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Declutter List

60 Things to Declutter from Your Home (Room-by-Room List)

When you do not know where to start, skip the philosophy and just work the list. These are 60 things almost every home holds onto but does not actually need. Each one takes a sentence to judge — if it sounds like yours, let it go.

Open the interactive declutter checklist

How to use this list

The hardest part of decluttering is not the lifting, it is the decision fatigue — each item asks you to choose. This list does most of the choosing for you. Almost every item on it can go for most people. Read through, pick three to five quick wins per room, and remove those first. Leave the maybes for a second pass; the goal of round one is momentum.

The 60 things, grouped by room

Kitchen (10 things to declutter)

  1. 1. Expired spices and dried herbs that have lost their smell (usually anything over two years old)
  2. 2. Duplicate gadgets: a second peeler, can opener, or extra measuring cups
  3. 3. Mismatched food storage container lids and bases
  4. 4. Gift mugs you never actually drink from
  5. 5. Specialty appliances used fewer than three times a year (avocado slicer, juicer, bread maker)
  6. 6. Take-out menus and printed recipes you no longer follow
  7. 7. Stained, warped, or scarred plastic cutting boards
  8. 8. Reusable water bottles and travel mugs collecting dust in the back of a cabinet
  9. 9. Opened pantry items past a year: stale cereal, old pasta, oxidized nuts
  10. 10. Cookware with flaking non-stick coating or missing lids

Bedroom (10 things to declutter)

  1. 1. Worn-out pillows that hurt your neck
  2. 2. Old phone chargers and earbuds with frayed cables
  3. 3. Books on the nightstand you have not opened in a year
  4. 4. Clothes draped on "the chair" that you no longer wear
  5. 5. Decorative items collecting dust on the dresser
  6. 6. Extra throw pillows left over from a previous decor style
  7. 7. Hotel souvenirs and old bedding under the bed
  8. 8. Loose business cards, receipts, and stray paper in the nightstand drawer
  9. 9. Almost-empty perfumes and colognes you forgot about
  10. 10. Wire hangers from past dry-cleaning runs

Bathroom (10 things to declutter)

  1. 1. Expired makeup, sunscreen, and skincare
  2. 2. Shampoo and conditioner bottles down to the last inch
  3. 3. Travel-size toiletries from trips years ago
  4. 4. Stretched-out hair ties and broken hair clips
  5. 5. Expired prescription medications and cold medicine
  6. 6. Faded, threadbare bath and hand towels
  7. 7. Free-with-purchase samples you will not actually use
  8. 8. Razors with dull or rusted blades
  9. 9. Frayed loofahs and hardened bath sponges
  10. 10. Expired first-aid items: old bandages, dried-out ointments, ancient cotton balls

Living Room (10 things to declutter)

  1. 1. Remotes for devices you no longer own
  2. 2. DVDs, CDs, and gaming discs you have not played in years
  3. 3. Magazines, catalogs, and newspapers older than two months
  4. 4. Vases and decor pieces you do not actually like
  5. 5. Throw pillows with broken zippers or stained covers
  6. 6. Tangled cables, dead batteries, and obsolete chargers
  7. 7. Coasters in colors that no longer match the room
  8. 8. Kids' toys outgrown but still scattered in the room
  9. 9. Coffee table books you never open
  10. 10. Stretched-out throws, scratchy blankets, or duplicates of the same throw

Closet (10 things to declutter)

  1. 1. Clothes that have not fit for over a year
  2. 2. Single socks still waiting for a missing partner
  3. 3. Stretched-out elastics, broken zippers, and unraveling seams
  4. 4. Shoes that hurt your feet every time you wear them
  5. 5. Belts that no longer fit any of your current pants
  6. 6. Event t-shirts from places you no longer go
  7. 7. Old work clothes from a job or industry you have left
  8. 8. Empty shoeboxes and original packaging from past purchases
  9. 9. Mismatched dry-cleaning hangers crowding the rod
  10. 10. Special-occasion outfits unworn for three or more years

Home Office (10 things to declutter)

  1. 1. Dried-out pens and pencils worn down to stubs
  2. 2. User manuals and warranty cards for devices you no longer own
  3. 3. Paid bills, receipts, and statements past the tax-keep window
  4. 4. Outdated reference books and textbooks you no longer use
  5. 5. Cables for devices long replaced or thrown out
  6. 6. Random USB drives, blank CDs, and unlabeled SD cards
  7. 7. Notebooks, planners, and calendars from previous years
  8. 8. Conference swag, free notepads, and branded pens
  9. 9. Printer cartridges for a printer you no longer own
  10. 10. Sticky notes, paper clips, and tape rolls in quantities you will never finish

Extra lists by timing

Things to declutter before moving

  • • Kitchen items untouched in the past year — moving them is paying to move dead weight
  • • Heavy furniture pieces you would not buy again at the new place
  • • Sports gear and exercise equipment that no longer fits your routine
  • • Books you no longer read but keep "just in case"
  • • Kids' toys outgrown well before the move

Things to declutter before the new year

  • • Old calendars, planners, and sticker sheets from the year ending
  • • Holiday gifts you received but will not use
  • • Items from a "this year I'll learn / finish" plan that is no longer realistic
  • • Kitchen tools you did not reach for once in the past twelve months
  • • Clothes you wore once or never in the past year

Frequently asked questions

How long does it take to declutter 60 things?

If you only clear the obvious noes, 10 to 20 minutes per room is realistic — about one to two hours for the whole list. A more sustainable pace is two or three sittings, one or two rooms each, so decision fatigue does not lead you to keep things you should have let go.

What should I do with items I am unsure about?

Do not force a decision. Put them into a "maybe box" — write today's date on the outside, seal it, and put it out of sight. If you have not opened the box in sixty to ninety days, you can let the whole box go without reopening it.

Where should I donate or recycle these items?

Expired makeup and medications belong at a pharmacy take-back program or your municipal hazardous-waste site, not regular trash. Good-condition clothing, kitchenware, and toys can go to Goodwill, the Salvation Army, or local charity shops. Electronics and batteries need an e-waste drop-off; do not mix them into regular recycling.

Related guides

Want to go deeper on a specific room? These guides take you step by step:

Turn this list into a trackable checklist

Use the interactive declutter checklist to tick items off room by room. Progress saves automatically so you can come back tomorrow and pick up where you left off.

Open the interactive declutter checklist