Winter Decluttering — New Year, Less Clutter!

Is the clutter piling up in your kitchen, bedroom, and bathrooms? Our easy tips make decluttering these rooms a breeze.

eHow may earn compensation through affiliate links in this story. Learn more about our affiliate and product review process here.
Image Credit: Jessica Kielman

After the holidays, both your life and your home can feel a bit overwhelming. Once the holiday decor has been put away, it's the perfect time to do a little winter decluttering. The new year is a great time to reset, clean your home, and start the year more organized and at peace. The great thing about decluttering is once you clean and organize one small area of your home, you'll be motivated to declutter more of your spaces.

Advertisement

Decluttering Your Kitchen

Video of the Day

The kitchen is the heart of the home, and it seems to gather the most clutter. Whether it be a pileup of utensils in drawers, spices that have accumulated over time, or the area under and around your sink, it always seems to get messy the quickest. If you tackle one area at a time, you'll be able to get your kitchen clean and decluttered in no time!

Video of the Day

Clean Your Sink Area

The best place to start to declutter your kitchen is your kitchen sink and the area under it, where you most likely store your cleaning supplies. To start, remove everything on and around your sink and give your sink a good scrubbing. You can use this easy DIY sink scrub to get your sink clean and scratch-free.

Advertisement

Once the area is clean, only put back the things you really need and use often, like dish liquid, scrub brushes, and sink drain stoppers. House them in pretty dishes and use a nice reusable soap pump to give the area an extra-clean look.

Image Credit: Jessica Kielman

Next, clean the area under your sink and organize your cleaning supplies. You can use inexpensive stackable drawers to house your sponges, dish towels, scrubbers, and even your dishwasher pods. A stacked sliding shelf works great to hold all of your cleaning sprays and scrubs. Place a small plastic storage bin in your cabinet to corral any taller items that are left over, like trash bags and disinfectant wipes.

Advertisement

Image Credit: Jessica Kielman

Organize Kitchen Utensils

Decluttering and organizing your kitchen utensils will make cooking so much easier. There isn't much that's worse than trying to cook dinner and having to rifle through a drawer to find the right utensil.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Once a year, it's a good idea to pull out all of your utensils and small kitchen gadgets and really think about which ones you actually use. It's easy to let these things pile up and then realize that they are so buried that you don't actually use them. Discard or donate any kitchen utensils you don't use and organize the ones you do use so you can find them easier. Place frequently used utensils in a pretty crock beside your stove for quick access.

Advertisement

Image Credit: Jessica Kielman

Store infrequently used utensils in a drawer, using drawer dividers to keep like items together so you can find what you need quickly without having to dig through them.

Advertisement

Image Credit: Jessica Kielman

Organize Spices and Oils

Kitchen oils and spices can pile up in your cabinets or on your countertop and cause a cluttered and sometimes sticky mess. They can also become expired after a while, and it's not something you may notice. It's a good idea to pull out these items once every six months, check expiration dates, and freshen them up.

Advertisement

Store spices in clearly labeled jars and corral them together on cabinet shelves or in a basket or bin to keep them from spilling and to keep them easy to find and use.

Advertisement

Image Credit: Jessica Kielman

Store oils in clear, labeled bottles for ease of use. To keep them nearby but off your counter, use magnetic shelves that stick to your refrigerator. These are great for freeing up counter space while allowing you to see what you have available. You can also store kosher salt and pepper for cooking in small, stackable crocks to keep them handy.

Organize Your Refrigerator and Freezer

Giving your refrigerator and freezer a good cleaning and decluttering every once in a while makes putting meals together so much easier. Setting zones for snack foods, drinks, and other like items makes it easier for kids and adults to find what they need without spills and messes. Once your refrigerator and freezer are clean, you'll be able to plan meals, pack lunches, and grocery shop more efficiently.

Image Credit: Jessica Kielman

Decluttering Your Bedroom

The bedroom is likely the second-most cluttered room in the home. It's easy to just toss unwanted items in there and let things pile up because it's not the main living area of your home. Taking some time to clean your bedroom and remove some of the clutter will allow you to rest better in a less chaotic space, which is something we all need.

Advertisement

Start by putting away any clothes, shoes, or other items that may be lying around. Once your clothes are put away, take inventory of what you actually wear and use. A good rule of thumb is: If you haven't worn it in a year, you probably aren't going to wear it.

Once you thin out your wardrobe and remove items that you aren't actually wearing, you'll be surprised at how much easier it is to keep your space clean and organized, and you'll be able to put outfits together more easily. This is also a good time to let go of items that don't fit. Go through each item and make piles of keep and donate/sell based on how you feel about each item. If you don't love it, let it go!

Image Credit: Jessica Kielman

Declutter Your Jewelry

Jewelry can get really messy. If you have missing earrings, necklaces that are tangled together, or watches that are piled in a drawer, go through them and declutter.

Toss earrings that don't have matches, untangle those necklaces, and organize your jewelry so you can see what you have. Donate any items you don't wear that aren't sentimental or of value to you, and give the jewelry you do love a place to shine. Places like HomeGoods, T.J. Maxx, and Amazon sell wonderful, inexpensive jewelry storage, like bracelet racks, necklace stands, and watch holders.

Image Credit: Jessica Kielman

Declutter Your Bathrooms

Bathrooms can also get pretty overrun with items like toiletries, hair tools, and makeup. Cleaning and disposing of unused or mostly empty toiletries will help clear up space and keep your bathroom from being overrun with clutter.

Giving each item a designated place to be stored will help keep your bathroom clean and clutter-free. Store makeup that is frequently used in a makeup storage organizer and place less frequently used makeup in baskets or drawers. Place frequently used hair tools and sprays in separate baskets on a shelf and teach yourself to put them away after each use.

The same goes for medicines and vitamins. Safely dispose of any expired items and store them away from children and pets.

Need some help getting started on your bathroom? Check out our tips for speed cleaning your bathroom.

Advertisement