When you’re first learning how to declutter, decluttering quickly can feel like a pipe dream. Whether you’re following a decluttering challenge or getting your home company-ready, these tips for how to declutter really fast are essential to creating (and keeping) a clean home.
How Long Does it Take to Declutter a House?
The decluttering process can be a long and laborious task. It’s easy to get overwhelmed, especially when you have a large or very cluttered home.
Considering that it recently took me four HOURS just to declutter my daughter’s bedroom, I completely understand how decluttering can take a long time – as well as the desire to do it a little more quickly if you’re in a hurry.
A 30-Day Decluttering Challenge is a stress-free way to declutter.
However, if you’re moving, hosting an upcoming holiday or party, you can follow a shorter decluttering plan, like a Weekend Warrior Declutter Challenge.
Note: you can get a printable workbook to finish the 30-Day Decluttering Challenge, as well as the Weekend Warrior Declutter Challenge, in the Conquer Your Chaos Decluttering Bundle.
That said, even as you follow a decluttering plan, it’s possible to declutter quickly and minimize the stress in the process.
In order to do this, you will need to make sure that you have a plan of action before getting started. This plan should include everything from what you want to keep and what you want to get rid of all the way down to which rooms need clearing out first.
How Can I Declutter My House in a Day?
There are many different ways to declutter your home, but the most common strategy is to work in sections.
You can choose a room of the house or just one area.
If you have more than one area that you want to declutter, start with the most visible area first, such as the entryway or kitchen.
Next, identify a place where you can store everything that you want to keep. This will help you decide how much space you have (and how much you can keep).
As you declutter, you should separate the items into piles of trash, donate or sell, and keep.
However, make a decision immediately. Some decluttering experts suggest that you should create a “decide later” pile, and while that might work when you’re taking your time to declutter, it’s actually a terrible idea if you’re an overthinker or if you’re trying to declutter in a hurry.
Instead, adopt a “touch it once” principle and make your decisions quickly and ruthlessly.
Declutter a Room in 30 Minutes
If you’re ever in a rush to declutter, start by removing the trash. Things that are old, broken, or just plain useless take up a lot of space in your home.
If you have a lot of items that qualify as trash, it can be overwhelming to figure out where to start. The best place to begin is with the trash in order to get a clean slate and clear up some space.
Once you’ve removed the trash, attack the most visible areas. This will help build momentum and motivate you to complete the process. While it may be tempting to start with a cluttered junk drawer or out-of-the-way closet, you’ll make your home appear cleaner faster if you start with the area that most people see.
On a side note, sign up for the FREE 30-day decluttering email challenge to get a daily email with a simple 15-minute task to declutter your entire home within a month.
Quick Decluttering Hacks to Speed Up the Decluttering Process
- Follow a decluttering plan, like the 30-Day Decluttering Challenge or Weekend Warrior Decluttering Guide to stay focused.
- Don’t remove everything at once. You’ll quickly get overwhelmed, and you’ll also create a bigger mess.
- Have your supplies ready before you start. At a minimum, you’ll need a large trash bag (I like these sturdy contractor bags). You may also want to put items to donate in a box so it doesn’t get mistaken for trash.
- Put items away as soon as possible. If you’re trying to declutter in 30 minutes or less, place items that need to go to another room in a pile. However, if you have longer, like an entire day, put things where they belong immediately.
- Do not set items aside to “decide later.” If you’re trying to declutter quickly, be ruthless and make a decision once instead of prolonging the decision and creating more “brain fatigue” for yourself.
- Decluttering is a process that should be done on an ongoing basis. This way, we can avoid that terrible feeling of having clutter everywhere in our home. The important thing is that we take the time to declutter every area in our homes – starting with the most visible areas and working our way through them until we reach the less visible ones.