Declutter lists can give us super helpful tips on what things to declutter right now when we don’t know where to start decluttering.
But lots of declutter checklists – I have found over and over again – actually make things worse because they are full of things to declutter that we are not yet ready to let go.
If we get stuck on the first item on the declutter list – umming and ahing about needing it in the future or feeling sentimental or guilty for never using – it doesn’t help.
So this declutter list is different because it is full of all the things that we are all ready to declutter right now, today.
If you want to start decluttering immediately head straight to the declutter checklist below.
Or read on to understand why this declutter list will help you succeed at decluttering even if you failed before.
Things To Declutter In Your Home Right Now, Today
All of our homes are full of things to declutter right now that there really is no reason to keep.
They are all the run out, expired, broken & un-mendable, inedible, unusable, dried up, gunged up, torn to shreds, full of holes, worthless, outgrown, leaking, dull beyond words things hiding in plain sight all around our homes.
Once we open our eyes to them, there’s lots more of these crazy items than we think and this declutter checklist has 250 of them for you.
Decluttering these things now will clear instant space.
But this declutter list does something more powerful than that, because it gives us the help we need to move onto the things we need to declutter next which will be trickier.
Things To Declutter Next
For the most of us – whatever Marie Kondo says – decluttering is a marathon not a sprint.
Many of us have thousands of things to declutter that we truly will be much happier without.
It is much easier – I promise you – to declutter the bigger things we have complicated feelings about if we’ve practised decluttering on all the tiny, no regrets items first because very simply : the more often we declutter the easier it becomes.
So use this declutter list to start practising on the crazy little things and turn decluttering into a habit you can follow quickly and easily week in, week out to tackle your trickier clutter in the future.
How To Use This Checklist
I successfully decluttered thousands of items from my home using two amazing declutter methods:
Both declutter methods turn decluttering into a simple habit for letting go of things will will be happier without:
But the Just 10 Things method is brilliant if you’re feeling physically overwhelmed and anxious about all the things you need to declutter.
Whilst the Power Purge method is super helpful if you are a high energy, get things done now type of person who usually creates an even bigger mess when trying declutter!!
Have a read through the two declutter methods and use the one that suits you best to work through the declutter checklist. Obviously, you can start at the top or use the index below to help you find a good place to start decluttering.
The Declutter Checklist
Table of Contents
Things To Declutter In Your Purse & Handbag
- Old unneeded receipts
- Ticket stubs
- Old planners
- Expired credit cards
- Expired membership cards
- Expired discount cards and vouchers
- Store reward cards you don’t use
- Unknown keys
- Keys for old locks
Things To Declutter In Your Makeup Bag
- Dried up nail polish
- Nail polish you haven’t worn in 2 years
- Foundation bottles you’ve been trying to get last bit out of for last 6 months
- Multiple half used emery boards you’ve had on the go for god knows how long
- Lipstick you never did like the colour of – what was I thinking?
- Multiple hairbrushes
- Multiple tweezers
- Perfume open for over 5 years – I’ve had this bottle on the go for ages. It was lovely – but years later, not so much!
- Perfume that just smells bad!
- Gunged up mascara
- Make up samples you’ve been meaning to try since whenever – and haven’t!
- Some fancy concealer you got suckered into spending a fortune on but never use – in fact truth be told you’re not quite sure what you’re meant to do with it!
- Make up brushes you never even used when you actually had more than 6 seconds every morning to slap your war paint on
- Old eye shadow you’ve had on the go since college
- Blusher that is great if you want to look like a circus clown but otherwise not so good!
Paper Items To Declutter
- Old bus, train & plane tickets
- Old theatre & cinema tickets
- Blurred out of focus photos
- Junk mail
- Old birthday cards
- Old calendars
- Old diaries
- Magazines
- Newspapers
- Finished notebooks
- Out of date letters
- Take away menus
- Product guarantees for stuff you no longer have
- Electronics manuals – they’re all online
- Manuals for putting furniture together
- Paper bags
- Expired contracts (older than 7 years)
- Old party invitations
- Old wedding invitations
- Old sponsor forms
- Theatre programmes
- Sports programmes
- Save the date cards
- Parcel collect cards
Books To Declutter Now
- Cookery books you haven’t opened in 5 years – however good they may be, you can always copy out the one or two favourites you don’t want to lose
- Old guide books
- Books you never finished you hated so much
- Books you wouldn’t read even if it was the only book in the house!
- Books that have totally fallen to pieces
- Out of date reference books
- Books for hobbies you no longer follow
- Finished puzzle books
- Out of date maps
- Out of date timetables
- Telephone directories
- Old brochures
- Old catalogues
Clothing Items To Declutter
- Gloves missing their pair
- Gloves with holes in
- Shrunken jumpers
- T-shirts the moths have eaten
- Woolies the moths have eaten
- Jeans so torn they cannot be patched
- Horrid promo t-shirts
- Horrid promo caps
- Bags with holes in
- Multiple caps
- Old spectacles
- Scratched sun glasses
- Broken umbrellas
- Clothes with stains you cannot shift
- Waterproofs no longer waterproof
- Hand me downs you never really wanted
- Clothes with broken zips you cannot mend
- Broken belts
- Stretch clothes that have lost their stretch
- Old rags
Underwear To Declutter Now
- Odd socks
- Bras with underwire poking through
- Knickers you would not wear on a bad day
- Socks with holes in – unless you can darn well
- Tights with ladders in
- Underwear you sent grey and cannot rescue
- Your fave knickers you have had so long they have got holes in!
- Old torn pyjamas
- Old bras with no lift
Shoes To Declutter Now
- Shoes best cobbler in world cannot mend
- Shoes you will never squeeze into again – who knew your feet grew when you’re pregnant!?
- Sneakers/trainers with holes in
- Multiple flip flops
- Odd shoes
- Snapped shoes laces
Bathroom Items To Declutter
- 50 different miracle foot scrubbers used for precisely 3 days each to no effect!!
- Old toothbrushes
- Expired medicines … you can just drop them off at your local pharmacy or chemist …
- Soap, shower gel, shampoo and conditioner you have had for ages and NEVER use
- Body lotions you have had on the go for years – however expensive!
- Fancy face creams you spent a fortune on that bring you out in a rash
- Grotty bathroom sponges
- Mouldy bath toys
- Hand creams you hate the smell of
- Tatty hair bobbles
- Product samples
- Worn stained towels
- Gungy wash bags you cannot get clean
- Aftershave open more than 3 years
- Bubble bath open more than 12 months
- Broken hair clips
- Blunt razors and razor blades
- Ancient sun cream that you can’t even remember when you bought
- Stinky bath mats that still smell after a wash
- Bottles of stuff long since finished with one drop of stuff in you’ve been meaning to get out
Cleaning Items To Declutter
- All those cleaning products under your kitchen and bathroom sinks you bought ages ago and never opened or barely used in years
- Vacuum cleaner fittings that don’t fit your cleaner
- Old air sprays
- Old mops
- Old dusters in holes
- Dried up shoe polish
- Fancy shoe polish you got suckered into buying and never used
- Shoe polish in colours you don’t have shoes in
Food Items To Declutter
- Expired packets & cans of food … I convinced myself I would cook with these supposed super foods and just don’t …
- Soon to expire, unopened packets & cans that can go to a food bank
- Expired spices
- Expired flour and baking ingredients
- Expired sweets and chocolates – yep it does happen!
- Expired sauces lurking in the fridge
- Bottles with a tiny bit left you haven’t used up in 12 months
- Old cooking oil
- Stuff in freezer you know you will never eat
- Fancy teas you never drink
- Bottles of fancy oils you are NEVER going to cook with
- Fancy spirits and liquers you’ve had for years and are never going to drink
Kids Things To Declutter
- Kids artwork and crafts – I find this one hard but you can’t keep it all!
- Old school work
- Out of date school letters and forms
- I’m all for making clothes last but when they really, really, really don’t fit!
- Rain boots and wellies 5 sizes smaller than the feet of anyone in your home
- Old school shoes from 3 years back
- Fancy dress clothes they can’t fit an arm in
- Old swim stuff and swim aids kids no longer need
Toys & Sports Items To Declutter
- Electronic toys that don’t work even with new batteries
- Broken plastic tat from party bags
- Packs of cards with cards missing
- Games with essential pieces missing
- Finished colouring books
- Finished sticker books
- Video games for consoles that don’t work
- Old party balloons
- Mouldy soft toys
- Broken buckets
- Broken spades
- Broken sports racquets
- Balls with punctures
- Inflatables with unmendable punctures
- Broken inflatable pumps
Kitchen Items To Declutter
- Broken gadgets you haven’t used in 5 years
- Cracked crockery you haven’t mended in 5 years … I love this old china but it’s been sitting in this basket waiting to be mended for too long …
- Food mixer fittings for food mixers you no longer own
- Match boxes: if – like me – you’ve got 10 on the go, consolidate & ditch empty boxes
- Multiple aprons
- Multiple corkscrews
- Multiple teatowels
- Pan lids you never use
- Pans with missing handles
- Saucers with missing cups
- Coffee mugs you hate
- Empty jars you are never going to use
- Tub lids minus their tubs
- Cracked mixing bowls
- Broken pegs
- Teapots missing their lid
- Cracked glasses
- Odd cutlery
- Mouldy lunch bags
- Can openers etc that don’t work
- Fancy peelers, crushers and slicers you never use
- Old chopsticks from takeaways
- Water bottles missing their tops
- Left over party stuff
- Rusty seives
- Damaged non-stick ware
Stationary Items To Declutter
- Finished glue sticks
- Run out biros
- Run out felt tips and markers
- Scrumpled up bits of wrapping paper
- Old washi tape reels
- Old sellotape reels
- Broken staplers
- Broken hole punchers
- Really rubbish pencil sharpeners that break the pencil points
- Grubby old ends of crayons
- Stickers that don’t stick to anything
- Old bubble wrap
- Old used envelopes
- Broken ring binders
- Broken document boxes
- Leaking pens
Electronic Items To Declutter
- Dead batteries
- Broken watches – sadly most now not mendable
- Bulbs that don’t fit any lights you have
- Camera fittings for cameras long since gone
- Multiple torches
- Old broken cameras
- Old bulbs
- Old mobile phones
- Tapes, videos and vinyl you can no longer play
- Old phone chargers
- Old back up devices
- Scratched DVDs
- CDs you never listen to
- Old cables for broken electronics
- Old cables for electronics you no longer have
- Cracked phone cases
- Old software CDs
Things To Declutter In Your Bedroom
- Bed linen with tears you cannot mend
- Duvet covers that don’t fit any duvet you own
- Hair drier fittings for hair driers you no longer own
- Pillow slips that don’t fit any pillows you own
- Sheets you never use with stains that just won’t budge
- Smelly candles you haven’t lit in 5 years
- Old dusty pot pouri that doesn’t smell of anything good
- Old shoe boxes
- Old jewellery boxes
- Broken alarm clocks
- Grotty pillows under your bed that aren’t worth a trip to the laundrette
- Grotty duvets under your bed that aren’t worth a trip to the laundrette
- Nasty plastic shop coat hangers jamming up your wardrobe
Christmas Items To Declutter
- Broken Christmas lights
- Broken Christmas baubles
- Tatty decorations you never put up – I love our home made Christmas decorations but these are just scruffy …
- Christmas cracker contents
- Old gift tags
- Tatty gift bows and ribbons
- Old Christmas cards
DIY Things To Declutter
- Dried up paint
- Paint you won’t use again
- Left over DIY stuff you will never use
- Broken tools
Jewellery To Declutter Now
- Odd earrings
- Snapped chains you can’t mend
- Tarnished jewellery you can’t clean
- Rusty jewellery
- Necklaces and bracelets with broken clasps you can’t mend
Things To Declutter In The Living Room
- Dead plants
- Dusty dried flowers
- Broken vases
- Unused picture frames
- Broken light fittings you can’t mend
- Ornaments you’ve always hated
- Broken ornaments you are never going to mend
- Cushion pads you’re not using
- Cushion covers with stains you can’t shift
Things To Declutter In The Garden
- Broken plant pots
- Old seed packets
- Rusty tools you can’t clean
- Broken tools you can’t mend
- Broken deck chairs
- Old pet toys
Jacqueline says
I’m so grateful for these decluttering ideas, I just don’t know what’s going on with me. I’ll declutter the main room that causes me a the most panic. After I’m done. The feeling is so great. But after 2or3 days, its worse than ever
What am I doing wrong? Please Help me
Alice says
I know the feeling Jacqueline! I’ve really switched from big purges to little and often – doing 5 minutes every single day, including religiously emptying all the bins in the house. Then one or two small 30 minute projects a week. I’ve managed to let go of so much more stuff this way and it really transformed decluttering into a way of living rather than a short term fix.
Christine says
Thank you so much for this article. I was recently told that I have obsessive personality disorder- which is actually helping me understand that my perfectionism, is related to how much ‘stuff’ I have; and since I can’t get out from underneath the clutter to manage everyday items – clothes, shoes, dishes. I am frequently hunting for something.
But your concrete format appeals to my need for g vexactness while allowing me to purge at the same time. Thanks so much.
Jackie says
We are moving across the country in a couple of months. We don’t want to pay to move stuff that has been sitting in our crawl space for 12 years. Most of the items listed I have recently purged in the last month but that was from a very concentrated huge effort. I like this small systematic approach and agree that it makes the process easier and sustainable. This will be my new mantra. And keeping my husband from buying new “stuff” will ensure that we don’t end up with a new house “full of stuff that will sit in a crawl space for 12 years”.
I also think that doing small amounts on a regular basis will keep his accumulation at bay. Oh boys and their toys!
Bonnie says
I’ve found it easy to declutter most of what is on your list. My problem is getting rid if things that are sentimental, whether I use them or not! My Mom left me 3 sets of antique dishes, added to my 3 sets. Who needs six sets of dishes? Her jewelry and watches I’ll never wear, but can’t part with. Every piece of artwork my daughter made and she’s 19! How can I get past the sentimental value and see it for what it is?
Alice says
I really hear you Bonnie – I’m a dreadful sentimental hoarder. I had all my letters and bits and bobs going back for ever plus loads of stuff passed all the way down from my great granny! And yep ALL my daughter’s art work. The thing that has really helped me is a memory journal – it’s not a diary but like a bullet journal in which I can capture memories of people and places and years. I haven’t had a chance yet to share how it works but it is really helping me edit sentimental stuff down to a lovely small collection I can enjoy and pass on.
Sharon says
Hi. I am also in process of de cluttering. I started by getting an expansion hard drive for the laptop. I am scanning papers then shredding them. I have also scanned my daughters art work. I have them safe on pc hard drive so if they got damaged I won’t worry. I am slowly clearing bags of shredded aper every month.. MYbe this idea will help you keep a scanned copy of your draughts work when the original is not needed anymore.
Laura says
Can you let your daughter go trough her own artwork and do the selection for what to keep and what to toss? She is grown up now and will see them more clearly. It would also offer a lesson for her.
Jan says
These are really good ideas. I look forward to trying them myself. I appreciate the list of things to get rid of. I’ve noticed several that I can get rid of today.
Alice says
So glad you liked them Jan – it’s amazing how many little things sneak in but also how easy it is to let them once we get started. Good luck with the decluttering.
Karen says
Hi Alice,
I enjoyed your post on 250 Things You’ll Be Happier Without. I ran across your blog on Pinterest. One thing I might add for those of your readers that are sentimental about children’s art work, is to snap a picture of the pieces and then condense the pictures into a photo book. Many sites will even offer this service for free! Check out Free Prints.com
I’m working on several different albums now and even clearing storage space on my phone in the process!Win! Win!
Nancy Dillow says
Your whole message is about decluttering as you see something that need to go away right now. Well, I wish I had had the courage to do that a long time ago. I am downsizing from a 2-story 2094sf house to a 1375sf 1-story. What an eye opener that is! As I box stuff up, I am appalled to see the stuff (use any other appropriate word for junk) that was just “there” As I got into it, I found that I had to make an almost daily run to Good Will, the Salvation Army and another thrift shop near my subdivision. Let us not even mention how many full trash cans there were!! I am now researching on Pinterest for all of the ways I can use or recycle what I have chosen to keep. I had almost convinced myself that I could that that old armoire that I really didn’t like and repurpose it for my craft room. Nope, Good Will got it! Thanks for all the hints that we can all take advantage of.
Emily Aagaard says
Amazing list! Now I just need to find time to clean and declutter all of my things! Thanks for sharing!
Emily Aagaard // https://www.emilyaagaard.com
Jean Arthur says
I came across your website whilst Googling. I like your format. It seems easier to use than others that tell you to take everything out of each room, and put back only what you think you need. Your easy to follow list made me smile as I strolled through it. It is something I can tackle and follow do a bit everyday as I come across the items or to spend 5 or 10 minutes in one area. Thank you!
Alice says
I do hope it helps Jean – it definitely helped to stop me feeling so overwhelmed. And after clearing lots of little things this way I found it much easier to let go of some really big stuff.
Elizabeth says
This is wonderful! Practical, informative and easy to follow- Thank you!
Alice says
So glad it helped Elizabeth – do let me know how you get on with your decluttering, Alice