20 Items You Can Declutter RIGHT NOW!

Stuff stuff stuff stuff stuff and MORE STUFF! Did you know that the average household has 300,000 items. WHAT? That’s freaking insane! I was recently on a podcast and we discussed the concept of inventory. Inventory is anything and everything that is in your home or digital space. I wrote another blog article about how to start your organizational journey and get a handle on your inventory, but if your like, “Look lady, I don’t have time to do all that. What can I do right now???”, here’s a quick glance list of all the things that you can declutter in 10 minutes or less.

Papers– You know you have a little pile of papers somewhere. Coupons, bills, junk mail. Time to sort, save or trash. Best thing is to have a space for what you need to keep. A coupon clip, a bills in/out folder. Extra tip! Open all your mail right next to a recycle bin. Skip the “on the counter” step!
Boxes– My nemesis. Break them down and put them in the bin!
Books– Generally speaking, if you don’t plan on reading it again, give to it a friend who you know would love it. Seriously, the best gifts. Or donate it to your local library.
Candles– Those almost burnt out candles with juuuuuust a little left can be let go.
Shower poof– You’re supposed to replace this every 3 months. Have you?
Medicine cabinet– Expired meds loose their potency. Toss em!
Food– Expired food looses taste. Toss em too!
Duplicate kitchen utensils– I’m talking those 7 spatulas, 4 can openers, and 9 tongs. Unless you’re a chef… bye bye!
Water bottles– You know you use the same one over and over. Keep a backup and pass the rest along.
Take out stuff– Extra silverware, sauces and paper products… you don’t need that stuff. I promise.
Bags– Plastic and reusable. We keep a bin full of each and once that’s full- it’s time to sort and get rid of the extras.
Spare parts– Did that recent furniture you bought have an extra screw? “Bonus” in a purchase? Free gift? Just because it was free does not mean you need to keep it.
Clothing– I’m not talking about a big closet clean out here. But I think all of us can spend 5 minutes and quickly pull out 1-2 items that we know don’t fit or we don’t like. Start small and spend time on the big stuff later.
Inbox– Time to delete those emails that you don’t need. The receipts or old confirmations, you likely won’t need. If you think you might, make a folder and move the emails over. When you open your inbox you should only see the things you currently need.
Phone apps– Still have candy crush on your phone? Unless you’re my husband and still actually play, give yourself more storage space and delete those apps you never use.
Downloads– More storage space on your computer too! Go through your downloads folder and either sort or trash everything (don’t forget to then delete your trash bin!).
Office supplies– We’ve been working from home long enough to know what we actually need. Be honest.
Cleaning supplies– Once again, we all have our favorites. If it has a funky smell, or doesn’t really do the job, trash it!
Returns– Take a day to really take back all those returns cluttering your car and counters.
Old “projects”– I definitely have some projects that I have started but haven’t finished (quarantine Jessica is very different than current Jessica). Make a choice and either finish it or let it go.
BONUS- holiday decor! I mention this in my Halloween decor YouTube video, but I like to keep my decor within a certain number of bins in my garage. If I get too purchase happy and theres too much decor, I have to declutter enough to fit in the bins. As we head into the holiday season, this is a great tip to keep things at bay.