Does decluttering overwhelm you and you feel like you just don’t have the time? Well, you are not alone. Decluttering the entire house can be quite the task. And most of you just don’t have the time for it. Because decluttering can be quite time consuming as well.
So you procrastinate. But the thing is, procrastinating and not decluttering won’t make the clutter go away. If anything it will just keep adding up until it is too much for you to handle.
But the good news is, you don’t have to go Marie Kondo on your entire house. And Decluttering doesn’t have to be overwhelming. You can take up small decluttering tasks whenever you have the time. These decluttering tasks won’t take more than 10 minutes in a go and they make such a big impact.
So rather than thinking that you have to declutter your entire home, think about what you can achieve in the time you have at hand. And when you focus on just those 10 minutes, you will automatically be motivated and not overwhelmed by the clutter or the amount of work you have to do.
And when you do these tasks every day, you will automatically have a clutter free home. And you’d surprised by how much decluttering you can get done when you are totally focussed.
I like doing some of these decluttering tasks every morning, or whenever I have 10 minutes throughout my day. And you’d be surprised by the impact they make. So, let’s go!
Decluttering tasks to get done in 10 minutes:
The idea behind these 10 minute decluttering tasks is to make things easier for you. So whenever you have the time, pick up one of these tasks and get it done. You can keep going between these tasks throughout the week/month. And these will help you have a clutter free house without feeling like you had to spend half of your day.
#1: Kitchen counters:
Kitchen counters can get quite messy quite fast. They are a dump zone for all kinds of things. And I think your living room and kitchen are two of the most used areas in your house. And these are the two places you family spends most of their time. So they get cluttered fast.
And having clean kitchen counters can make so much difference in your kitchen.
Here are some tasks to declutter your kitchen counters:
- Take items(like keys, paper, mail etc) and put them in their right places
- Put away stuff in the fridge
- Wipe off the Kitchen counters
- Put dirty dishes in the dishwasher
- Clean out the trash
#2: Declutter the entry way:
Whether you have a mud room, or just a simple entry way, it gets cluttered really fast. It’s the place where you enter your house and it naturally becomes a drop zone for all random things.
From shoes, coats, umbrellas, keys, handbags and a lot of miscellaneous items.
So take 10 minutes to put the shoes away and declutter the clothes. Have each person take their belongings and ask them to put them in their rightful places. So everyone puts their shoes and coats etc away. If you do have a designated space in your house where everyone stores their shoes, then put them away that way.
#3:Declutter surfaces:
One of the best decluttering tips and keeping a clutter free home tips I ever got was to reduce the number of horizontal spaces you have in your house. Horizontal space collect clutter(and dust) over time. And if you do not need a bedside table, don’t keep one.
But I realise that’s not always possible. So the next best thing is to declutter them in these 10 minutes. Do declutter the night stands and top of dressers. Put away things that don’t belong. I also always give everything a wipe because dust can get accumulated really quickly.
#4: Pantry declutter:
Ever have stuff in your pantry that goes bad before you’ve had a chance to use it?
I used to have it too. And while decluttering and getting rid of all the expired food products is important, I absolutely hate wasting food.
And that’s where decluttering your pantry comes in. When you take time to declutter your pantry and re-arrange everything, you not only get rid of expired food, but you also get a very clear idea of what’s in stock.
So you don’t end up buying more of what you already have at home.
#5: Declutter a refrigerator shelf:
Your refrigerator can also get quite cluttered throughout the week. Especially if you have a big family and you do a lot of home cooked meals.
And if you do not have the time to declutter your entire fridge, you can tackle one shelf at a time. Here are all the decluttering tasks you can do to clear out your fridge:
- Throw away any leftover that are more than a couple of days old.
- Check expiry dates on salad dressings and condiments
- Throw away groceries or produce that has gone bad
- Don’t forget your frozen foods section and throw away food that’s past it’s expiry date
#6: Declutter dining table:
Our dining table accumulates all kinds of clutter ranging from books, notebooks, craft projects and supplies, mugs, keys, sunglasses and what not.
So take your 10 minutes to declutter the dining room table.
- Put away things that don’t belong there i.e craft supplies, books etc.
- Put away trash.
- If you have a centre table, evaluate whether you really love it or not. Just because it’s always been there doesn’t mean it needs to stay there. Maybe it’s becoming a hassle and maybe you don’t like it in the first place. And of that’s the case, get rid of it and let your dining table breathe.
#7: Medicine cabinet:
Declutter your medicine cabinet and throw away any medications that are past their expiry date. And make sure that you dispose them off properly according to the guidelines.
At this point, I also make a note of some over the counter medications that we should have in our home but have run out. And on my next errands day, I will make sure to restock on these.
#8: Bathroom counter:
Bathroom counters often get neglected because that’s not clutter that’s in front of our eyes all the time. So take 10 minutes to declutter the bathroom counters too. Store daily use items in a drawer and make sure that you are keeping just the bare minimum on the counter itself.
Here are some things you can declutter from your bathroom counters:
- A plant that’s dying or is already dead.
- Your curling iron or hair styling tools
- Empty bottles of products
- Face towels etc that need to be washed
#9:Linens & towels:
Linens and towels closet can get quite messy. But then it’s one of those cabinets thats super easy to organise and declutter too.
So throw away any linens that is worn off. So any linen covers that’s stained or has holes. Take a minute to decide whether you want to keep all the linens you have and throw away the ones that you don’t use anymore.
Also declutter your towels and throw away the ones that have lived their life lol. I am sure you have some towels in your closet that you have been meaning to toss. Do it now.
I also take this time to arrange everything nicely in bins, so that nothing looks cluttered.
#10: Dresser drawer:
The top drawer in my dresser is always a mess. It has an array of items ranging from scarves, watches, jewellery, shades, sometimes socks too. In short, it’s cluttered. Don’t judge me.
And if you have one of these drawers too, now is the time to declutter it.
Look for items that don’t belong there. And also for the items that do belong, make sure you arrange them in proper organisers so everything looks organised and pretty. There is nothing wrong with having a variety of items in a single drawer as long as they are in their right place and nothing looks overly cluttered.
#11: Junk drawer:
Yes, the Junk drawer. That poor drawer that stores all kinds of junk. I am sure you have one at your house too. Don’t deny it.
Ours has birthday decorations, old phone covers, unused locks and keys, batteries, notepads, our gym membership cards, some unused frames and what not.
Take 10 minutes to declutter the junk drawer.
Throw away things that you haven’t used in a while and know you won’t be using any time soon.
Just keep things that are of any use. So keep the batteries, notepads and pens etc. But I am sure you can toss off at least half of the things in this drawer. You just need to be a little brave. Come on, do it. Decluttering it every once in a while will also give you a little reminder of what’s in there because there is clearly no category to things in this drawer.
#12: Go through one drawer of clothes:
While decluttering your clothes and the entire wardrobe can seem like a herculean task, tackling one dresser drawer is not so much. So choose a dresser drawer and start decluttering. Throw away clothes that have holes in them.
Get rid of clothes that you haven’t worn in a long time because they don’t fit you anymore. They are not serving any purpose anyway. Let go of clothes that don’t fit you anymore or clothes that don’t spark any joy.
Here is my complete guide to decluttering clothes.
#13: Declutter socks:
I don’t know why but decluttering socks sounds silly. Maybe because it such a small thing. But we all have too many and it often gets neglected.
So time to tackle that sock drawer. Throw away the ones that are worn off or have holes in them.
Also throw away socks that are not a pair. I don’t know how but I am sure you have some of those too. And to think about how you lost one of the socks is beyond me. But toss away any socks that are all alone and sad.
Also consider decluttering if you have more pairs than you actually need. No one needs 3o pairs of socks. They just create a mess. So maybe you will be better off with getting rid of a few old pairs.
#14: Old cleaning supplies:
Declutter the old cleaning supplies that you have stored under your kitchen sink. Yes they have expiry dates too, after which they are of practically no use. So throw away the cleaning supplies that have expired or empty bottles of the supplies that you have already used( why do you have those anyway?)
I always get very motivated to clean the entire house and get a lot of cleaning supplies for different surfaces. But in reality all I use is a single purpose all surface cleaner lol.
So don’t waste your money on all the fancy supplies if you do the same.
I also make sure to throw away any cleaning clothes/ rags etc that are worn off and look like they’ll not “clean” but make everything dirty. Know what I mean? Yes, toss them!
There you have it. 14 decluttering tasks that you can get done in 10 minutes. Decluttering doesn’t always have to be time consuming and overwhelming. And the key is to do whatever you can in the time that you have. I hope this post gives you some ideas for your next 10 minute power declutter.
Happy Decluttering!
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