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21-Day Decluttering Challenge for Beginners

21-Day Decluttering Challenge for Beginners

You have decided to live a more minimal life with less clutter. You need to figure out where and when to start decluttering. Decluttering can take time, depending on how much you owe or how motivated you are. Start in the areas in your home where you have less valuable items, like your kitchen. On this 21-day decluttering challenge, try to do 30 minutes daily to complete some progress. But if you do not have that time, do 20 minutes. Remember that you are trying to declutter to have a clutter-free home, so if you have the time and motivation, do more than 30 minutes. Best of luck! 

Things you will need:

  1. Boxes to take to donation. 
  2. Trash bags for trash. 
  3. Timer. 

Things to consider when you are decluttering items:

  1. Have you used this item in the last three months? If not, get rid of it. 
  2. Do you have something similar? If yes, get rid of it.
  3. Can you replace the item for less than $20 if you need it later? If yes, get rid of it. 
  4. Do you love or enjoy the item? If not, get rid of it. 

Corner of a kitchen counter filled with a bush of dishes and kitchen supplies.

First Week 

Day one: Kitchen Counters. Your kitchen counters should be free of clutter. Only keep items you use daily, like a coffee maker and the stuff you use to make your coffee. Grab items and ask yourself the questions above. If you keep an item, we will create space in the kitchen cabinets to store it. 

  1. Donate kitchen appliances you have not used in three months. 
  2. Spatulas or wooden spoons if you have duplicates. 
  3. Knife set if you have duplicates. 
  4. Decorations you no longer enjoy. 
  5. Remove magnet photos and kids’ artwork from outside the refrigerator.

 

Day two: Kitchen Cabinets. Start with the top cabinets. I keep two pieces of dishware per family member. You can do two or three per family member. 

  1. Coffee mugs. 
  2. Wine glasses.
  3. Beer mugs. 
  4. Containers with missing lids. 
  5. Properly dispose of expired medication in the medicine cabinet. 
  6. Also, get rid of spices that you have never used or that are expired.

 

Day three: Bottom kitchen cabinets. Here, you will make space to store the kitchen appliances you had on your kitchen counter. 

  1. Pots and pans. 
  2. Duplicate vases. 
  3. Serving trays.
  4. Cutting boards. 
  5. Clean out your kitchen drawers.
  6. If you have too much silverware, spatulas, knives, and measuring cups, get rid of them.
  7. Remove kitchen gadgets and hand towels you no longer use or enjoy. 

 

Day four: Clean out your kitchen drawers. Remove duplicates or kitchen gadgets that can do the same things. 

  1. Silverware.
  2. Spatulas
  3. measuring cups
  4. Kitchen gadgets. 
  5. Hand towels. 

 

Day five: Living room console table, TV stand, and coffee table. 

  1. Remove any decorations you no longer enjoy.
  2. Books you do not read. 
  3. Games you do not play with. 
  4. Old picture frames. 
  5. Furniture you do not need. 

 

Day six: Living room side tables and sofa. 

  1. Throw pillows you don’t enjoy or if you have too many of them.
  2. Throw blankets; keep one or two per family member. 
  3. Table lamps. 

 

Day seven: Wall area in the entryway, living room, and kitchen.

  1. Remove any wall decorations you no longer enjoy, including picture frames that have been there for many years. 
  2. Also, remove clocks if you have more than one or have another way to tell time.

 

Second week

Day eight:  Entry closet. 

  1. Coats or sweaters you have not used or enjoyed. 
  2. remove shoes you no longer want, seasonal clothing, and board games. 

 

Day nine: Restroom sink cabinet and counters.

  1. Skincare and body products you do not enjoy or use. 
  2. Expired beauty products. 
  3. Self-care products you do not use or want. 
  4. Hair accessories you do not use or have too many of. 
  5. Styling tools you do not use. 

 

Day ten: Restroom linen closet. 

  1. Towels: I keep two per family member. 
  2. Old hand towels. 
  3. Shower products you do not use or enjoy.
  4. Extra bed sheets. 

 

Day eleven: Main bedroom closet. 

  1. Clothes that do not fit, you do not feel good in, have holes, stains, or can’t repair. (Donate the gently used clothes)
  2. Shoes you have not worn this past season or are uncomfortable.

 

Day twelve: Shelves in the main closet. 

  1. Purses, wallets, accessories. 
  2. Seasonal clothing.

 

Day thirteen: Main bedroom and dresser.

  1. On top of the dresser, everything is cluttered.  
  2. Clothes that you have not used or have multiples of. 
  3. Throw blankets you do not enjoy. 
  4. Wall decorations you do not enjoy. 

 

Day fourteen: Second bathroom. 

  1. Items you have not used. 
  2. Extra towels or hand towels. 
  3. Items on top of bathroom counters. 
  4. Expired items. 

 

Third Week

Day fifteen: Kids bedroom. 

  1. Toys they do not enjoy. 
  2. Extra books. 
  3. Extra throw blankets. 
  4. Furniture they do not use. 

 

Day sixteen: Kids closet. 

  1. Clothes that no longer fit. 
  2. Stuff animals. 

 

Day seventeen: Guest bedroom.

  1. Extra throw pillows or throw blankets. 
  2. Decorations you do not enjoy. 
  3. Furniture you do not use. 

 

Day eighteen: Guest closet. 

  1. Items you last used six months ago or longer. 
  2. Extra bedsheets. 

 

Day nineteen: Office area, extra bedroom, or playroom. 

  1. Furniture you no longer use. 
  2. Decorations you do not enjoy. 
  3. Toys that are not enjoyed or played with. 

 

Day twenty: Laundry room. 

  1. Cleaning products you have multiples of. 
  2. Cleaning accessories you do not use. 
  3. Cleaning towels if you have duplicates. 

 

Day twenty-one: Pantry. 

  1. Expired food. 
  2. Snacks that were open and are now stale. 
  3. Pantry items you did not like but kept anyway. 

 

Here are some tips to help you maintain a clutter-free home. 

 You just completed the 21-day decluttering challenge. Yay! I hope you made some progress, depending on how many items you had. With these few tips, we can prevent items from returning to our homes. 

  1. Try a low-buy or no-buy challenge. 

There are many reasons for doing a low-buy or no-buy challenge. Try this challenge if you want to keep items out of your home to avoid adding clutter and make your decluttering session easier. Read my 13 Easy Tips for a low-buy or no-buy challenge here.

       2. Practice the one-in-two-out rule. 

If you bring an item into your home, follow the one-in-two-out rule. For every item that comes in, take two items out. For example, if you bring in a new blouse, take two blouses out and donate them. The same goes for home decorations or any item coming in. 

       3. Do more decluttering sessions.

To keep your home clean and organized, you need to own fewer items. Decluttering is more than just a once-and-done thing. Keep doing decluttering sessions until you are left with items you love, enjoy, and use often. Two bins with items to donate.

Final thoughts

Remember, this is your decluttering journey, and you’re in control. If you’ve made significant progress, take a few days off to celebrate your achievements. When you’re ready, start the 21-day decluttering challenge again. You didn’t accumulate clutter in one month, so naturally, it will take a few decluttering sessions to get to where you want to be. Feel free to adapt the process to your needs and pace. 

Suppose you want to do a lot of decluttering. In that case, I recommend doing this challenge and, simultaneously, the 30-day minimalist challenge created by The Minimalist, Joshua Fields Millburn, and Ryan Nicodemus. On day one, you remove one item; on day two, you remove two items; on day three, you remove three items until you reach the 30th day. When you finish a 30-day minimalist challenge, you will have removed 500 items. 

Comment below and let me know where you are in your decluttering journey. You’re doing great!