12 Days of Decluttering Challenge
Raise your hand if you participated in the #12daysofdecluttering challenge! I’m going to guess a bunch of you (figuratively) raised your hand because this has been such a fun week or so seeing your projects and hearing from all of you.
ICYMI - From 12/1 to 12/12 so many of you joined me daily on Instagram Stories for a quick and easy challenge to help your house get ready for the holidays. We used a Daily-Advent-Style Countdown to plow through 12 days of decluttering. AND since there is never really a bad time for decluttering, I wanted to share the details of the challenge here in case you decide to pick it up at a later date. BOOKMARK NOW for later.
First, I have to say that this is NOT an organizing project. Its the prep before the organizing - so totally part of the process but not all the way to the pretty boxes and bins. With the holiday season in full swing, our houses are likely about to be filled with food and gifts (and hopefully some family - ew, covid!). So before the influx begins, why not gives ourselves a leg up?
Okay, so here it goes. I am going to share each day and the task we completed. For some there are downloads and checklists, and others its super simple. Either way, I want to see your wins so snap a pic and tag @organizenashville.
Day #1: DONATE BOX
Identify a box for donation to make decluttering easy over the next 11 days. Label it and put it in a central location - a hall closet, next to the garage door or even the base of your closet.
DAY #2: FALL DECOR
Grab a box or bin and gather up any remaining fall items around your house (inside and out!). If you want to take it to the next level, gather all in one place, label and store away. Here are the clear bins I used to store our seasonal goods AND access to my printable labels for seasonal decor (as shown below).
DAY #3: SPICES
Let’s get ready for all the cooking we are about to do and complete a quick run through of our spices. Remember this is about decluttering - the step BEFORE organizing so focus on combining duplicates, tossing expired spices and getting them all in in one location.
General Guidelines for Expiration:
Whole Spices: 4 years
Ground Spices: 3-4 years
Dried Herbs: 1-3 year
DAY #4: FREEZER
Take inventory of your freezer and parse through expired items. Grab my freezer inventory printable here. And here is a link to download the FDA’s fridge and freezer storage guide. Here is an overview of several resources I reviewed (but always aire of the side of caution and default to FDA guidelines - I am NOT an expert in food storage!):
TV Dinners/Frozen Casseroles: 3-4 months
Ground Meat: 3-4 months
Hot Dogs: 1-2 months
Soups: 2-3 months
Bacon + Sausage: 1-2 months
Fresh Meat + Poultry: Up to 12 months
Fish: up to 8 months
DAY #5: CANNED GOODS
Check expirations on all canned goods and discard expired. In general, there are 3 choices when it comes to canned goods:
EAT IT
DONATE IT
DISCARD IT
“The shelf life of canned goods is approximately one year”
DAY #6: CAR
Get your car ready for any holiday travel you may be doing! Clear your car of trash and anything that doesn’t actually belong there. Bonus points for running it through the car wash. I suggest bringing a trash bag and a bin for things that don’t belong. Start out with the trash in the doors, old cups and stuff on the floor boards. Don’t forget the center console and glove box…and those pockets behind your seats!
DAY #7: TOYS + GAMES
Its time to pair down our toys and games, create space and prepare for the gift giving season (AKA TOY AVALANCHE!!)
Other considerations when it comes to toys:
do a first pass before enlisting the kids
do involve them in the process
do sort the toys into manageable piles BEFORE kids review
DAY #8: CATCH UP
Use today to finish up any previous decluttering day or take a break!
DAY #9: MAIL
Between holiday cards, coupons Amazon deliveries and bills there is A LOT of paper coming at us daily. If you have a stack, its time to sort it! Here are a few tips from one of my favorite organizing crews @apinch of help:
DON’T MISS THIS!
If you are having trouble deciding which papers to keep + which to get rid of: go download my paper purge guide.
I don’t organize it, I handle it immediately.
Out of a large pile, MAYBE one or two things will be kept —> trash, enroll in paperless billing, put things like magazines on your bedside table to be consumed and then recycled
TAKE ACTION with each item
TRASH
Enlist in paperless billing
Pin/Clip coupons into the planner the month they expire
“Not a fan of storing and handling mail multiple times. Deal with it and be done”
“I check my mail when I’m ready to take action”
Day #10: PURSES + BAGS
Gather all your bags, purses, backpacks and cross-body handbags and clear the clutter. Empty out EVERYTHING, sort and only put items back in the ONE handbag you are currently using.
DAY #11: ELECTRONICS
Discard electronics and small appliance boxes and manuals. Gather up old, chargers, headphones, never used cellphones, laptops and cameras.
Manuals for appliances big and small, electronics and computers can be accessed online.
After 14-90 days (typical return period) you can safely dispose of your appliance and electronics boxes. This is an easy way to free up space!
Options for old electronics/appliance disposal:
If in working condition, donate or sell on local size like FBM or second-hand retailer like McKays.
Electronics and appliance recycling is available at many Best Buy locations.
Many cell-phone retailers will take old phones (and some offer credit towards a newer phone!)
Google your local public works for safe electronic donation and disposal.
DAY #12: GIVE
Its time to address that donate pile from Day #1 — schedule your donation pick-up, list sale items on your favorite site like FBM and finally CLEAR THE CLUTTER!!!
And if you’re looking to do more than declutter and want to tackle full organizing projects (think your closets, pantry, etc.) download this full guide to organizing for all of that!
Wow, that’s a lot! I hope you don’t feel overwhelmed. I just wanted to round up the full challenge so if you need a bit of guidance or want to start any time of year, it’s there for you. :)