How To Declutter Quickly – 12 Ways To Declutter In 30 Minutes

10 Things To Declutter From Your Home Right Now

Want to declutter but don’t have time? Read on to learn how to declutter quickly with these 12 simple and practical tips.

Do you find it difficult to declutter because you don’t have time?

Maybe you’re a working mother who’s supporting her entire family. Or perhaps you’re a full-time student who’s also working to put yourself through college.

Either way, you don’t have room in your schedule to fit in a day specifically for decluttering.

That’s completely fine.

Sometimes decluttering can be even more productive when it’s done quickly and efficiently.

You can still declutter even if you only have 30 minutes in a day.

However, you should try to maximize your decluttering efforts by learning how to declutter quickly.

In this post, I’ll share 12 simple yet practical tips to teach you how to declutter quickly without feeling overwhelmed.

Related:

10 Things To Declutter From Your Home

12 Simple And Practical Tips – How To Declutter Quickly

1. Discard expired food, medication, and supplements

Want to declutter fast but don’t know where to begin?

Let’s start with easy decluttering tasks you don’t have to think twice about.

For example, throwing out all rotten or expired food, medication, and supplements.

I know some of us may feel guilty for wasting food hence we try to keep them for as long as possible. But, expired food attracts mold and mildew that can spread quickly.

There’s NO point keeping expired items. Not only does it take up space, but it jeopardizes your health too!

2. Toss the trash

Continue your discarding spree by tossing the trash in every area you organize.

No, I’m not referring to the trash in your bin. I’m talking about product packaging, empty product bottles, torn empty envelopes, and more.

Look out for things you may not have time to throw away when you first used or opened them.

These things tend to accumulate and they make up a big part of our everyday clutter.

You can easily get rid of them within 30 minutes!

3. Get rid of expired skincare and make-up

10 things to declutter from your home - expired skin care

Admit it, how many of us save skincare and make-up in our collection for a special occasion but NEVER use them until they expire?

I can’t believe I’m sharing this online but I still have my bronzer from 2010. Yikes!

It’s important to discard expired skincare and make-up because they may damage your skin.

As painful as it is to discard them, hoarding them isn’t going to benefit you in any way!

The good news is that you don’t have to throw everything away!

Nordstorm offers BeautyCycle, a recycling program that accepts a wide variety of empty containers that will be recycled for future reuse.

You can find collection bins in the beauty department at your local Nordstrom, Nordstrom Rack, or Nordstrom Local.

Additionally, some brands offer recycling programs where you can either exchange your empties for new products or get discounts for new products.

4. Discard broken/old electrical appliances

Do you have a bunch of broken or old electrical appliances lying around at home?

Common broken/old appliances include:

  • Cell phones
  • TVs
  • Laptops and Computers
  • Household appliances like microwaves, refrigerators, ovens, etc.

Most people keep them at home because they simply do not know how or where to dispose of them.

Here’s a quick guide on how you can dispose of your old electronics:

Cell phones

Delete all of your personal information and remove the SIM card before getting rid of your cell phone. Then you can trade in, donate, or recycle the phone at the store.

AT&T has a charity called Cell Phones For Soldiers that uses funds from recycled cell phones to help members of the military. They accept used tablets too!

TVs/Laptops/Computers

The best thing to do with your TVs, laptops, and computers is to reach out to your manufacturer or retailer to see if you can donate or trade in the device.

Household appliances

Similar to your other electronic devices, you’ll want to make sure your household appliances are recycled responsibly.

If these are still in good condition, consider donating them to your local charity or to family or friends who need them.

Contact your local department of public works when it comes to the disposal of big household appliances.

Alternatively, you can find a partner program near you via the EPA Responsible Appliance Disposal (RAD) page. Take note this is a paid service, and the cost will vary depending on your items and location.

5. Donate or recycle old clothes and linens

Other things that take up substantial space in our homes are actually in our closets.

If you want to declutter fast, you should look into gathering all of your old clothes and linens like blankets, tea towels, and more.

These are one of the most important things to declutter from your home because they are usually the first to pile up!

Here are some ideas on where to donate or recycle old fabrics:

  • Donate old clothes to your local charity like Goodwill or Salvation Army
  • Donate old linens to your local animal shelter
  • Give them away to family and friends
  • Bring them to specific brands that offer recycling programs

6. Get rid of extra clothes hangers

Besides old linens, hangers are generally bulky and therefore take up a lot of space.

First, take a look at the hangers in your closet. Get rid of the ones that are broken and rusty immediately.

If you have more hangers than clothes, give them away to family or friends or donate them to your nearest recycling center.

7. Donate or recycle freebies you don’t use

Take a look around your house. See that mug you received when you attended a wedding? Or that pen and lanyard from a work conference?

Let’s be honest. How many of us use the freebies we collect from various events?

If you’re not using them, it’s time to donate or recycle all of your freebies.

Want to curb unnecessary clutter in your home? Start rejecting useless freebies moving forward.

8. Give away old toys and games to children in need

Are your children all grown up but you’re still holding on to their toys and games?

Although these may hold a certain sentimental value to you, imagine the joy of other children who will appreciate these more!

Unless they’re classics like Monopoly and JENGA, consider giving away your old toys and games to children in need.

9. Donate or sell meaningless travel souvenirs

10 things to declutter from your home - souvenirs

At some point, all of us must have purchased meaningless souvenirs from our travels like fridge magnets and keychains.

While these trinkets may serve as reminders of your previous adventures, they are essentially just clutter.

Donate or sell these if you have too many in your home.

Next time, save your hard-earned money and skip these impulse purchases! If you want something to remember your trip by, spend it on an experience instead.

10. Throw out experimental, blurry, and duplicate print photos

It’s hard to declutter photos because they remind you of memories.

But, not all photos deserve a spot in your home.

I’m referring to your collection of duplicate, experimental, and blurry photos. Yes, the photos you took before digital cameras were a thing!

It takes time to go through sentimental clutter, but these meaningless photos can go straight into the trash.

11. Discard or donate DVDs or CDs

Remember the days when CDs and DVDs were a thing?

Thanks to Youtube, Hulu, and Netflix, I’m pretty sure most of us haven’t played a CD or DVD in years.

Unless you’re a real movie or music buff, it’s time to discard or donate your CDs and DVDs.

Here are some places to donate your CDs/DVDs:

  • Local thrift stores like Goodwill
  • Libraries
  • Charities

You can also sell them on eBay, Amazon, or Craiglist if you have time.

If you can’t fathom the thought of parting with your favorite CD, it’s OK. Like Marie Kondo says, keep the ones that spark joy!

12. Get rid of old magazines and junk mail

Newsflash: you’re never going to need old magazines and junk mail.

Don’t hoard these items as they are bulky and take up space in your home.

If you have more time, you can declutter your books and paperwork once and for all.

Otherwise, 30 minutes should be sufficient to gather and dispose of all of your old magazines and junk mail.

Frequently Asked Questions

Help, I want to keep everything! How do I start decluttering?

I get it. You are hesitant to start decluttering because you love your things.

But, decluttering isn’t about getting rid of everything you own. It doesn’t mean you’re going to become a minimalist overnight.

You can still declutter even though you love the things you own.

Decluttering allows you to keep track of all the things you have.

This is helpful because not only can you locate your stuff easily, but it helps you to save money. Say goodbye to future impulse purchases!

A good way to start decluttering is to tackle the items that have no sentimental value to you. Tips #1-7 should help you to get started.

Help, I’m feeling overwhelmed! Where do I start decluttering?

It’s normal to feel overwhelmed. Take a deep breath and tell yourself you can do this.

Don’t pressure yourself to declutter everything within a day. While it is possible, decluttering can be physically and mentally exhausting.

If you want to declutter quickly, you can do all of the above easily in a day.

Alternatively, you can try decluttering one room at a time. I recommend starting with the rooms you use the most – your bedroom, bathroom, and kitchen.

Are there any hard rules when it comes to decluttering?

These rules are not compulsory to follow, but they can help you to declutter fast (which is always a plus!):

1. Be ruthless when it comes to broken or expired items. Toss them right away.

2. Donate, sell or recycle things you haven’t used within a year. For example, appliances, clothes, books, etc.

3. Don’t rummage through donations or trash bags after decluttering. You’ve made up your mind, don’t look back.

4. Take out all trash, donation, and recycling bags immediately after each decluttering session.

5. Don’t follow the “one out, one in” rule. If you want to keep your home clutter-free at all times, you have to be intentional with the things you bring into your home.

Are there any useful tools that can help me with decluttering?

Yes! These basics will keep you covered.

I was doing so well but I got demotivated. How do you stay motivated to declutter?

Don’t feel bad! Everyone loses motivation sometimes. It’s part of being human.

First, give yourself the grace you deserve. You’ve done a good job, and maybe you just need a break.

Reading decluttering motivation tips can help you to keep going too. Don’t give up!

Conclusion

If you only have 30 minutes, these 12 steps are a great start for those of you who are learning how to declutter quickly.

Just a gentle reminder to always be environmentally and socially responsible when you declutter.

All the best and happy decluttering!

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