In this article, I share my best quick decluttering hacks to help you learn how to declutter fast.
For many of us, decluttering slowly over months or even years is the way to go.
We may need time to process things and the emotions associated with them, and we might not be ready to lighten our load quickly.
Decluttering can take a lot of time, especially if we have accumulated years or even decades of clutter.
And there is nothing wrong with that.
But sometimes, we are in a situation where we need to see big results fast.
We want to get things done quickly, things that will have a huge impact on how our homes look and feel.
In this blog post, I share with you my best tips on how to declutter fast and speed up the simplifying process!
Why you may want to declutter fast
There are many reasons why you may need or want to declutter fast!
a. You’re moving houses
If you plan on moving houses in the next few months, decluttering fast is the best thing you can do to make your move as stress-free and smooth as possible.
They say moving is one of the most stressful things we can do.
So do yourself a favor and get rid of all the clutter in your home before moving!
And if you only have a few weeks left, you need to get to work now.
Follow these tips on how to declutter fast, and your move will be a lot easier, less stressful, and less tiring.
b. You need to make room for something else in your home
We all go through different seasons of life, which means that our needs change.
As a result, we often have to readjust our homes to better suit our needs.
For instance, you may need to declutter fast if you’ve just found out you are pregnant and need to turn a room into a nursery.
You may also have a roommate or a loved one moving in with you, meaning that you need to make space for them in your home.
Or maybe you want to turn your unused guest bedroom into a craft room or an area where you’ll be working out.
c. Guests are visiting
Sometimes, people say they’ll come over and visit us, and we start panicking because of the messes and clutter.
We want to declutter and tidy it all up to be able to welcome them as best as we can.
We also want them to feel calm and relaxed in our home.
d. For your mental health and sanity
Who said you needed to have a reason to declutter fast?
You may simply be fed up with all the clutter and how stressed and restless it makes you feel.
You may want to see big results quickly to finally feel better in your home.
To create a sanctuary where you can rest without thinking about all the things that need to get done.
Minimalism and decluttering have so many life-changing benefits, and you want to reap them as soon as possible!
How to declutter fast? 25 quick decluttering hacks
Decluttering fast and getting rid of the excess in your home quickly doesn’t have to be stressful, overwhelming, or time-consuming.
Follow these 25 quick decluttering hacks to declutter fast and efficiently!
1. Stop bringing things in
No matter how much we declutter in a day or how regularly we go through our things, we can’t make serious progress if we’re constantly bringing new stuff into our homes.
We can’t buy new things every week and expect to see big results and have a clutter-free home.
Slowing down our consumption is just as important, if not more, as getting rid of clutter.
Read more:
- How to want less and be happy about it?
- The 24 best questions to ask yourself before buying something
2. Visualize your ideal space
Visualizing your ideal space before and while decluttering is an easy way to get and stay motivated.
We know that to achieve that look, we need to get serious and finally let things go.
If you don’t know what your ideal space looks like, go on Pinterest and have a look at different interiors.
See what you like and imagine your home looking that way.
Does it have a lot of clutter?
Or at least, visual clutter?
Probably not!
Also, imagine how you would feel in such a space.
This should motivate you to get started!
3. Schedule when you want to be done decluttering
According to Parkinson’s law, “work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion”.
I find that it is almost always true!
If you’ve been decluttering for months or even years, decide when (what exact date?) you want to be done with decluttering.
Commit to working hard to be done by that date.
This should drastically speed up the process!
You can also schedule in advance your next garage sale or donation drop-off.
That way, you will know you must have everything ready and decluttered before those dates.
4. Declutter the biggest items first
One of the best ways to declutter fast and make big progress on our decluttering journeys is to tackle the biggest items in our homes first.
It can be anything from furniture pieces to big toys to bulky exercise equipment.
Once they are gone, you will have so much more space and will feel motivated to get going.
Also, if you get rid of furniture, you will probably have to tackle what was inside as well.
Consider getting rid of those things as well!
5. Plan how you’re going to reward yourself when you’re done
Having something to look forward to is incredibly motivating.
So promise yourself that after you’ve decluttered that room or that drawer, you will be allowed to relax and read your favorite book.
Or you’ll be able to sit back on your couch and enjoy your favorite show.
6. Ask for help
If you have loved ones who are available and can help you, take advantage of it.
You don’t have to tackle everything alone.
Decluttering with someone else can help you make better, more rational decisions and see your things from another point of view.
It will probably also be more enjoyable and less stressful to have someone who knows you well help and support you.
7. Clean and tidy your home before decluttering
Sometimes, decluttering feels too overwhelming because we see all the messes and all the things that need to be cleaned.
Things get in the way and we feel frustrated.
As a result, we get carried away and start tidying and cleaning our space instead of making important decisions.
Decluttering like this takes up a lot of time!
To declutter faster, make sure to clean and tidy everything before you even start.
That way, you won’t be distracted and will be able to focus more easily.
8. Stay focused
One of my favorite quick decluttering hacks is to make sure you stay as focused on the task as possible.
Eliminate distractions by keeping your phone in airplane mode or turning off the TV in the background.
You might also want to tell your loved ones that you need some time alone to work on your belongings.
9. Use a timer
Another thing we can do using Parkinson’s law to declutter fast is to set a timer for however long we want to declutter a given area of our home.
For instance, set a timer for 20 minutes and go through as many things in your kitchen cupboards as possible.
You will see that you can accomplish so much more when you know you can’t afford to waste time!
10. Keep a donation box in your home at all times
Have a box tucked away in a closet or in your garage where you can put things you want to declutter as you come across them in your everyday life.
Regularly decluttering small things here and there adds up to huge results and your home will be clutter-free in no time!
11. Try the 30-day minimalism game
If you want to declutter hundreds of items in just a month, the 30-day minimalism game is for you!
On the first day, you need to declutter one thing from your home.
On the second day, two things.
And so on up until the 30th day, when you declutter 30 items.
In the end, there will be 465 fewer items in your home!
12. Set strict rules to have to follow
Before you start decluttering, write specific rules you want to follow and stick to them when going through your things.
That way, you won’t find yourself overthinking things as much and it will speed things up.
Some rules could be:
- Duplicate items have to go
- Anything that has not been used in a year gets decluttered
- Have only 50 pieces of clothing in my wardrobe
- Declutter excess toys that don’t fit in this basket
13. Set specific realistic goals
Remember to also set some specific but realistic goals for yourself.
It will be easier for you to track your progress and see how much you’ve accomplished.
But make sure they are achievable so you don’t get overwhelmed!
Here are some examples of goals you might want to set:
- Declutter 100 pieces of clothing before the end of the weekend
- Let go of 50% of my sentimental items before the end of the year
- Recycle all my worn-out clothes this afternoon
- Donate all my children’s outgrown toys before Christmas
14. Have your boxes and trash bags ready
Always have your donation boxes and trash bags on hand when you start decluttering.
You want to know where to put your decluttered items when making quick decisions.
I also find it useful to have a box in which you put all the things that you want to keep but belong in another room.
Fill it without thinking too much and simply relocate the items in the end.
15. Consider donating instead of selling
I’m a huge fan of selling things that I’ve decluttered!
I love how sustainable it is, and who doesn’t like to have some extra cash?
But if your goal is to declutter fast and not waste time, selling might not be the best option for you.
Selling things can take up a lot of your time, and we’re not even sure if they will get sold.
Things we list for sale can also stay in our home for a long time, which is not great if we need to make progress quickly.
Donate things and get them out of the way immediately!
16. Be ruthless
While it’s great to think about each item deeply to make sure we won’t end up regretting getting rid of it, sometimes we don’t have time and need to be ruthless.
I recommend that you do not do it with things that are very sentimental because these are irreplaceable.
But for other things, try not to second guess yourself and start purging!
17. Have a “maybe” pile for the most difficult items
When decluttering, you will come across things you will not know whether you want to keep or get rid of them.
Try not to waste too much time thinking about them.
Be ruthless, but if you really can’t decide on the spot, set the items aside and don’t waste any more time on them.
Move on with your decluttering!
You will revisit your “maybe” pile at a later date but don’t forget about it.
Read more: 9 ways to get out of a decluttering rut
18. Have a decluttering checklist on hand
Decluttering can be very time-consuming, especially when we don’t know where to start or what to tackle next.
That’s why having a decluttering checklist might be a great idea.
It will give you specific ideas for things you might want to let go of when you lack inspiration.
Read more:
19. Take a garbage bag and look for obvious trash
Things that belong in the trash are the easiest and quickest things we can get rid of.
So take a trash bag, go into each room in your house, and collect anything that needs to be thrown away.
It could be anything from empty packaging and expired products to broken toys and worn-out clothes.
Of course, try to recycle things as best as you can, but make them leave your house today.
20. Leave sentimental things for the end
Sentimental things are the most difficult things to declutter.
And it is normal if we need more time to think about them.
We also don’t have to get rid of our sentimental items if we don’t want to!
I recommend that you leave them for the very end if you want to declutter fast and see big results in a small amount of time.
Read more: The ultimate guide to decluttering sentimental items
21. Remove things that don’t belong in your home
Things that belong to people who don’t live in your house are also easy to declutter.
Collect them all in one spot and return them to their owners as soon as you can.
Same thing for items you need to return to the store.
Get rid of them today if you can!
22. Set aside 10 minutes to declutter every day for a month
If you want to declutter fast and see big results quickly, set some time aside every day to declutter your home.
Get into the habit of doing it every day, even if it’s just for 10 minutes.
It will make a huge impact over the course of a month!
You can declutter a lot of things in a few minutes, whether that’s in the cupboard under your bathroom sink or your underwear drawer!
23. Find an accountability partner
One of my best quick decluttering hacks is to find a friend or family member who might want to be your accountability partner.
Tell them that you are currently going through your belongings and having someone you can track your progress with would help you declutter fast.
I’m sure they’ll be happy to help you!
You might even inspire them to do the same, who knows?!
24. Get rid of decluttered stuff ASAP
Once you’ve decided to let some of your things go, do not hold onto them for longer than necessary.
Try to give them away or drop them off at the donation center as soon as possible.
If you want to sell something, give yourself a time limit and decide on a “sell by” date.
If the item has not sold by that date, donate it.
25. Celebrate your progress
It is important to celebrate all our successes in life, no matter how big or small they are.
Decluttering is a hard task that takes up a lot of our time and energy and can be emotionally challenging.
Get into the habit of celebrating even the smallest progress you’ve made.
It will motivate you to keep going and will push you to declutter faster.
Final thoughts on these quick decluttering hacks and how to declutter fast
I hope these quick decluttering hacks helped you learn how to declutter fast and tackle the clutter in your home quickly so you can reap the benefits of living with less sooner!
Decluttering fast speeds up the entire simplifying process and helps us reach our goal quicker.
However, know that you don’t have to do it fast if you don’t want to.
Go at the pace that works best for you and your family!
What are your best tips on how to declutter fast?
Which ones have you followed and preferred?
Share them in the comment section below!
Don’t forget to share these quick decluttering hacks with your friends to help them declutter fast as well!