you start decluttering your home now and you want to sell your house in a year or two, it won’t be nearly as overwhelming as trying to pack up and prep every room for photos at the last minute. Plus, you get to live in an organized home that you can enjoy! 



If you’re overwhelmed, don’t know where to start, or have a hard time getting rid of stuff, let me guide you through the entire process of getting your house ready to show and sell.