Sixteen 5-Minute Decluttering Tasks You Can Do Today
You want to clear the clutter all over your house. You might be thinking of a clean and organized home for a long time.
Lack of time and motivation can make you put off the decluttering tasks. Yes, I feel you. I’ve been there. One of the most difficult parts of decluttering is how to get started with the mess.
Getting rid of clutter in your entire house can be overwhelming if you don’t have a plan.
You may not know how or where to start decluttering when there’s too much stuff around the house, in every room and corner.
I have a post that talked about how to declutter when you’re overwhelmed by a messy house. It shows you how to clear the clutter with a step-by-step decluttering plan of action that you can follow.
Decluttering your home is not as hard as you think. I’ve always encouraged friends to break a giant decluttering project into bite-sized portions.
Start small with 5 minutes at a time. Tackling your clutter in under five minutes a day doesn’t sound like much, but little things add up.
Today, I’m going to share a declutter list with you. Each of these quick decluttering tasks will only take you 5 minutes.
Taking baby steps to declutter your home is one of the clutter-clearing strategies.
The daily 5-minute decluttering work makes you feel instantly better and a sense of achievement that will motivate you to keep decluttering.
If you have another 10 minutes or feel like doing more, I have a 30-day declutter challenge for you. Grab the free printable decluttering checklist to remove the clutter in 15 minutes a day.
This post contains affiliate links, to find out more information, please read my disclaimer.
The 5-minute declutter// Baby steps to a clutter-free home
1. Keep kitchen counters clear
Clear off your countertops so that you’ll have more free space to cook.
Put away anything that you rarely use. Rarely used small appliances such as my blender are stored in the kitchen cabinet.
All things that do not belong to the kitchen counters need to go. Put dirty dishes in the sink or the dishwasher.
If you’ve got an extra 10 minutes of free time, declutter the piles of papers. Many people tend to have some sort of mail and paper clutter on kitchen counters. School papers, work papers, bills, books, etc.
Remove decorations from the countertops or keep decorations to a minimum. This helps you wipe counters easily and your kitchen will look less cluttered.
2. Throw away paper junk mail and flyers
Get rid of any papers you do not need. Recycle junk mail, unwanted catalogs, and flyers. Sort through the mail and shred papers you no longer need.
Keep the important papers that need to be actioned in a pending folder. These papers might be a bill you need to pay, a letter that needs to be responded to, a document you need to file, etc. Schedule a time to tackle all these papers.
Create a home command center to keep your clutter at bay.
Related Home Organizing posts:
7 Minimalist Home Organization Tips that Will Simplify Your Life
5 Easy Ways to Simplify Your Home
3. Declutter one kitchen cabinet
Declutter 10 items from a kitchen cabinet. Donate the excess or unused items like coffee mugs, Tupperware, kitchen gadgets, dishware, and baking ware. Purge any chipped or broken items as well.
4. Declutter one kitchen drawer
Get rid of 10 duplicates or excess items from a kitchen drawer. You don’t need 3 can openers or 2 whisks. You’ll find them stored in your drawer and you didn’t even use them for years. They just clutter your space.
5. Declutter under the kitchen sink
Most people keep their cleaning supplies under the sink. From time to time, you keep buying multiples regularly and rarely use them.
Now, purge anything that you haven’t used in a year. Stop buying new cleaning stuff until you use them all.
Keep cleaning supplies organized in a cleaning caddy under the sink for easy accessibility. With an extendable duster, you can clean your home from top to bottom easily and quickly.
6. Declutter condiments
Toss the expired condiments and salad dressings in your refrigerator. Also, check the bottles that are opened but have not been in use for a while. If odd colors or textures happen, throw them away.
7. Clean out a junk drawer
A junk drawer can easily become a clutter magnet after some time. We’re tempted to put all those little things there. Take them out of the drawer and check if you still need them.
Know the purpose of your junk drawer and only keep the things you use.
Purge the broken items. Purge all those old batteries, dried-out pens, cords, and charging cables of the gadgets you no longer use. Throw out take-out menus (you can easily find them online), expired coupons, etc.
Related Decluttering Tips:
12 Decluttering Methods When You Have Too Much Stuff
100 Easy Things to Get Rid of Right Now
7 Areas to Declutter Before Christmas
8. Declutter a bookshelf
One shelf at a time. Declutter the books that you’ll never read again.
You don’t want to see the books on your shelf, collecting dust with nobody reading them. Give them away to your friends who would enjoy them.
Declutter other shelves if you’ve got extra time. Make your bookshelves look neat and more functional and you will be able to find the books that you want to read.
9. Declutter a nightstand
Declutter your nightstand or bedside table. Clear off the top of your nightstand and the drawer as well.
Limit the things on the surface and only keep the essentials such as a bedside light and an alarm clock. etc.
Use a drawer organizer to keep your things in place.
If your bedside table doesn’t have a drawer, add a small decorative tray on top and put your lip balm, hand lotion, watch, etc. into it. This will keep things neat and organized.
10. Clear out makeup and toiletries
Unused beauty products take up space. It’s time to remove them from your makeup collection.
Have you noticed the shelf life of cosmetics? Check your beauty vanity to discard all the expired makeup products.
It’s dangerous to use expired beauty products as bacteria build up and can lead to breakouts or infections.
Unopened sealed makeup stored in a dry, cool space usually lasts for 2 to 3 years. Check it out before giving it away. It’s a health issue that no one wants to risk.
11. Clean out a closet
Declutter 10 items of clothing from your closet. Get rid of the clothes you don’t wear anymore. Donate any pieces that you do not fit or do not love.
Do you have extra time? Declutter 10 more items from one of your dresser drawers.
12. Declutter your bedroom floor
Pick things up from the floor. These things might be dirty clothes, papers, books, trash, etc. Put them back in their proper places.
Once the floor clutter is cleared, your room will look bigger and more comfortable to relax in.
Declutter the floors in other areas if you’ve more time.
13. Digital declutter
Delete unused and unwanted apps from your smartphone.
Clear out the Downloads folder. Delete any files that you no longer need.
A pileup of old and unwanted files can take up your storage. Save the files you want to keep to the cloud so that you can easily access them from anywhere and easily share them with family, friends, and coworkers.
14. Declutter your wallet
Keep your wallet simple. Get rid of the random papers, old receipts, and business cards you no longer need.
You do not need to carry all your loyalty cards. Use an App like Stocard to store your loyalty cards in one free app.
Only keep one or two credit cards in your wallet that allow you to get points to earn rewards. Leave other credit cards at home.
Don’t carry too many coins. I keep coins in a separate pouch with small cash like $5 and $10 banknotes. Every time I buy coffee or those little things, I take out my coin pouch to pay.
15. Declutter toys
Purge the broken toys. This includes any toys that are broken or have missing parts.
Purge the old toys your children have outgrown or no longer play with. Donate those toys to charity so that other children can enjoy them.
16. Declutter the medicine cabinet
Discard any expired and unwanted medications. This includes prescription drugs and over-the-counter medications.
Don’t forget those outdated eye drops, ear drops, creams, and ointments. They can be harmful to your health.
Final Thoughts
Taking small steps to declutter your home each day is always less overwhelming. Declutter a little at a time each day to make progress. Starting decluttering with the above 5-minute tasks will give you a quick win and help motivate you to keep decluttering the entire home. Just begin and celebrate every little success.
Decluttering Habits and Minimalist Living Tips:
How to Get Motivated to Declutter Your Home
7 Big Decluttering Mistakes To Avoid
