10 Tiny Decluttering Tasks to Do Once a Month

Maintain a tidy home and streamline your daily life by doing these tiny decluttering projects every month. None of them take more than 20 minutes! You’ll find that your house stays much more organized and clutter free.

Maintain a tidy home and streamline your daily life by repeating these tiny decluttering projects every month. None of them take more than 20 minutes! #DeclutteringTips

Sometimes decluttering sounds and feels like such a capital “P” Project that you have to write it on your calendar or your New Year’s Resolutions if you ever want to get it done! And it’s true, there might be some pretty clogged areas you need to simplify–like your closet or the garage. But for a quick zip of productivity look to small, lowercase “p” projects that won’t be more than a blip in your day.

There are certain small decluttering projects that I like to do every month. A whole-house purge has many long term benefits, but small projects, repeated often, will help you maintain a tidy home and streamline your daily life.

It might take you longer to do these decluttering projects on your initial go, but if you maintain them every month they’ll just need a quick refresh. Don’t get hung up on deep cleaning these areas when you declutter. If you have time to clean, then go for it. But if time is limited, focus on removing clutter and organizing the space.

10 Small Spaces to Declutter Every Month

1. Bedside table

The nightstands pictured in home magazines are pretty, but their impracticality rankles me. They’re usually crowded (pretty, but crowded), with stacks of books, a lamp, a vase, a shiny metallic bowl for doo-dads, a sleek alarm clock, and about five other things that will soon make them impossible to keep neat and positively dangerous at night when you’re searching for your glasses.

Keep your beside accessories to a minimum. Each month tidy up your nightstand and replace random items and extra books that have climbed aboard. If your beside table has drawers, go through them quickly and remove items that don’t contribute to your morning or evening routines.

Estimated time to complete: 10-15 minutes

Areas you use frequently need to be decluttered more often!

2. Sock Drawer

Since you dip into this drawer every day, the contents probably get pretty rumpled over time. They do in my drawer, at least! Remove everything from the drawer. Purge holey or stretched-beyond-use socks and underwear. Check your inventory to see if you need to purchase anything new. Put your items back with a little organization: bras stacked (not folded), socks and underwear separated (shoeboxes or drawer dividers help with this!).

Estimated time to complete: 10 minutes

3. Bulletin board (or fridge front)

Is there an area of your home where you keep notices, reminders, and lists? In my Tidy Home Cheat Sheet I recommend not keeping anything on the front of your refrigerator, but if you do have things here then at least keep it neat(: Quickly go through your bulletin board/fridge front and discard outdated flyers, month-old greeting cards, and any kids’ drawings you don’t want to save for posterity.

Estimated time to complete: 10 minutes

4. Fridge Interior

Hopefully you look for leftovers at least once a week, but try shooting for a more thorough decluttering monthly. Take 15 to 20 minutes to throw away expired items and reorganise the contents of shelves and drawers. Condiments are a big culprit when it comes to fridge clutter, so take a good look at your bottles and jars. Is there anything that you can combine or consolidate? Use a mini spatula to get out the last bits from a bottle. Anything you should use up? Put it in an obvious spot and then work it into your meal plan the following week. (Example: Take the rest of that barbecue sauce that you never use and add it to a pot of chili, or use it to baste chicken.)

Estimated time to complete: 15-20 minutes

Do these 10 tiny decluttering tasks every month to keep your daily life streamlined!

5. Pantry

Did you know that most people use 80% of their pantry items 20% of the time? Actually, I just made that up, but I wanted you to think about it for a second.(: Because there probably are things you reach for all the time, and other items that get pushed to the back and never see the light of day before they expire. Quickly straighten and reorganize the contents; reserve a spot at eye level for items you want to use up, and then work them into your menu plan for the following week.

Estimated time to complete: 20 minutes

6. Receipts and Coupons

If you are a big couponer you probably go through your stash more often, but personally I’ve found that rifling through them once per month is plenty. Throw away expired and unwanted coupons, mark and save the ones you want to use, and file or trash any receipts you no longer need. If your receipts or coupons are not all in one place, go on a treasure hunt around your house, trashcan in hand. Check your desk, dresser, kitchen counters, and anywhere else that these papers might be lurking.

Estimated time to complete: 10 minutes

7. Entryway

Where are the headwaters of your home? Not necessarily your formal entrance, but the main flow in and out of the house? Whether it’s the garage entrance, a side door, or the front door, go to this area and clean up any flotsam and jetsam that have accumulated. For all of the items that belong, straighten them and put them back within designated boundaries.

Estimated time to complete: 15 minutes

Declutter your wallet--plus these 9 other small areas--every month!

8. Wallet

For possibly the smallest and quickest of all decluttering tasks, open your wallet when you have a stray five minutes to spend. My “wallet” is a woven zippered pouch that somehow manages to need decluttering, tiny as it is. Remove everything from your wallet; throw away unwanted business cards and ticket stubs, file the receipts if needed, and decide if you’re really using all of those rewards cards you’ve accumulated! If you keep your wallet (like your purse) dedicated to true necessities or likely possibilities, it will last longer because it’s not straining at the seams to keep all your stuff in check.

Estimated time to complete: 5 minutes

9. Junk drawer

When everything in your home has a place you can survive without a junk drawer. But if you currently have one, keep it from getting hopeless by putting away odds and ends and designating a permanent home for as many of the randoms as possible.

Estimated time to complete: 10-15 minutes

10. Computer/Device Screen

Even if you’re a regular at the Goodwill drop-off, you might be forgetting a key area that needs decluttering–your digital life! We rely on our computers and tablets for so many things that it can greatly simplify our lives to keep them streamlined and clutter free as well. Decluttering everything on your computer might be a big occasional project, but why not do a quick surface tidying more often?

I use my laptop more than any electronic device, so at least once per month I take time to rearrange the folders, clean out the downloads, file any floating items, and delete any shortcuts I no longer need. If you have tons of apps on your phone, uninstall what you don’t use! Also, take some time to freshen up your wallpaper or add a new background…because that’s fun. I’m planning on using a desktop organization background like these!

Estimated time to complete: 10 minutes

Here are 10 areas to declutter every month!

As you can see, decluttering does not have to be a major event! Make small decluttering projects habitual, and you’ll have a much easier time of maintaining a clutter free home overall.

For a whole house makeover, check out my handbook, which has helped hundreds of other people bring breathing room to their homes.

[question]What areas of your home do you declutter every month?[/question]

2 Comments

  1. These are all such great idea’s, I love that none of them take much time, especially if you do them monthly! I do try to clean out my fridge and pantry before each grocery trip, it helps not to clutter them up and buy things I don’t need. Thanks for sharing these tips!

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