Decluttering Tips for Hoarders

I’m going to teach you some decluttering tips for hoarders. I’ll explain why you want to declutter your home, provide a free Home Decluttering Guide Ebook, teach you how to get a jump start on the process, and shed light on what to keep and what to toss.

Related: 23 Secrets to a Clean House

decluttering tips for hoarders image of a well made bed with karate chopped pillows and a blue blanket with grey comforter

Why to declutter your home – decluttering tips for hoarders

A decluttered home leads to a decluttered mind.
You’ll save money.
Clutter begets clutter.
You’ll have more time.
It’s environmentally friendly.

A decluttered Home leads to a decluttered mind

If you’re anything like me, if your home is cluttered – so is your brain. My family thrives when the house is in order. The things in our home have a “spot” for a reason – because that spot makes the most sense for whatever the purpose of that item is. For example, keys go in the box by the door because that’s where we will need to grab them on our way out. When the keys are in their spot, we can make for quick exits; when they aren’t, well, you know how that goes.

You’ll save money

You’ll save so much money because you won’t have to keep buying things you already have. A great example of this is when I decluttered my bathroom closet this week and found razors that I knew I had, but I couldn’t find in the mess. So, I bought a whole bunch of razors that I don’t need right now and are just adding to the clutter.

Clutter Begets Clutter

Clutter begets clutter. If you can’t find something, you’re likely going to buy another one that you don’t need. Just like my razor situation.

You’ll have more time

Simplifying your life by decluttering enables you to have more time for fun things (if you aren’t a looney like me who actually has fun decluttering). When you aren’t digging around for things, or constantly having to find places for all your stuff, you free yourself up for doing other things – like spending time with your family! The less you have, the less you have to clean – so only keep as much stuff as you’re willing to clean.

It’s environmentally friendly

Less clutter means less stuff ending up in the landfill. And hey, you may even make money by selling your unwanted stuff on sites like OfferUp, Facebook Marketplace or Buy Nothing groups.

Decluttering tips for hoarders

How to declutter your house in 30 days

Make a plan for which areas you’ll declutter and when.
Rotate which weeks you declutter certain areas (week 1: kitchen, week 2: bathrooms…)
Keep your house tidy on a daily basis to limit decluttering time.
Spend 30 minutes to 1 hour per day decluttering.
For things you don’t use create piles for quarantine, donation, sell and trash.
After 30 days your house will be decluttered and you can keep it that way by using my free ebook.

Make a plan

Have a plan for decluttering your home that makes sense to you and how much time you’re working with. Decide when you will have time to devote to decluttering, and what areas are top priority. Generate a list of the areas you’ll declutter (in order). My free Home Decluttering Guide ebook does this for you.

Rotate your weeks

You probably don’t have time to make decluttering your full-time gig – although it may seem like you have to – it’s totally doable with just a little bit of planning. Rotate which weeks you organize which areas in your house. For example, week 1 is the kitchen. Spend 30 minutes to an hour per day decluttering your kitchen that week. Day 1, pantry. Day 2 cupboards by fridge, day 3 drawers by fridge, etc. Do this for each area in your house and before you know it – you’ll be in maintenance mode!

Focus on daily tidy ups

If you put things where they belong on a daily basis, there will be less build up that you have to go through. For example, if you have a coat closet that has become the catch-all, it’s probably because you aren’t putting those shoes or boxes where they actually belong on a daily basis – thus, adding to what you’ll have to declutter later. Spend just 10 min per day tidying up.

decluttering tips for hoarders bathroom with grey granite and subway tile and amber soap jars

Devote time each day

All it takes is 30 minutes to an hour each day to declutter your house. By the end of 30 days, you’ll have accomplished 15-30 hours of decluttering! Breaking those hours up into bite-size pieces each day makes it seem less daunting. By the end of the month, you’ll be in maintenance mode!

Quarantine, Sell, Donate, Trash

Make sure you’re actually decluttering when you’re decluttering! Meaning, get rid of stuff. You have 4 options. First is quarantine – I got this idea from a fellow blogger, use a quarantine bin to set aside things you don’t think you’ll need. Set a designated amount of time, say, 3 months, and if you don’t need that item within that time frame – it’s time to part ways with it. I’m pretty ruthless when it comes to decluttering – sometimes to a fault! I often get rid of things I later need. But there have been times this comes in handy! Especially if you’re dealing with other people’s stuff. This is a great tip for toys because you can see if your child asks for the toy within that time frame. If not, they clearly won’t miss it.

Your second option is to sell things – you’d be so surprised what people will buy! Something that seems like trash to you may be of value to someone else. Just like the old saying – one person’s junk is another’s treasure.

The third option is to donate what you want to get rid of. This could be somewhere like Goodwill or Salvation Army. Another great tip is to just post a quick picture to OfferUp, or Facebook Marketplace with the captain “Free – first come first serve – porch pick up” and someone will swoop that up within the hour guaranteed! I think some people make it a job to gather up all the free stuff around town and resell it. I’m usually fine with taking a loss on something just to get it out of my house quickly.

Your last option is to throw your unwanted stuff away. When I did my closet declutter this week, I was shocked at how much legitimate trash was lurking in my bathroom closet.

Maintenance mode

Finally, after you declutter your house in 30 days, you’ll enter maintenance mode. This is when you keep your house decluttered forever! Of course, you might have to do a 30-day house declutter again after a year or 2, but now you have a plan.

Make sure when you’re in maintenance mode to focus on your daily tidy-ups, and utilize step 5 often. Use my free ebook – The Home Decluttering Guide – to guide you through your maintenance mode.

Watch my decluttering tips for hoarders video

Watch me in my process of decluttering one area of my home – my master bathroom closet.

decluttering tips for hoarders – where to start

Start with low-hanging fruit – easy wins first!
Start with somewhere fun.
Have a goal – like declutter your house in 30 days.
Have a plan – use my free ebook to guide you.
Make it fun – put music on and set a snack out.
Make it a family affair.

Start with low-hanging fruit

A whole-house declutter can seem so daunting! Start with low-hanging fruit. Simple tasks you can do quickly and easily to get a win under your belt and get the ball rolling. Before you know it, you’ll be in the decluttering zone and your whole house will be decluttered within 30 days!

Start with somewhere fun

Do you have a favorite place in your house? Somewhere you enjoy being? Maybe somewhere that isn’t that cluttered to begin with? Start there! For me, it’s my kitchen.

Have a goal

A goal can be something like “declutter your house in 30 days” or “spend 30 minutes per day decluttering.” Make it specific, measurable, and attainable.

Have a plan

When I have a plan for something, whether it’s decluttering my house in 30 days, losing weight, or starting a blog – I feel so much better about actually doing it. When I have a plan in place, it seriously seems like half the work is done because my road is paved. My ebook is designed to be the plan you need to declutter your own home. Grab my Home Decluttering Guide to walk you through the process.

Make it fun

There’s nothing that music and snacks cant make more fun, am I right? Really though, take the time to put on your favorite playlist. Grab a healthy snack to munch on while decluttering your house. Make the association to decluttering a good one and you’ll look forward to this part of your day.

Make it a family affair

Involve your kids and/or hubby in the process! Delegate tasks and make them fun for everyone. If you have little ones, give them a little task – like sorting the containers by size. Teach them why decluttering is a good thing and how it helps everyone in the home.

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free cleaning schedule printable

cleaning schedule from healthfully rooted home with a daily monthly and weekly schedule laid out as a stack of papers

what to keep when decluttering your house – decluttering tips for hoarders

Keep things you use.
Keep things you love.
Keep things that are valuable.
Keep things that are sentimental.
Keep things that are one of a kind.

Keep things you use

Keep only the things you’ve used within a year (if the purpose of the product is to be used within a year). For example, a shirt is meant to be worn within a full cycle of seasons whether it’s a tank top or long sleeve, there’s going to be a point within that year you have the opportunity to wear it. If you haven’t you should let it go. Or at least set it aside to determine whether or not you want to keep it in a few months.

Keep things you love

Channel your inner Marie Kondo and only keep things that bring you joy – to an extent! There are certain things that don’t bring me joy that I have to keep – like my vacuum. But you get the idea. If it’s something you don’t necessarily use – but it brings you a lot of joy, then keep it! Decluttering is not about stealing your joy, it’s about making your life easier.

Keep things that are valuable

If something is valuable now, or later – that would be a good thing to keep. But, I would suggest if it is already valuable now and you don’t use it – try and sell it. If, however, it’s something that holds it’s value or wont be valuable until later – it’s a good idea to hang on to it.

Keep things that are sentimental

This is an obvious one. That favorite card from your husband, the handmade blanket from your grandma – those can stay. But keep in mind that they don’t have to! Don’t feel obligated to keep every single sentimental item you have. If you have 20 cards from your husband, maybe choose your favorite three to keep.

Keep things that are one of a kind

For example, the picture that your child colored for you. Maybe it’s not valuable, but it sure is one of a kind! Same idea here as the point above – don’t feel obligated to keep every single picture. Maybe keep your favorite – and you can even frame it and hang it up – and how proud would your little one be to see that?!