hey everyone and welcome back today I
want to share with you 200 things that
you should declutter in 2020 and there
are so many great decluttering ideas
that I'm excited to share with you but
obviously 200 ideas is a lot to pack
into one video so instead I'm going to
be splitting it into two in this video
today we're going to be covering the
first 100 ideas for things that you can
do from your life and in the next video
we'll look at the other 100 and whether
you're looking to declutter your life or
become more minimalist my hope is that
these ideas motivate and inspire you on
how you might be able to live with us
before we get into this if you're here
for the first time hi my name is ashlynn
and I make videos every week on this
channel about simple and intentional
living so if you're looking for
decluttering inspiration or minimalist
lifestyle content be sure to hit that
subscribe button below alright well I
hope you're excited to dive into this I
know I am here are two hundred things to
declutter in 20 COAG okay let's start
off by talking about the living room
item number one is bulky media units and
not only do media units tend to be quite
oversized and take up a lot of space but
they're also often what I like to call
it clutter catchers meaning that they
store a lot of clutter that we should
perhaps focus on reducing my challenge
for you would be to declutter everything
that's on it and then maybe at that
point you can reduce the size of or get
rid of your media unit completely number
two is word signs and this is often one
of the biggest sources of visual clutter
in our home they are often
counterproductive to creating a visually
clean and relaxing environment so if you
have word signs I would at least reduce
if not get rid of them altogether this
can go a long way to helping your space
look clean and clutter-free number three
is magazines and if you have a large
collection of Vogue your National
Geographic magazines or simply if you
have a number of magazines that you've
been waiting to read but have never
gotten around to I recommend recycling a
lot of those magazines and of course the
same thing goes for newspapers as well
number four is ultra motes and often
will hold on to remotes long after we
stopped using or perhaps even owning the
electronics that they belong to so if
you have any old or unused remotes you
can just get rid of them number five is
excess coast
and I will often visit people to almost
have eight or more coasters for only two
people what I would suggest is to keep
one coaster for each person who lives in
the house plus maybe two extra for
company keep in mind if you're worried
about damaging furniture that things
like napkins can always be used as
coasters in opinion okay number six is
threadbare or stained rugs and rugs can
often be not only functional but
beautiful however if they're threadbare
or stained they aren't able to serve
that incredible purpose for you and it's
best just to get rid of them number
seven is unused video games and if there
are any games that you've either played
through or never fully plan on playing
you can either sell or donate these next
number eight is DVDs and if you have a
large DVD collection what I would do is
go through each one you have and ask
yourself will I ever watch this again if
the answer is no it's simply adding
clutter number nine is CDs and with
these you can digitize them I did this
several years ago with my CD collection
and now they're all housed on an
external hard drive and I have several
of them download it's my phone as well
number ten is decor pieces with no
meaning and while I'm definitely a big
proponent of decor that brings you joy
or has a great memory associated with it
if you have decor pieces that were maybe
buy at a box store that don't
necessarily have any specific meaning
attached to them I would ask yourself do
I truly love this item does it spark joy
for me if it doesn't I would consider to
cluttering it because after all isn't
the entire purpose of decor to bring us
joy eleven is unused couches and chairs
furniture is meant to serve a practical
purpose so if it isn't being used I
would consider selling number 12 is TVs
and while a TV can be a great source of
entertainment and enjoyment having
multiple TVs often serves as a
distraction from our desire to live an
intentional life so if you have multiple
TVs scattered throughout the house try
going down to just one number 13 is
unused for games if you love and
regularly use board games that's
fantastic keep them but if you have any
of that you're probably never going to
play or maybe
and once and haven't touched since
consider if it might be time to get rid
of them along the same lines number 14
is games with missing pieces if a game
is missing crucial pieces making it so
that you can't play it's probably time
to let go of that game and then number
15 is often housed in the same place as
board games but if you have puzzles that
either you're never going to do again
you're never going to complete in the
first place or they're missing too many
pieces for you to really get the
satisfaction of completing a puzzle you
might want to get rid of those keep in
mind the fact that you simply may not be
a puzzle person if you don't get
enjoyment from completing puzzles you
might not want to hold on to
16 is knickknacks from travel and I
would ask yourself does that Florida
Dolphin sculpture actually remind you of
a memory or did you simply buy it
because you felt like you had to come
back with a souvenir while you were on
vacation if you don't love the souvenirs
you have and they're just collecting
dust those might be great candidates for
declaring number 17 is old posters that
are being used I'd recommend taking a
picture of each of those posters and
then getting rid of the physical items
if they aren't hung up now they probably
never will be and so there's no point
keeping them around number 18 is TD
clutter dead plants of course if it's
just drooping a little and something
that water can revive by all means go
ahead and nurse that plant back to life
but sometimes they're just a little bit
too far gone and if that's the case for
any plants in your life tactimon fine I
love this one number 19 is ugly plastic
plants if you have a hard time taking
care of live plants or you just prefer
plastic plants there's nothing wrong
with that
but if you have any that are past their
prime Michelle Lee say you might not
need those number 20 is coffee tables or
side tables that have no practical
purpose and having some kind of table in
your living area can be helpful as a
place to rest hot drinks or to put a
book down when you're finished reading
but the problem comes when we end up
having a coffee table and multiple side
tables just because when we're not
necessarily using all of this number 21
is uncomfortable throw blankets and I
really enjoy using blankets too
up in at night they're cozy they're warm
there's something very few yet about
them but if you have uncomfortable throw
blankets in your living room chances are
you are not going to be using those to
snuggle up and given that's the case I
would just declutter any uncomfortable
throw blankets you might have number 22
is burned-out candles and I don't know
about you but I have a tendency to hold
on to candles thinking that I can get
just five extra minutes of burn out of
them when realistically they're
definitely burned out yes they might be
beautiful but if the candle has burned
out it ceases to be practical and on a
similar note number 23 is candles that
you don't like the smell of obviously
our relative enjoyment of scents is
highly individual and so if you have a
perfectly good candle that you simply
don't like the smell of I consider
giving it to a friend I'm sure they'd
appreciate it 24 is a great one and that
is non-functional throw pillows throw
pillows should ideally serve a purpose
in providing us back or lumbar support
so if you have way more throw pillows
than you actually need
or perhaps you use them for purely
decorative purposes I would consider
whether or not they might simply be
adding to the visual clutter in your
home let's talk about books number 25 is
books that you have read and do not plan
on rereading this one's pretty
straightforward if you don't plan on
using it again it's just adding clutter
number 26 is books that you've never
read and don't plan to read it was this
one I asked you to be critical with
yourself is there a book that maybe
you've been putting off for your three
or five or more years saying I'll get
around to reading it someday if it's
been waiting that long someday they
never actually come and so you might
want to get rid of those books number 27
is bookshelves that aren't practical
bookshelves are designed to store books
but oftentimes I'll see bookshelves that
can hold maybe ten books on them so I
would start off by getting rid of any
bookshelves that aren't practical but
then once you've done that ask yourself
if you might be able to reduce the
number of bookshelves that you have once
you've gone through and decluttered some
of those books that you're never
planning on reading or reading okay
let's move on now and talk about that
room number 28 is flat pillows and old
pillows that have gone flat and lost
their poofiness our recipe for back and
neck pain if you often feel a lot of
pain when you first wake up in the
morning it might actually be your pillow
that's the problem and it's time to
replace 29 is unused or bulky dressers
and not only do these pieces of
furniture tend to take up a lot of space
in our bedrooms often they're not the
most efficient way of storing our
clothing and if you have one of those
big dressers I would see if you can
reduce the amount of clothing you have
to the point where either you don't need
it or there might be a smaller and more
compact solution that might work better
for you in trying to store your clothing
number 30 is vanities you don't use and
I feel like these often come in sets
with those larger dressers but if you
have a vanity that you don't actively
use it's simply adding clutter and
taking up valuable space number 31 is
extra sheets and I know several people
who have 3 plus pairs of sheets for
every bed that they have in their home
in my opinion you really don't need that
many what I would do is keep one pair of
sheets for every bed that you have in
the home Plus maybe an extra in case
you're washing the laundry or anything
like number 32 is to declutter your
alarm clock if you use your alarm clock
to tell when you need to get up every
single day that's fantastic
keep it but if you don't consider
whether or not you actually need it I
feel like so many of us have made guilty
of this at one point or another but
number 33 is to declutter that accent
chair that just collects clothing if you
have a chair that just tends to
accumulate clothing that can be a huge
source of visual clutter and it's best
just to get rid of it okay I have a few
for those of you who have children
number 34 is to get rid of outgrown or
unused toys the average kid today has
way more toys than they actually need or
realistically can play with and so as
you identify toys that either your child
who doesn't play with regularly or maybe
they've outgrown you can just put these
aside and declutter and then the same
goes for number 35 which is books but
your children have either outgrown or
don't particularly like rather than
accumulating them and causing clutter
just go through them and declutter
whatever ones they're no longer using
and then will lump number 36 and 37
together and that is clothing and
furniture that your children have
outgrown especially in those first few
years kids are growing rapidly and they
never seem to stay in clothing for
longer than a couple of months so just
make sure that you develop a regular
habit of going through and identifying
is there any clothing furniture or just
other general possessions related to
your children that might no longer be
relevant to them as they age number 38
is used up coloring books or art
supplies and a simple way about thinking
about this one is that if it's used up
it isn't useful number 39 is artwork and
I know that children's artwork can be
really meaningful to parents but rather
than keep every single drawing or
painting your child does my
recommendation is to keep only the best
of the best you can display and even
frame some of those items but don't feel
the need to hold on to all okay let's
move on now and talk about the kitchen
numbers 40 and 41 are unused blenders
and juicers and if you regularly make
juices or smoothies by all means hold
onto these items but if you can't
remember the last time you got out your
juicer or got out your blender they
aren't actually helping you and so I
would either donate them or give them to
someone who actually can use them number
42 is weird kitchen gadgets and if you
have a device that's meant specifically
to take the heads off of strawberries
are the pits off of avocados consider
whether or not you actually need those
items often a simple knife does the
trick just as well and getting rid of
these weird kitchen gadgets can really
go a long way towards reducing clutter
in this area in the same vein 43 is
duplicate kitchen utensils and if you
have two potato mashers or three pairs
of salad tongs I would just go through
the kitchen utensils you have and remove
any duplicates that you don't need
number 44 is excess fridge magnets and
if you have a lot of fridge magnets that
aren't
actually being used what they're doing
is creating visual clutter and making
your kitchen look more messy than it
actually might be 45 is nice some day
types of appliances this might be a
panini press waffle maker an airfryer
there are certain kitchen appliances
that aren't very versatile in the sense
that there's really only one or two
things that you can really use them for
if you have any such punching appliances
that you aren't using regularly ask
yourself whether or not it's worth
holding on 46 is awkward sized pots and
pans most of us tend to have a select
number of pots and pans that we enjoy
and use regularly those ones are easy
keeps but if you have any of that our
awkward sizes or that are just a little
bit difficult to use you probably aren't
using them and thus don't actually need
them 47 is extra baking sheets and if
you've accumulated several of these over
the years keep only those that are the
most practical and most used by you 48
it's cookbooks and if you have some
cookbook that you use regularly and
reference often definitely keep those
but if you have any that are collecting
dust or that you don't reach for
regularly donate them or give them to a
friend 49 is excess jars and containers
with this one keep what you actually
need and will use and get rid of the
rest and the number 50 we are halfway
through is extra bases consider how many
of these you use regularly maybe it's
one maybe it's multiple maybe it's none
and then just keep the appropriate
amount that's in relation to how much
you actually use them number 51 is cheap
or dull knives and these are really just
a pain to work with it so if you have
any old cheap or dull knives I would
definitely get rid of these and if
needed consider buying one high quality
knife that you can use for years
number 52 is too many or broken reusable
bottles
I love reusable bottles and use my Klean
Kanteen all the time but if you have
most poles or perhaps you have old ones
that are no longer working they're
broken you don't need to hold on to more
than you need 53 is matches and if you
have matches that you don't use you
don't actually need them 54 is cracked
or broken dishes and I'm not saying that
if you get a small chip on a plate that
you need to immediately declutter it
you have dishes with groin cracks or
glassware of any kind that has chips and
it you'll definitely want to get rid of
these number 55 is ice cube trays you
don't use and if you don't have an ice
maker built into your fridge then
obviously these serve a practical
purpose but if you have an ice cube
maker built into your fridge most likely
you're not actually using that ice cube
trays that you own and you can let go of
them 56 is single-use plastic straws and
not only can these be harmful to the
environment
realistically they're unnecessary if you
have them I would use up what you
currently have and then just refrain
from repurchasing them and then on the
other side of the coin number 57 is
excess reusable straws keep the number
that you realistically are going to use
and get value from but then don't hold
on to any excess reusable straws just
because they're sustainable 58 is
discolored or too many old mugs yes many
of them might be sentimental but I would
encourage you just to keep the best of
the best fifty-nine is excess or
mismatched cutlery and with this one I
always think of that random fork that
everyone want to own that matches none
of the rest of their cutlery that
somebody left behind at their home one
day and they've held on to for far too
long
so if you have any mismatched cutlery I
would go ahead and donate those items
and the same thing goes for if you have
too much cutlery as well number 60 is
your China collection and if you have
one of these and don't regularly or at
least semi regularly use the China you
own it might be time either to donate it
or to pass it along to someone who
actually will use it next number 61 is
past their prime sponges and if like me
you have a tendency to hold on to
dishwashing sponges far past their prime
use this video as your encouragement to
replace that old sponge okay number 62
is mismatched storage container storage
containers can be a great way of saving
food so that you can then eat it later
but if you have lids that don't match
the containers or vice versa those items
aren't actually useful to you and so I
would just to clutter those items number
63 is take out food paraphernalia so
this might include chopsticks little
sauce packets plastic cutlery throw out
or recycle any takeout food paraffin
you might have in your home and number
64 is a very closely related one a nice
takeout menus nowadays you can look up
restaurants view their menus and order
all online which really makes these
menus irrelevant 65 is stained or worn
out tea towels if an item is worn out
it's important that we recognize that
and learn to move on 66 is placemats and
I have a simple question for you do you
actually use your place - if you do
great keep them but if you don't I would
strongly consider decluttering your
placemats
okay that covers the kitchen let's look
at the pantry next number 67 is to
declutter unused spices sometimes we'll
hold on to these spices just in case but
chances are you're never actually going
to need these spices and if you don't
like the flavor of them why would you
want to hold on to them anyways
68 is expired foods and this one is
extremely straightforward if something
has gone bad you're not going to eat it
and it's just adding clutter number 69
is foods that you've tried but don't
like and it can feel wasteful of getting
rid of food that we don't like but if we
don't enjoy something we're not actually
going to eat it most of the time which
means that what often happens is that we
just wait for it to go bad and then get
rid of it at that point instead of
loving that happen I would see if
there's a friend or family member who
likes that I know that you might be able
to give it number 70 is condiments or
sauces that you only used once it can be
easy to accumulate way more condiments
then we actually need I would keep the
ones that you used regularly or at least
semi regularly but if there is any that
you bought for one specific dish and
haven't used in months or years I would
get rid of those items 71 is old candy
and although candy does tend to have a
longer shelf life than other foods after
a while it does go stale and at that
point you're not going to enjoy eating
it 72 is freezer-burned foods and I
don't know if you've ever tried eating
freezer-burned ice cream but it isn't
good don't let it stay in your freezer
waiting for the magical day when you
suddenly feel like you can freeze or
burn food you're not going to enjoy it
it's
kind of wrecked at this point and it's
time to just talk about this little off
and then number 73 and 74 really go
together and that is excess or expired
medication after a while medications
tend to lose their potency so if either
you have too many of a specific type of
medication ones that you don't use or
that don't really work well for you or
perhaps any that have expired and gone
bad I would get rid of those okay we're
getting to the end of this one let's
move on now and talk about the bathroom
number 75 is makeup that's the wrong
shade if you have tinted moisturizers or
foundations that are too dark or too
light for your skin tone it isn't going
to look natural but likewise if you have
any eyes shadows blushes or bronzers
that don't match your skin or that your
complexion in general I wouldn't hold on
to those either
number 76 is expired makeup there is no
point in keeping gloopy or clumpy makeup
that's gone past it's expiration date
number 77 is empty products and I think
when we get to that last little bit of
makeup or skincare products we tend to
hold on to it because it's not
technically emptied so my suggestion is
to just use up the rest of that bottle
that last little bit and then at that
point declutter guide number 78 is
makeup brushes that are worn out in the
same way that you need to replace your
toothbrush every once in a while because
the bristles get frayed and no longer as
effective at brushing your teeth same
thing goes for makeup brushes if you
have any that are frayed and that aren't
working the way that they're designed to
work anymore you can declutter those
items 79 is any makeup items that you
haven't worn in the past month makeup is
great only so long as you're actually
using the products that you have alright
number 80 is expired or unused sunscreen
once again sunscreen like many other
items loses its potency once it's
expired and when it comes to protecting
our skin we
really don't want that to happen so just
double check those expiration dates on
your sunscreen number 81 is skin care
products that don't work for your skin
type if you try something thinking that
it might work for you but it happens not
to there's no point in keeping something
that's going to break you out make you
oily or otherwise just not work for your
skin number 82 is exfoliator scrubs and
serums I'm a big believer in less is
more when it comes to skin care find
which products work for you and work
well for you but once you find something
that you like stick to it 83 is broken
bobby pins or hair ties and this is
pretty straightforward if it's broken
it's unusable and so you shouldn't
necessarily have these lying around 84
it is duplicate or broken hair tools and
if you have multiple curling irons maybe
a blow dryer that doesn't work or too
many straightener and figure out what
you actually use and what you need and
you can keep those items and declutter
the rest number 85 is hair products that
don't work for your hair type if you
bought maybe a hair spray or a gel or
mousse thinking that it would work for
your hair but in reality it didn't don't
let that item continue to cause clutter
in your home number 86 is gloopy or
dried-up nail polish trust me on this
one holding onto old nail polish is far
more effort than it's actually worth 87
is funky nail polish colors and if you
have any lime greens or bright blues
chances are you're probably never going
to use those if there are a few nail
polish shades that you like and use
regularly stick to those but don't hold
on to too many of those adventurous nail
polish colors number 88 is soaps or
moisturizers that you don't like the
scent of these are most likely
collecting dust somewhere in your
bathroom cabinet and so rather than
letting them continue to stay there and
act as clutter in your bathroom I'd
recommend passing them on to someone who
can actually use and enjoy them number
89 is travel-sized toiletries or samples
many of us hold on to far more of these
than we realistically can ever use No
how much we travel figure out if there
are any of those items that you're
actually going to use when traveling but
then for the rest either use them up or
get rid of them number 90 is old
toothbrushes and I love the piece of
advice someone gave me once and it's
that you only need two toothbrushes one
for your teeth and one for cleaning
number 91 is old air fresheners and
after a while the scent and air
fresheners tends to go a little bit
funky
at which point it's no longer you're
actually going to be freshening your air
and it's more of a distraction and a
hindrance than anything else
number 92 is a shower caddy especially
if you tend to bathe in a tub or shower
with built-in ledges consider the fact
that if you reduce the number of
products you use when you shower you
might not actually need to keep your
shower caddy number 93 is threadbare
towels and towels are purely practical
item once they become threadbare they're
no longer able to be effectively used
for the purpose that they were designed
for consider donating them to your local
animal shelter as they're often on the
look out for items like blankets towels
and old sheets that they can use for the
animals along the same lines number 94
is excess towels and washcloths a great
ratio that I found to work well
personally is to have one towel and
washcloth for each family member and
possible guests in the house so for
example my husband Christopher and I
live in our house and we can accommodate
up to four guests and so we have six
towels in our home number 95 is
duplicate brushes or combs and if you're
looking to cut down on clutter in the
bathroom getting rid of any duplicates
you have it can be a great place to
start
number 96 those old tweezers and
trimmers once tweezers become dull it
gets really painful to actually remove
the hair that you're attempting to
remove and if that's something you're
running into I would either try
sharpening the tweezers that you have or
replacing them number 97 is old perfume
perfume is designed to smell good but if
your perfume has lost its scent or if
that smell has gone a little bit funny
it's probably time to get rid of it and
the number 98 is perfume or cologne
cents but either don't match your body's
chemistry or simply that you don't like
the smell of at the
if the de perfume is a luxury and it
really isn't necessary so if you're
going to be wearing perfume better be
one that you enjoy and like okay just
two more left here number 99 is body
mist or body sprays although the initial
scent of body mists can often be
pleasant my issue with them is that it
tends to wear off after 15 maybe 30
minutes but it doesn't last and finally
number 100 is unused bathroom cleaning
supplies and maybe you have too many old
rags or toothbrushes or far more liquids
or sprays than you actually need
like I've shared so many times in this
video keep what you need and you use but
get rid of the rest all right well we
made it to the end of part 1 can you
believe that there's another 100 ideas
for things to declutter that we have
left to talk about we haven't even
touched on your closet pets your office
and so many other areas yet so I'm
excited to dive into all of those topics
with you in the next video but before we
wrap up today I did just want to make
you aware of a couple of resources I've
put together for you first off if you're
coming away from this video thinking
that's great but how on earth am I
supposed to remember all of those ideas
I've put together a free PDF checklist
for you that walks through every single
one of the 200 ideas that I'm sharing in
these videos I'll leave that linked up
in the description box below as well as
in the comments so definitely be sure to
check that out and then second if you're
in the process of decluttering your home
right now I definitely recommend
checking out my book the simple guide to
declutter in your home it will help you
to learn some of the top decluttering
mistakes to avoid how to decide what to
keep versus what to get rid of as well
as gives you some of my best tips on how
to accelerate your decluttering journey
so you can transform your space from
chaos to calm and again I'll have the
e-book linked up for you in the
description box below all right well
that is everything I have for you for
today's video I know this is a longer
one and the next one probably will be as
well but I hope you enjoyed it and then
it gave you some valuable inspiration
that you can use to declutter your life
and simplify your home like I mentioned
at the beginning if you're here for the
first time and you haven't already be
sure to hit that subscribe button below
for my simple and intentional living
content
at you twice finally be sure to follow
me on Instagram I am at Ashland Eaton on
there but that's everything for today's
video stay tuned for part two where
we'll be discussing the other 100 ideas
for things you can do clutter I hope you
guys enjoyed this one though thank you
so much for watching and I'll see you in
the next one