Checklist Questions to ask yourself as you re decluttering Do I need this item? Do I want this item? Do I have a sentimental attachment to this item? Do I forsee needing this item in the near future? Do I have duplicates of this item? Is this item easily replaceable? Why do I want to simplify? Kitchen Clear off the Kitchen Counters Load the dishwasher. Hand wash and put away any larger dishes, knives, etc. Evaluate what s on your counters and clear them off. your countertops. in the Kitchen Go through each of your cabinets/drawers and remove things that you never use. Once the unused and unwanted items are removed from that cabinet/drawer, wipe it down and organize it before moving on to the next space. Repeat until you ve gone through each cabinet and drawer in the kitchen.
out the Fridge Pull everything off of the shelf or out of the drawer. Take a damp dishcloth and wipe off that shelf/drawer. Sort the food that you took out. Discard any outdated or unidentifiable foods. Return the remaining foods to the clean shelf/drawer. Repeat for each shelf and drawer. out the Freezer For a frost free freezer: Pull everything off of the shelf or out of the drawer. Take a damp dishcloth and wipe off that shelf/drawer. Sort the food that you took out. Discard any freezer burned or unidentifiable foods. Return the remaining foods to the clean shelf/drawer. Repeat this process for each shelf and drawer. For a freezer that needs to be defrosted: Remove the contents of the freezer. As you re doing this, set aside any freezer burned or unidentifiable foods. Place the frozen foods into a cooler. If you don t have a cooler, work fast! Defrost the freezer. Return the remaining foods to the freezer. Repeat this process for each shelf and drawer. out the Pantry Go through each shelf/drawer/cabinet and remove expired food, stale food and foods you know you re not doing to use. Organize. Sort your foods into like categories: canned foods, baking ingredients, dried beans, pastas, breakfast foods, snacks, etc. Put your like categories together on the shelves in your pantry. your oven, stovetop, microwave. Wipe down the outside of all your appliances and cabinets either with a damp dish cloth or a cleaning solution. Scrub your sink and water faucet. Sweep and mop the floor.
Remove what doesn t belong Master Bedroom Grab a box, basket or bag for things that don t belong, for trash and recyclables. Go through the room and put things that do not belong into your basket, the trash or in the recycling bag. Return the items to the places they belong. the Master the nightstand. Check under your bed. Go through any junk drawers you may have. Have a desk, hobby area, etc. in the master? that area. Your Closet/Clothing Drawers Pull everything out of your closet, drawers and even your off season clothes. Divide into like categories (ex. jeans, dresses, loungewear.) Designate 3 bags/baskets/boxes; donate, consign and store. Remove items. Store off season clothing. Evaluate what remains. Make your bed. Dust the top of your dresser, nightstands and any other surfaces in the room. light fixtures. Vacuum or sweep.
Bathroom each cabinet/drawer/medicine cabinet/closet. Organize - towels together, cosmetics together, medicines together, etc. the sink, mirrors, shower, toilet, etc. Sweep and mop the floor. Take out the trash. Replace hand towels. Living Room Remove what doesn t belong Go through the room and put things that do not belong into your basket. Bring the items you collected back to the places they belong. Go through cabinets, bookshelves, chests, end tables, etc. Repeat for each area. out under couches, chairs, rugs and any other furniture. light fixtures, all surfaces, baseboards, windowsills, etc. Pull the cushions out of your couches and chairs and clean them out. Sweep/vacuum/mop the entire living room.
Kids Rooms Designate boxes as donate, sell, store, etc. Go through each drawer in the dresser. on the top of the dresser. Check under the bed. Pull out anything that has been pushed under the bed. Tackle the toy box/shelf/pile. Do you have any other furniture in the room? A desk? A changing table? that space. in the closet. Remove all of your boxes you sorted things into out of your child s room so they can t drag everything back out. Organize Grab another box/basket/bag to have handy. Place all loose toys in a pile in the middle of the room. Starting with the dresser, go through and organize drawers. The easiest way is to organize the drawers is to have all like clothing together. Does the top of the dresser need to be organized? Get this area organized. Move on to the closet, starting with clothing and shoes, hang all hanging clothes up. Are there toys all over the closet floor? If so, move them into the big pile in the middle of the floor. Organize the shelves in the closet. Again, group like things together. Time to tackle that big pile of toys! The first step is simply to sort through - put like toys together. If your child has a toy box, place the toys that you store in the toy box back into the toy box. Do you have a storage system for toys that have lots of pieces that go together? Baskets, plastic boxes or even cardboard boxes can help you organize your child s play things. Put trains/train tracks in one box, blocks together in another, legos in another, etc. This boxes can then be stacked on shelves in the closet, on any shelving that may be in the room or even stacked against the wall. This makes clean up easier and helps keep pieces together. For any extra areas in your child s room (desks, changing tables, etc.), organize those spaces. Again, work drawer by drawer and put like things together. If you filled a box/bag up with more stuff to declutter, remove it from the room now.
Wash all the bedding. all light fixtures. Dust the furniture. If needed, spot clean any marks on the walls. Sweep/vacuum the floors. Other Rooms Go through the room, area by area, and evaluate the things you find. all light fixtures. Dust the furniture. Sweep/vacuum the floors. Closets Working shelf by shelf, evaluate the contents of the shelf (you may want to remove everything from the shelf to be more thorough). Remember you are decluttering so be ruthless and let those unused items go! Move to the next shelf until you ve finished! Organize Group like things together (linen closet example - all towels on the same shelf, all toiletries together, etc.)
As you re organizing the closet, you may come across more things that you no longer need, add them to your donation box. Other Areas out your vehicle Grab a box for things don t belong and trash. Remove the trash and things that don t belong in the car. Return the items that don t belong in the car (things like toys, clothes, shoes, etc.) to where they do belong in the house. If you have children, it may be helpful to have a basket or bag to store things like extra clothes, toys and book in the car. This will help keep the car neat since all of those things will have a place to go. Vacuum your vehicle. out your purse/wallet/bag Empty the bag. Toss the trash. Add only the essentials back to your bag. Put everything else (random socks, toys, excess pens, etc.) back where they belong. Household Management Daily Tasks
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