How to Declutter Your Home Room by Room

Decluttering your home can feel much easier when you stop looking at the whole house as one project. When you declutter room by room, you can focus on one space at a time and make decisions based on how that particular room is used.

This room-by-room guide will help you look more closely at each area of your home, notice what may no longer belong there, and make thoughtful decisions about what stays.

Each room has a different purpose. A kitchen has different needs than a bedroom, and a bathroom collects different types of clutter than a home office. Looking at one room at a time makes the process easier to manage and gives you a clearer idea of what belongs.

My advice is not to feel like you have to declutter the whole room at once. I usually choose the space that makes the most sense for the time I have, work through it completely, and then decide where I want to go next.

Before You Start Decluttering Room by Room

Before you begin, choose a room or section you can realistically finish with the time and energy you have available.

As you work, decide what to do with each item: keep, donate, sell, or trash. Then organize what remains and give everything leaving the space a clear next step before moving on.

If you want a little more help with the process itself, start with 7 Easy Decluttering Tips to Help You Get Started. It walks through the approach I use at home and can help you make the project more manageable before you begin working through each room.

1. Entryway

Entryways collect things quickly because they are the first place we drop what comes in the door.

Ours is not large and opens directly into the living room, so the closet, entryway table, and surrounding area all need to work hard without becoming cluttered.

I have found that our front closet stays much easier to manage when it only holds the footwear, coats, and jackets we are using for the current season. Shoe racks help keep footwear contained, a mat gives dirty boots a place to land, and baskets hold Zoe’s leashes and toys.

The toy basket needs a regular edit because it is one of those small areas that can fill up before you really notice.

The top of our entryway table stays fairly tidy because I touch it almost every day. The drawer is another story. When my husband empties his pockets, everything from receipts to small tools can end up there, so it needs to be decluttered more often.

Your entryway may look completely different depending on whether you live alone, have children or pets, are empty nesters, or are retired. The goal is the same: keep what you genuinely use near the door and remove anything that no longer needs to live there.

As you declutter your entryway, look at:

• coats and jackets that are out of season
• footwear you no longer wear
• bags and accessories
• pet items
• receipts and loose papers
• items that have been dropped there but belong somewhere else
• baskets or drawers that have become catch-alls

2. Living Room or Family Room

Not every living space collects clutter in the same way.

We have both a living room and a family room, and each one supports a different part of everyday life. Our living room is a quieter space where I like to read, and it is also a comfortable place to sit when we have guests. Because of how we use it, it rarely becomes very cluttered, although books, papers I am reading, or other things we set down can still collect if we do not put them away.

Our family room is different. That is where we watch television, relax, snack, and spend much of our casual time at home. Zoe is allowed on the furniture there, her toys make their way around the room, and everyday things tend to collect much faster.

Because we eat and snack in this space, dishes need to be picked up daily, or they can start to pile up. The television cabinet is another area worth decluttering from time to time, especially when cords, electronics, and remotes begin to multiply. There always seem to be more remotes than we actually need.

On the coffee table, I use a tray to corral the smaller things we want to keep within reach. It gives them a place to land without cluttering the whole surface.

A few areas worth checking include:

• anything that belongs in another room
• books, magazines, papers, and mail
• children’s toys and pet items
• remotes and electronics
• cords and accessories you no longer use
• decor that no longer feels right for the space
• baskets, drawers, or television cabinets that have become catch-alls

A living space does not need to stay clear to work well. It simply needs enough order that the things collecting there do not get in the way of how you want to use the room.

3. Kitchen

The kitchen is one of the larger areas to declutter, so I rarely try to do everything at once.

It is much easier to break the room into smaller projects. That might mean working through one section of drawers, all the drawers at once, the island, a bank of cabinets, or one storage area at a time.

Because the kitchen supports so much of everyday life, I want it to hold the things we actually use, whether that means items we reach for every day or pieces we use seasonally.

Food also needs a review. Go through pantry items, spices, canned goods, and anything else that may have been sitting for a while. Check expiration dates and dispose of anything that is no longer usable.

The area under the sink tends to need an edit more often than other areas in our home. It is one of those places where things can easily get pushed to the back or dropped in without much thought, so I like to empty it and give it a reset every once in a while.

When you work through the kitchen, pay attention to:

• drawers and utensils
• food storage containers and lids
• small appliances
• serving pieces and seasonal kitchen items
• pantry food, spices, and canned goods
• expired or unused products
• the area under the sink
• duplicate items you no longer need
• anything that belongs somewhere else

The kitchen does not need to be decluttered in one day to make a noticeable difference. Working through one section at a time can make the room easier to use without turning the whole space upside down.

4. Dining Room

Dining rooms can look very different depending on how much storage they include.

If you have a buffet, hutch, cabinet, or other storage furniture in the room, it is worth going through those areas regularly. Serving pieces, table linens, candles, extra dishes, and entertaining items can accumulate over time, especially when used only occasionally.

Our dining room is quite small and only has room for the table and chairs, so I keep most of our hosting essentials in a closet in my home office instead. Even though they are stored in another room, I still consider them part of the dining and gathering system and go through them from time to time.

Where you store these items matters less than whether they still fit the way you gather and entertain today.

Take a closer look at:

• table linens
• serving dishes and platters
• glassware and extra dishes
• candles and table decor
• seasonal entertaining pieces
• items stored in a buffet, hutch, or cabinet
• hosting pieces you no longer use
• anything that has been stored there simply because there was space

A smaller dining room may not need much decluttering at all. In that case, review these items wherever they are actually stored.

5. Bedroom

Bedrooms tend to collect a mix of clothing, personal items, papers, and the little things we set down at the end of the day.

One of the main ways we keep ours from becoming overloaded is by going through our clothes every season. My husband is not nearly as enthusiastic about this process as I am. He usually lies on the bed with his phone while I hold up each piece and wait for a keep-or-go decision. It may not be his favorite project, but it gets done because he knows it matters to me.

A seasonal review works well for us because it gives us a natural reason to look at what we are actually wearing, what still fits our lives, and what no longer needs to take up space.

Nightstands are another area worth checking regularly. Mine stays fairly organized because I have set it up around the things I use in my evening routine. My husband’s, on the other hand, can become a drop zone over time for receipts, mail, and all kinds of odds and ends. And that is okay because this process is not about being perfect.

If your nightstand tends to collect clutter too, my article Nightstand Organization Ideas shares the simple approach I use to keep mine working for my daily routine.

In the bedroom, review:

• clothing you no longer wear or want
• shoes and accessories
• jewelry you no longer wear
• nightstand drawers and surfaces
• papers, receipts, and mail
• dresser drawers
• extra or worn bedding
• items that belong in another room
• anything being stored in the bedroom simply because you have not decided where else it should go

The bedroom does not need to be cleared of everything, but it should make it easier to rest, get ready, and move through your daily routines free of unnecessary clutter getting in the way.

6. Bathroom

Bathrooms can hold a surprising amount for such a small space, especially once skincare, hair products, toiletries, towels, and backups begin to build up.

One important thing to check regularly is expiration dates. Go through the products in your drawers, cabinets, shower, and under the sink, and remove anything that is expired, dried out, or no longer used.

Linens are another category worth reviewing from time to time. Towels, facecloths, and other bathroom linens can wear out slowly, so it is easy to keep them longer than you intended. Decluttering gives you a good opportunity to decide what is still in good condition and what may need replacing.

As you go through the bathroom, check:

• expired or unused skincare and beauty products
• hair products and styling tools
• toiletries and backups
• medicine or personal-care products that need to be reviewed
• towels, facecloths, and other linens
• items stored under the sink
• duplicates you no longer need
• products you tried but no longer use
• anything that belongs somewhere else in your home

Once the things you no longer need are gone, it becomes much easier to see what you actually use and what deserves the most accessible storage.

7. Laundry Room

Laundry rooms can easily become a holding area for almost empty products, things you tried and did not like, and supplies you keep meaning to use.

Our laundry area shares space with a bathroom in the basement. When I declutter room by room, the laundry room is where I pay particular attention to nearly empty products, duplicates, and things we bought but never really used.

This is also a good place to check whether you are keeping products simply because they are there, rather than because they still fit your routine.

Look closely at:

• almost-empty containers
• products you bought but do not use
• duplicate laundry supplies
• stain removers and specialty products
• empty bottles or packaging
• worn cleaning cloths or laundry accessories
• hangers or baskets you no longer need
• anything that has turned the room into overflow storage

Keeping only the laundry products and tools you actually use makes the room easier to work in and leaves less for you to manage.

8. Home Office

Home offices can collect a mix of paperwork, technology, notebooks, supplies, and all the little tools that make working from home more enjoyable.

I love beautiful office supplies. I like having different colors of pens and highlighters, pretty paper, and the things that make sitting down to work feel more enjoyable. So I would never suggest reducing a collection simply for the sake of having less.

Instead, look at what you actually use, whether everything still works, and whether you have enough space to store it comfortably.

A good place to start is with:

• pens, markers, and highlighters that no longer work
• notebooks and paper you no longer need
• office supplies you no longer use
• cords, chargers, and older technology
• desk drawers and cabinets
• paperwork waiting to be sorted
• duplicate supplies that no longer make sense for your space
• anything that belongs somewhere else in your home

Paper can quickly become its own decluttering project, so I would not cover it all here. Decluttering Paperwork walks through that process in more detail.

A home office should have room for both the practical things you need and the supplies you genuinely enjoy using. The goal is not less for the sake of less.

9. Storage Areas

Storage areas can become overwhelming quickly because they often hold a little bit of everything.

Ours tends to get a good decluttering either before or after the holidays, depending on what else is going on. It works as a catch-all of sorts and holds our holiday decorations, seasonal decor, bulk products, suitcases, paper plates and cups, cleaning supplies, everyday tools, paint, batteries, the vacuum, mops, and other cleaning tools.

Because so many different categories live in one place, I find it much easier to work through the space in sections rather than trying to empty everything at once.

You might start with holiday decor, cleaning supplies, tools, or one shelving unit and finish that area before moving on.

Work through categories such as:

• seasonal and holiday decor you no longer use
• bulk products you no longer need
• suitcases and travel items
• disposable entertaining supplies
• cleaning products and tools
• paint and home-maintenance supplies
• batteries and small household supplies
• tools you no longer use
• broken or worn equipment
• anything that was stored there simply because there was nowhere else to put it

Storage areas do need to hold more than most rooms. You want to make sure the things you are storing are still useful, still wanted, and organized well enough that you can actually find them when you need them.

Decluttering One Room at a Time

You do not need to declutter your entire home in one weekend for the process to make a difference.

Start with the room that feels most useful to tackle right now, work through it at a pace that makes sense for you, and then move on when you are ready. Some spaces may take an hour. Others may need a weekend or a few smaller projects spread over time.

As you work through your home room by room, you may also start to notice past habits. Certain areas collect paperwork. Others become drop zones. Some need to be edited as your routines or the season changes.

That is where decluttering room by room becomes more than removing things. It helps you understand what each room needs to work well for the way you live today.

If you are just getting started, 7 Easy Decluttering Tips to Help You Get Started walks through the process I use to keep decluttering manageable. You can also read Decluttering Sentimental Items and Decluttering Paperwork when those areas need a little more time and thought.