Really, it only takes a little bit of time to truly declutter your home and believe me, it is SO worth it! One of the things I love is having a clean, organized and uncluttered home! I will admit sometimes I am a bit of a pack-rat, and so are my children. But a few times a year we go through our home and purge it so that it is truly decluttered and junk-free! And it feels so good when it is done!
1 hour + 7 days to Declutter Your Home is all it takes!
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But sometimes, purging feels overwhelming. Sometimes it feels like you don't have enough time or energy to complete it. So today I am breaking it down for you so that you can truly declutter your whole home in about an hour a day, for only seven days! Really! And in a week, you will have a home that is clear of clutter, clear of excess and only filled with things that are useful or special.
If you follow this to have a decluttered home, your home will NOT look like this...
Promise! Unless you get so wrapped up in decluttering that you forget to clean...but please don't do that! Please oh please don't do that! Ha!
Anyway...
I have taught classes before on how to purge and declutter and it all really breaks down to a few simple rules.
Yes, there are popular books about decluttering out right now like this one here (I haven't read it but have heard good things about it.) But really, it all comes down to the same basic principles that I have been helping others with for years! So keep reading to learn more about how to truly declutter your home in about a week!
The 5 Rules to Declutter Your Home
- If you haven't used it in the last year, donate or toss it.
- If you don't love it, donate or toss it.
- If it doesn't have sentimental value to you and you don't use or love it, donate or toss it.
- If it has sentimental value, even if you don't love it or you haven't used it, you can keep it. IF you have a place to put it.
- Everything. EVERYTHING. Needs to have a home. A place. If it doesn't have a home, find a home, donate it or toss it.
That's it. Those are the rules! It's that simple!
So today I am sharing this really cute decluttering printable! It tells you exactly what to do every day for 7 days to truly declutter your home! In every space, you go through, keep the 5 Rules to Declutter Your Home in mind.
As you are going through the spaces, I like to have 3 bins (or bags) handy.
The 3 Container Decluttering Method
- One container to Donate
- One container to Throw Away
- One container to Think About
Everything else you encounter that you plan to keep gets put in it's home right away.
These bins are fairly self-explanatory. The donate bin is for things you will donate to your local donation store. Things to throw away are things that are not in good enough condition to donate.
But the "to think about" bin...this is the bin where you put the things that you aren't quite sure if you are ready to part with. Purging is hard! Psychologically we are attached to our stuff, and sometimes it is really hard to get rid of things even if they don't have sentimental value. That is why you need a "think about it" bin.
My rule is this, you can have a bin of items to think about. Close the bin and put it in the garage or the back of a closet. In 6 months if you haven't used it or missed it, just go ahead and toss the entire bin! I promise you won't even know it's gone!
Ok. So. To recap. In order to begin to declutter your home you need:
- 1 hour +/- every day for 7 days
- 3 bins
- The 5 rules to decluttering your home
- My Printable
See, it's really pretty easy!
Every day, follow my printable and work on decluttering the stated rooms in your home. Some rooms will be fast, but others may take a bit longer. If you work quickly, you should be able to go through every room in your home in 1 hour or less, but be prepared for some rooms to possibly take a little bit longer (like my garage for example!). But that's ok because other rooms (like my living room) will only take 10 minutes in my home.
And isn't it just the cutest printable every? Courtney from Paperelli joined forces with me to put my ideas in a beautiful checklist format for you to easily use and to help you have a decluttered home in no time! And I just love how it turned out!
[ss-signup design_id="297256" ]
And did I mention, I am participating in a HUGE Ultimate Cleaning and Organizing Resource extravaganza this week! Woot woot! Click on the links below to get all the tips you need for a clean and organized home! These are some of the best ideas out there, you won't want to miss any of them!
Check out these great cleaning and organizing ideas:
SUNDAY - CLEAN AND ORGANIZATION PRINTABLES
Domestically Speaking | Simply Designing | Hymns and Verses
Fresh Idea Studio | Decor Adventures
MONDAY - CLEANING TIPS & RECIPES
Refresh Restyle | Cupcakes and Crinoline | Stone Gable
What Meegan Makes | My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia
TUESDAY - KITCHEN ORGANIZATION AND DIY PROJECTS
Postcards from the Ridge | H2O Bungalow
Yesterday on Tuesday | Inspiration for Moms
WEDNESDAY - BATHROOM ORGANIZATION AND DIY PROJECTS
Petticoat Junktion | Redhead Can Decorate
The Silly Pearl | Cleverly Inspired
THURSDAY - LAUNDRY ROOM ORGANIZATION AND DIY PROJECTS
The Interior Frugalista | Setting for Four
FRIDAY - PANTRY & LINEN CLOSET ORGANIZATION AND DIY PROJECTS
Dukes and Duchesses | Organized Island
Occasionally Craft | Organize and Decorate Everything
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Marie from The Interior Frugalista
Ashley, I like how you've broken down each room by day. As a trained Professional Organizer, you offer some great tips in here! Finding a HOME for things is key to keeping a space organized.
Kit O'Brien
Just an FYI you have a small typo on Day 5 of your printout top instead of stop. I thought the printable was very helpful thank you.
Ashley Phipps
Ah thanks for letting me know! I will get that fixed!
kristin
Oh I need this, thank you so much, once christmas comes down and I"m going to start on this, thank you, pinned!
Doreen @ Hymns and Verses
Great tips and love the printable! Pinning!
Jessica @ Decor Adventures
7 days! This means anyone can do this. Great tips Ashley and I love the printable!
Raquel
I love the printable! Great tips too and the one that resonates with me is that everything needs a home so that you can find it when you need it!
Mary Beth|Cupcakes and Crinoline
I really like the idea of breaking the process down into something manageable. I tend to go head long into projects (no matter what they are) and then burn out halfway through. Thanks for sharing!
Morgan @ Morgan Manages Mommyhood
This is amazing! Thank you so much for sharing this! Even though we have a small house and try to keep 'stuff' to a minimum, somehow it always builds up!
Meegan
Fabulous organization. I definitely need this. Printing it off now...
Happy New Year.
xoxo
Therese
That is the cutest printable Ashley! Especially because now I feel even more motivated to tackle our clutter! Happy twenty16!
Angie @ Postcards from the Ridge
Great tips for purging and decluttering and we've got a lot of that going on here! Thanks for the cute printable!
Wendi @ H2OBungalow
These tips are perfect! We live in a small home and downsized dramatically. We live by the rules you shared, they keep my sanity!
Malia
Thanks for the cool printable! I am so on board with this! I have been on a mission to purge everything. Today the Salvation Army picked up 7 bags... it felt awesome! Pinning!
Laura from Inspiration for Moms
These are such great tips! My home needs this printable! Pinning!
Julie
I love that photo of the kitchen! And ours gets like that soooo fast! Love these rules. I am totally in the mood to purge & sell! Pinning for sure, Ashley!
Maryann @ Domestically Speaking
Love this! I need simple cleaning help!
Steph @ The Silly Pearl
I'm in the process of decluttering, so I'm definitely printing this out! Thanks so much!
Leanne
I'm really good about decluttering. I have no problem getting rid of things but I love all your tips and the printable is awesome. I'm pinning it to print next week.
Heather
Love these tips and your printable!
Tori
Love your site!! Awesome ideas and great printables!
Lauren @ Mom Home Guide
Looks great! Thanks for sharing this at Motivation Monday on Mom Home Guide! Decluttering is my no 1 priority in 2016! I really need to declutter my master bedroom closet -- I can't even put the clothes I wear away because there is too much stuff in there!
Keri
This seems so doable! I've been decluttering slowly and sporadically over six months. It's time to be done.
Emily @ Love, Pasta and a Tool Belt
Ok this printable is perfect for me! I've been trying to declutter but I do so much better when I have a plan so I'm printing this off and following it! And a bonus we already decluttered our attic so one day down! Thank you for linking up to The Wednesday Round Up and we hope to see you back next week!!
Nancy Straughan
Wow what an amazing post! Thank you for including so many useful tips and links - I will definitely be utilising your advice!
Teresa @ Crafty Wife
My husband and I were JUST talking about how we need to declutter the house. We had a baby in September and had no idea how much stuff they came with. Our once "big' apartment got extremely small really quickly. We're starting this on Monday. Thank you so much for the printable and the tips!
Stopping by from The Wednesday Roundup. I'm sharing on my fb, pinterest, and stumbleupon accounts! Thank you for linking up with us!
The Jessie K
AHH, LOVE this printable! Thank you so much, I can't wait to de-clutter! Thanks so much for all of the other resources as well, there's so much good info, and now I'm feeling extra motivated to clean, which doesn't happen very much. 😉
Lindsay
You totally gave me motivation to declutter my place! I hold on to EVERYTHING 🙂 ahhhh Thanks for sharing at #merrymonday!
Hannah@SeeingtheLovely
Cute printable! And I like your rules, they definitely help you put things in perspective! By the way, you should totally read that book. I don't agree with all of it, but it had some great points!
Lauren
I really like the template you created, can't wait to try it out!
Cat @ Pocketful of Posies
Great post! I am currently embarking on a decluttering adventure of my own and your post makes inspires me to keep going! Thank you for sharing at Dream. Create. Inspire. Link! I am pinning your post!
Cat
Heidi
Wow! Great ideas! I'm motivated to get organizing!
Melinda Mitchell
I know 7 hours is not enough for me. The proof is: I have spent countless hours over the last 2 years already, and still knee deep in clutter! But I'm gonna check out your printable. Thank you!
Inspire Me Monday
Cindy Magee
Love this printable!!! It's that time of year already for my clean sweep of the house! 🙂 Visiting from Wonderful Wednesday. 🙂
Hil
Those are such great tips! We just recently did the basement (last week) and tried to follow those rules too!
You should come link up at #bloggerspotlight tomorrow night!
http://www.raisingfairiesandknights.com/category/blog/
Melinda Mitchell
Ashley, I think you must be a cleanie! It has taken me 2 hrs and 11 minutes just in my living room/entry. I did that first.
I'm doing a whole series. Now, I'm working on my kitchen.
https://purpleslobinrecovery.wordpress.com/2017/01/26/seven-seconds-scullery/ 2 hours in on my kitchen, and that was only 3 cabinets!!
Sue
You would have a stroke if you saw my house now.
Jenny
Great ideas to declutter and get organized for the new year! I'll be featuring this tomorrow at Merry Monday. Hope to see you at the party!
Darlene
Hi Ashley,
I really like the 1 Hour + 7 DAYS form. How do I get it. I may have over looked how to get it. I appreciate if you would tell me.
Thank you,
Darlene
Christina Leaman
Hi Darlene,
If you sign up for our newsletter you'll be sent a link to our subscribers only free printable library and have access to it and all of our other printables. You should see a sign-up form at the bottom of this post.
Christina, Ashley's Assistant
cynthia
I can't find the link to the printable. I'm a subscriber. Please help! 🙁
Christina Leaman
Hi Cynthia!
Since you're a subscriber this is an easy fix. Open up the latest newsletter from Ashley and the link and password to our Free Printables Library is at the bottom. I hope that helps!
Christina, Team SD
kren
Is this site still active? I have signed up for the newsletter, tried the password for the printable area. No success.
Christina Leaman
Hi Kren,
I'm so sorry you've had issues accessing our Printables Library! Please email [email protected] and we'll help you out.
Christina, Team SD
Katy Burton
I would like the free digital download for the declutter in 7 days.
Christina Leaman
Hi Katy!
If you sign up as one of our VIPs you'll have access to all of Ashley's free printables in the Free Printables Library. We email the password right to you!
Best,
Christina, Team SD
Faith Primm
I signed up but have not received the email for the printable
Christina Leaman
Hi Faith!
I have good news and a few tips. First, I've double-checked and you ARE one of our VIPs! You should have received a welcome email but if you didn't, it might have gone to your spam folder or "other" folder in Hotmail. Make sure you double-check there. If you're still not seeing it, no worries. Ashley sends out a newsletter every Tuesday morning that has our Printables Library password at the bottom. Just click the link and enter that password and your printable should be there.
I hope that helps.
Christina, Team SD
Stephanie Myers
How do I purchase these printables for 1 hour & 7 days = decluttered home?
Christina Leaman
Hi Stephanie, Our printables are free for subscribers! You can become a VIP on the right sidebar using the Become a VIP form!