The first one is to get my house in gear. While having one of my nightly Pinterest perusing rituals - which means I sit in the dark, in my bed, The Hubs snoring away next to me - I came across a series of posts form Jenn over at Clean and Scentsible about getting your house organized over the course of a year. And how excited was I that she decided to start this series all over again for 2015?! Um, SO FREAKING EXCITED! And I am sharing this post with my you because it's just so very simple and basic, it's ingenious. So, here's her post for the 2015, 31 Day Household Declutter/Detox. Give it a read, schedule out each day, and let's all get our houses sorted out over this year! And please, give her some love while you are at it!
So who is ready to make 2015 the most organized year ever?
The Household Organization Diet is back again for 2015!! Whether you need to organize a little or a lot, this is the plan for you! If you are not familiar with The Household Organization Diet, it is best to start with this post HERE, but the basic plan is to thoroughly clean and organize one room per month and develop some simple organization habits to help you stay organized once you get there. I will have a monthly to-do list with free printables and tons of inspirational ideas to help you out along the way, so I hope you will join me!
Once again, we will once again be starting things off with a 31 day decluttering challenge to clear all of that obvious unwanted and unused “stuff” out of your life. Think of it as a detox diet for your house to jumpstart your decluttering and organization habits. For the next month we will be doing a quick rundown of our homes and getting rid of at least 10 items per day {I’m actually aiming for 20+ so don’t let this limit you!} We will be going more thoroughly through each room during the year so we are not going to be doing any time consuming projects and re-organizing during this time. Just 15 minutes per day – anywhere you would like.
This year I have set up a daily plan to cover pretty much every area of your house. Feel free to follow along or pick and choose what areas of your home need the most work. For extra cluttered spots, you may want to spend 2 or 3 days going through things and skip some of the other tasks. It is all up to you!
Just a few tips before you get started…
- Remember that this is just a quick decluttering. We have a whole year of organization ahead of us so don’t get burned out now!
- Stay focused. If you have a lot of decluttering to do, it can be easy to get overwhelmed. Just remember – it is only 15 minutes and it is only one small space. Pull out only what you have time for. You don’t want a bigger mess in the end than what you started with!
- Have a donate bin {or two!} handy. Trust me. You will probably be making multiple trips down to Goodwill this month. Have a bin or tote {and garbage bag!} nearby when you are decluttering to sort out all of your items that you will be getting rid of as you come to them.
- Don’t let perfection get in the way. Again, this is a quick decluttering. Spend all of your timegetting rid of things and we will be coming back to make things look pretty later.
- If you come across items that belong elsewhere when you are decluttering, put them away where they belong!
Here is the plan for the month…
Day 1: Paperwork.
Do you have a pile of paperwork {or two?} collecting on your kitchen counter or in your home office? Go through bills, receipts, and any other paperwork, tossing {or shredding} what you don’t need and sorting whatever is left over into its proper location.
Do you have a pile of paperwork {or two?} collecting on your kitchen counter or in your home office? Go through bills, receipts, and any other paperwork, tossing {or shredding} what you don’t need and sorting whatever is left over into its proper location.
Day 2: Front entry way and coat closet/mudroom.
Donate any coats, shoes, or accessories that you no longer use. If you are short on space, put items that are out of season into storage somewhere else in your home.
Donate any coats, shoes, or accessories that you no longer use. If you are short on space, put items that are out of season into storage somewhere else in your home.
Day 3: Purse.
Empty out all garbage and items that you do not use regularly. Use a small pouch to hold make-up and other essentials that can easily be transferred from purse to purse.
Empty out all garbage and items that you do not use regularly. Use a small pouch to hold make-up and other essentials that can easily be transferred from purse to purse.
Day 4: Cleaning supplies.Go through your cleaning supplies {wherever they may be!} and get rid of all of those products that you don’t use. Try to use multipurpose cleaners or green cleaning products whenever possible. If you have multiple partially filled bottles of the same product, combine them into one bottle. Toss any old rags or cloths that are at the end of their use.
Day 5: Fridge and Freezer.Remove all items from that are expired or you know you will not use. Minimize packaging when possible to save space. Find other organization ideas HERE.
Day 6: Pantry and other dry food storage.Toss all items that are expired and get rid of anything that you know you will not use. Don’t forget to go through all of those spices too! Place items that will be expiring soon towards the front of the cupboard.
Day 7: Free for All.
This is your catch up day if you didn’t finish any of the above areas. If you are all caught up, pick the most cluttered area in your home to go through.
This is your catch up day if you didn’t finish any of the above areas. If you are all caught up, pick the most cluttered area in your home to go through.
Day 8: Kitchen Cabinets.Look for any kitchen items that you do not use or have room for. Ensure that all Tupperware has matching lids and eliminate as many unnecessary kitchen gadgets, cookbooks, and utensils as you can. You can see how ours are organized HERE.
Day 9: Medicine Cabinet/First Aid Supplies.
Medicine is actually best stored outside of the bathroom in a cool, dry place out of the reach of children. Go through all medications and look for items that are expired or that you no longer need. Return expired medications to your local pharmacy for proper disposal. Find more ideas HERE.
Medicine is actually best stored outside of the bathroom in a cool, dry place out of the reach of children. Go through all medications and look for items that are expired or that you no longer need. Return expired medications to your local pharmacy for proper disposal. Find more ideas HERE.
Day 10: Dining Area.Commit to keeping your table clutter free. Find storage solutions for all items that frequently find their way to the table. Donate any dishes, serving ware, or other items that you do not use.
Day 11: Entertainment Area.Make sure all CDs, DVDs etc are in their proper cases and evaluate what you really will use. Music and videos are so easily accessible through our computers and mobile devices, that your CDs and DVDs may be a thing of the past.
Day 12: Magazines and Books.Let go of your magazine hoarding and get rid of any outdated editions. Cut out pages that you would like to keep and sort into a filing system. Recycle or donate old books that you will no longer read and sort the rest in a logical order.
Day 13: Junk drawer.Get rid of everything that is not needed. If you have time, use inexpensive plastic containers to store similar items together. Put items that belong elsewhere away.
Day 14: Free for All.
This is your catch up day if you didn’t finish any of the above areas. If you are all caught up, pick the most cluttered area in your home to go through.
This is your catch up day if you didn’t finish any of the above areas. If you are all caught up, pick the most cluttered area in your home to go through.
Day 15: Desk.File away any needed paperwork and shred remaining papers. Sort smaller office supplies and only keep products that you use. Get rid of those 2014 calendars!
Day 16: Bathroom cabinets.Go through all beauty products and keep only what you really use. Do you really need all of those hotel shampoo bottles?
Day 17: Linen closet.Donate any linens that you no longer use that are still in good condition. Toss any items that are really dingy or have holes.
Day 18: Make-up.Toss anything that is expired, cracked or no longer your style. Pick your favorites and get rid of those other 10 lipstick tubes that you never wear! To find out more about the recommended shelf-life for various make-up, check out this post on how to organize your makeup.
Day 19: Jewellery.Sort through all of your jewellery and decide what items you still wear. Donate or toss the rest! If anything you would like to keep needs cleaning or repairs, put them aside to take care of as soon as you can.
Day 20: Bedroom closet.Sort through all clothing and ask yourself if you would still buy it today. If not, it is time for it to go!
Day 21: Free for All.
This is your catch up day if you didn’t finish any of the above areas. If you are all caught up, pick the most cluttered area in your home to go through.
This is your catch up day if you didn’t finish any of the above areas. If you are all caught up, pick the most cluttered area in your home to go through.
Day 22: Sock and underwear drawer.Go through all of those socks and underwear. Make sure you have matching socks with no holes and only keep what you still wear.
Day 23: Nightstand.Clear off table top and sort through drawers keeping only what you would need before bed or during the night.
Day 24: Kids’ Toys.This is always a fun one. Sort through toys to see what your kids still use {and have your kids help out on this one if they are old enough}. Check to see that toys have all parts and are in working order before donating or selling. Toss the rest!
Day 25: Kids’ Closets
Check to see what clothes still fit and donate the old ones or sort them into a labeled storage bin if you are saving them for younger children.
Check to see what clothes still fit and donate the old ones or sort them into a labeled storage bin if you are saving them for younger children.
Day 26: Craft space.Be ruthless and really evaluate what items you still need and use. Schools will often take extra supplies that you are looking to get rid of.
Day 27: Laundry Room.Sort through cupboards for any laundry products that are old or not used. Toss any unpaired socks that are hanging around.
Day 28: Free for All.
This is your catch up day if you didn’t finish any of the above areas. If you are all caught up, pick the most cluttered area in your home to go through.
This is your catch up day if you didn’t finish any of the above areas. If you are all caught up, pick the most cluttered area in your home to go through.
Day 29: Basement.Chances are this is one of the biggest source of clutter. Set a timer and try to get rid of as many items as possible. Use large storage totes to store seasonal items together.
Day 30: Garage.This one is also a big clutter offender. Again, set a timer and collect as many items as you can that you no longer use or need.
Day 31: Car.Grab two bags – one for garbage and one for anything that needs to go back in the house. Put everything away in its proper place that you bring back into the house.
Since there is always more strength in numbers, I would love for you guys to join me on Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook for some daily organization inspiration and support. And, if you add the hashtag #OrganizationDiet to your post, all we will need to do is search the hashtag for instant organization ideas! As much as I love Facebook, the changes that they have made have made it very difficult for me to stay connected with you guys there, so please interact with the posts {like it, comment, or share} if you would like to actually see them in your feed. Otherwise, Facebook will just keep it to themselves. 
Okay, so are you ready to begin? I promise that it will be worth the effort in the end!
**This post is part of my Household Organization Diet series. You can join in anytime – just start with these two posts here and here. If you are looking for past projects, you can find them all on my Pinterest board.**
Happy Organizing!
