14 Day Decluttering Challenge
Show Your Home (and Yourself) Some Love
Are you feeling overwhelmed by clutter and unsure where to start? This Valentine’s season, let’s focus on falling back in love with your home. Join our 14-Day Decluttering Challenge, designed to simplify your space one small step at a time. By the end of two weeks, you’ll feel lighter, calmer, and ready to enjoy a home that truly brings you joy.
How the Challenge Works
Each day, you’ll tackle a specific category within your home, making decluttering manageable for even the busiest schedules. Each task should take 20-30 minutes, allowing you to make steady progress without feeling overwhelmed. The goal is to build momentum with quick wins and create lasting habits that keep your home organized long-term.
Just Start—Progress Over Perfection Remember, the most important thing is to start. Even if you don’t finish in the time you set aside, you’ve already made progress. Challenge yourself to come back to it later in the day or the next day—just as long as you keep going. Decluttering doesn’t have to be all or nothing; every small step brings you closer to a more peaceful, organized home.
Let’s get started!
Day 1: Junk Drawer
Start with a small but satisfying win! Empty your junk drawer and sort through every item. Toss dried-out pens, random screws, and mystery keys. Use small containers or dividers to keep things neat. Reframe your mind from this being a “junk drawer” and instead call it a “utility drawer”. Just changing your perspective can help keep it maintained and refrain from collecting junk.
Day 2: Expired Pantry Items
Go through your pantry and check for expired or stale food. You won’t even believe how often I find expired salad dressing in pantries. Be sure to check all food, even pasta and rice. Donate unopened, unexpired items you won’t use. Organize remaining items into categories like snacks, baking essentials, and canned goods.
Day 3: Medicine Cabinet
Dispose of expired medications safely and remove products you no longer use. Keep everyday essentials organized in clear bins or labeled sections. When the flu hits your household, you’re going to want the essentials easy to retrieve and easy to take from room to room. A small caddy works great to do that for you.
Day 4: Towels & Linens
Sort through your towels, sheets, and blankets. Donate or repurpose worn-out items. Keep only what you use and fold linens neatly to maximize space. I always recommend 2 sets of sheets per bed in the house and 2 towels per person, anything more is really just excess.
Day 5: Toiletries & Makeup
Toss old or unused beauty products, expired sunscreen, and empty bottles. Group daily essentials in a bin for easy access. Here is a guide on expired makeup to help.
Day 6: Coffee Cups & Water Bottles
Too many mismatched mugs or bottles? Every kitchen I have been in to organize has too many coffee cups and water bottles. Keep your favorites and donate or recycle the extras to free up cabinet space. You don’t need or want that free one you got when you joined the gym.
Day 7: Digital Decluttering
We all have duplicate photos and several unused apps on our phones and it’s taking up much needed space. Spend 20 minutes deleting unused apps, duplicate photos, and old emails. Organize important digital files into folders.
Day 8: Shoes
Your kids probably have shoes in their closet that no longer fit. Why are they taking up valuable real estate in the closet? Sort through shoes and donate or discard pairs that are worn out or never worn. Store everyday shoes in an accessible place.
Day 9: Paper Clutter
Tackle old bills, mail, receipts, and documents. Shred or recycle what’s unnecessary and create a filing system for what you need to keep. This task can take longer than expected. Maybe start with just a category like utility bills, or last week’s mail.
Day 10: Home Decor
Decor can take up so much space and most of the time it goes out of season or style within a few years. You should only have pieces that you absolutely love and bring you joy, not because your great aunt gave it to you when you moved in 10 years ago. Assess decor pieces—are they bringing joy or collecting dust? Donate items that no longer fit your style or feel cluttered.
Day 11: Kids’ Clothes
Sort through your children’s clothing and remove items that are outgrown or worn out. Store seasonal clothes separately for easier access. I always recommend having a “too small” bin in their closet so when they do grow out of something you have a place for it to go until you can make it to the donation center or hand it down to someone else in the family.
Day 12: Books
Go through your book collection and donate titles you won’t read again. Keep your favorites and organize them in a way that encourages reading. Most of the time, we only read a book once. Ask yourself if you really want to hold onto something that you won’t read or reference again.
Day 13: Party Decor
If you host or throw any type of party, do you ever reuse the same theme? Then why are you still keeping all that paw patrol or hawaiian decor items? Check your supply of balloons, are they still good, are you realistically going to reuse any of it in the future? If not, it's time to let it go.
Day 14: Your “Happy Place”
Pick a space that matters most to you—Perhaps, it's just your night stand or even your purse. Whether it’s your bedroom, living room, or a reading nook. Declutter and add a cozy touch, like a candle or throw blanket, to make it feel like your sanctuary.
Making Decluttering a Lifelong Habit
Decluttering isn’t something you do once and forget about—it’s a lifestyle shift. If you truly want to maintain an organized home, it’s about creating consistent habits that prevent clutter from building back up. It doesn’t mean you’ll never have a mess again—life happens! But it does mean you’ll have systems in place to get back on track quickly.
Adopt a “one in, one out” rule: Every time you bring in something new, make a habit of letting go of something old. This keeps your home from accumulating excess over time.
End each day with a five-minute reset: Take just a few minutes at the end of the day to tidy up. Put things back where they belong, clear off counters, and reset your space so you wake up to a calmer environment.
Teach your kids the value of decluttering: Organization is a life skill. Encourage your kids to be mindful of their belongings and involve them in small tidying habits so it becomes second nature.
Break it up into small wins: If you find yourself overwhelmed again in the future, remember that you don’t need to do it all at once. Start with a small section, build momentum, and keep going.
Reflect on your progress: Every time you declutter, remind yourself why you started this journey in the first place. What are you gaining? More time? More space? Less stress? Keep that motivation front and center.
Are You Ready to Love Your Home Again?
By the end of this challenge, you’ll have a clearer, calmer, and more functional home that truly works for you and your family. Remember, the goal isn’t perfection—it’s progress. Every small step you take makes a difference.
If you need extra support, The Simple House is here to help! Whether you’re looking for a total home transformation or just need help getting started, we specialize in creating organized spaces that work for busy moms and families.
Book a consultation or shop our school memory bins to take the next step in transforming your home. We can’t wait to help you create a space you truly love!