UPDATE: You can find the 2017 Household Organization Diet HERE. Make 2017 the year to get organized with all new printables!! Sign up HERE for our email newsletter so you won’t miss out!
So who is ready to make 2015 the most organized year ever?
The Household Organization Diet is back again for 2015!! Whether you need to organize a little or a lot, this is the plan for you! If you are not familiar with The Household Organization Diet, it is best to start with this post HERE, but the basic plan is to thoroughly clean and organize one room per month and develop some simple organization habits to help you stay organized once you get there. I will have a monthly to-do list with free printables and tons of inspirational ideas to help you out along the way, so I hope you will join me!
Once again, we will once again be starting things off with a 31 day decluttering challenge to clear all of that obvious unwanted and unused “stuff” out of your life. Think of it as a detox diet for your house to jumpstart your decluttering and organization habits. For the next month we will be doing a quick rundown of our homes and getting rid of at least 10 items per day {I’m actually aiming for 20+ so don’t let this limit you!} We will be going more thoroughly through each room during the year so we are not going to be doing any time consuming projects and re-organizing during this time. Just 15 minutes per day – anywhere you would like.
This year I have set up a daily plan to cover pretty much every area of your house. Feel free to follow along or pick and choose what areas of your home need the most work. For extra cluttered spots, you may want to spend 2 or 3 days going through things and skip some of the other tasks. It is all up to you!
Just a few tips before you get started…
- Remember that this is just a quick decluttering. We have a whole year of organization ahead of us so don’t get burned out now!
- Stay focused. If you have a lot of decluttering to do, it can be easy to get overwhelmed. Just remember – it is only 15 minutes and it is only one small space. Pull out only what you have time for. You don’t want a bigger mess in the end than what you started with!
- Have a donate bin {or two!} handy. Trust me. You will probably be making multiple trips down to Goodwill this month. Have a bin or tote {and garbage bag!} nearby when you are decluttering to sort out all of your items that you will be getting rid of as you come to them.
- Don’t let perfection get in the way. Again, this is a quick decluttering. Spend all of your time getting rid of things and we will be coming back to make things look pretty later.
- If you come across items that belong elsewhere when you are decluttering, put them away where they belong!
Here is the plan for the month…
Day 1: Paperwork.
Do you have a pile of paperwork {or two?} collecting on your kitchen counter or in your home office? Go through bills, receipts, and any other paperwork, tossing {or shredding} what you don’t need and sorting whatever is left over into its proper location.
Day 2: Front entry way and coat closet/mudroom.
Donate any coats, shoes, or accessories that you no longer use. If you are short on space, put items that are out of season into storage somewhere else in your home.
Day 3: Purse.
Empty out all garbage and items that you do not use regularly. Use a small pouch to hold make-up and other essentials that can easily be transferred from purse to purse.
Day 4: Cleaning supplies.
Go through your cleaning supplies {wherever they may be!} and get rid of all of those products that you don’t use. Try to use multipurpose cleaners or green cleaning products whenever possible. If you have multiple partially filled bottles of the same product, combine them into one bottle. Toss any old rags or cloths that are at the end of their use.
Day 5: Fridge and Freezer.
Remove all items from that are expired or you know you will not use. Minimize packaging when possible to save space. Find other organization ideas HERE.
Day 6: Pantry and other dry food storage.
Toss all items that are expired and get rid of anything that you know you will not use. Don’t forget to go through all of those spices too! Place items that will be expiring soon towards the front of the cupboard.
Day 7: Free for All.
This is your catch up day if you didn’t finish any of the above areas. If you are all caught up, pick the most cluttered area in your home to go through.
Day 8: Kitchen Cabinets.
Look for any kitchen items that you do not use or have room for. Ensure that all Tupperware has matching lids and eliminate as many unnecessary kitchen gadgets, cookbooks, and utensils as you can. You can see how ours are organized HERE.
Day 9: Medicine Cabinet/First Aid Supplies.
Medicine is actually best stored outside of the bathroom in a cool, dry place out of the reach of children. Go through all medications and look for items that are expired or that you no longer need. Return expired medications to your local pharmacy for proper disposal. Find more ideas HERE.
Day 10: Dining Area.
Commit to keeping your table clutter free. Find storage solutions for all items that frequently find their way to the table. Donate any dishes, serving ware, or other items that you do not use.
Day 11: Entertainment Area.
Make sure all CDs, DVDs etc are in their proper cases and evaluate what you really will use. Music and videos are so easily accessible through our computers and mobile devices, that your CDs and DVDs may be a thing of the past.
Day 12: Magazines and Books.
Let go of your magazine hoarding and get rid of any outdated editions. Cut out pages that you would like to keep and sort into a filing system. Recycle or donate old books that you will no longer read and sort the rest in a logical order.
Day 13: Junk drawer.
Get rid of everything that is not needed. If you have time, use inexpensive plastic containers to store similar items together. Put items that belong elsewhere away.
Day 14: Free for All.
This is your catch up day if you didn’t finish any of the above areas. If you are all caught up, pick the most cluttered area in your home to go through.
Day 15: Desk.
File away any needed paperwork and shred remaining papers. Sort smaller office supplies and only keep products that you use. Get rid of those 2014 calendars!
Day 16: Bathroom cabinets.
Go through all beauty products and keep only what you really use. Do you really need all of those hotel shampoo bottles?
Day 17: Linen closet.
Donate any linens that you no longer use that are still in good condition. Toss any items that are really dingy or have holes.
Day 18: Make-up.
Toss anything that is expired, cracked or no longer your style. Pick your favorites and get rid of those other 10 lipstick tubes that you never wear! To find out more about the recommended shelf-life for various make-up, check out this post on how to organize your makeup.
Day 19: Jewellery.
Sort through all of your jewellery and decide what items you still wear. Donate or toss the rest! If anything you would like to keep needs cleaning or repairs, put them aside to take care of as soon as you can.
Day 20: Bedroom closet.
Sort through all clothing and ask yourself if you would still buy it today. If not, it is time for it to go!
Day 21: Free for All.
This is your catch up day if you didn’t finish any of the above areas. If you are all caught up, pick the most cluttered area in your home to go through.
Day 22: Sock and underwear drawer.
Go through all of those socks and underwear. Make sure you have matching socks with no holes and only keep what you still wear.
Day 23: Nightstand.
Clear off table top and sort through drawers keeping only what you would need before bed or during the night.
Day 24: Kids’ Toys.
This is always a fun one. Sort through toys to see what your kids still use {and have your kids help out on this one if they are old enough}. Check to see that toys have all parts and are in working order before donating or selling. Toss the rest!
Day 25: Kids’ Closets
Check to see what clothes still fit and donate the old ones or sort them into a labeled storage bin if you are saving them for younger children.
Day 26: Craft space.
Be ruthless and really evaluate what items you still need and use. Schools will often take extra supplies that you are looking to get rid of.
Day 27: Laundry Room.
Sort through cupboards for any laundry products that are old or not used. Toss any unpaired socks that are hanging around.
Day 28: Free for All.
This is your catch up day if you didn’t finish any of the above areas. If you are all caught up, pick the most cluttered area in your home to go through.
Day 29: Basement.
Chances are this is one of the biggest source of clutter. Set a timer and try to get rid of as many items as possible. Use large storage totes to store seasonal items together.
Day 30: Garage.
This one is also a big clutter offender. Again, set a timer and collect as many items as you can that you no longer use or need.
Day 31: Car.
Grab two bags – one for garbage and one for anything that needs to go back in the house. Put everything away in its proper place that you bring back into the house.
To get a free printable To Do list and January calendar, be sure to check out this post. There are also answers to some of your most common questions about The Household Organization Diet.
Since there is always more strength in numbers, I would love for you guys to join me on Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook for some daily organization inspiration and support. And, if you add the hashtag #OrganizationDiet to your post, all we will need to do is search the hashtag for instant organization ideas! As much as I love Facebook, the changes that they have made have made it very difficult for me to stay connected with you guys there, so please interact with the posts {like it, comment, or share} if you would like to actually see them in your feed. Otherwise, Facebook will just keep it to themselves. 🙁
Okay, so are you ready to begin? I promise that it will be worth the effort in the end!
Do you have a printable calendar version of the 30 day plan? Thanks!
It’s coming – check back Saturday or Sunday! 🙂
Has the printable “declutter” list been added? Am I just not looking in the right spot? 🙂
No, sorry. It hasn’t been done yet. I was hoping to have it up this weekend but it was a busy weekend and I didn’t want to miss out on the last couple of days of the kids’ vacation. It will be up Tuesday afternoon. Thanks for joining in! 🙂
These are great tips! I’m going to pin this to my Pinterest board so I can save it for each day of the month!
Thank you!
Awesome! Hope you are able to follow along all year! 🙂
My house so needs this.
Hope you can join in!
do you have email notifications or daily reminders?
Currently, I only have a weekly email that goes out. You can sign up for them here if you are interested… http://cleanandscentsible.us8.list-manage.com/subscribe/post?u=87143f484a9f6df019f3d5dde&id=2172636bde Thanks!!
I LOVE your monthly task list, this format in particular http://www.pinterest.com/pin/148126275219098788/ however I am having trouble finding a full year of them. I am missing May, June, September, November, December. Where could I find those? I would love to use all the printables you created in this same format to creat my cleaning binder For example http://www.pinterest.com/pin/148126275216666573/
If you could help me locate those I would be very greatful.
Thank you in advance,
Laurie
P.S.
I download homesteading printables from another blog http://www.reformationacres.com/2014/12/how-to-use-a-homestead-management-binder.html They use etsy.com to sell their printables at a very fair price ($3.99) For me finding everything is one spot and easy to download was completly worth $4. Only my humble suggest that you might check this out as a way of distribution. You put a lot of work into your printables and I am sure others like me would gladly pay $4 to be able to quickly print out a shiny new cleaning binder.
Hi Laurie,
Thanks for the note! Here is the link for June: https://www.cleanandscentsible.com/2014/06/clean-organize-outdoor-spaces.html
You can’t find the rest because I didn’t actually do ones for those months as I was still catching up on things from previous months and getting ready for the holidays! 😉
I am now organized enough that I should be able to get everything done this year so my goal is to have each month done by the last week of the previous month. Maybe next year I will consider selling them once I have all the kinks worked out! I am coming out with the January calendar tomorrow and will then be updating that post all year long so all of the months will be in one place. 🙂
Thank you! For now I will print March, April, June, July, August, October and the Master bedroom task list. The other months task list are in a different format so I will wait for you to create the task list for the missing months in the format I like. I am a little OCD about everything matching. 🙂
Thank you for all your hard work, you are saving me a bundle of time.
I love this idea. Sometimes the clutter seems overwhelming but breaking it down into 15 minute blocks makes it less so.
Definitely!! It’s all about just getting started!
I love that there is both tiny time parcels and a whole-year plan for this! Normally I don’t do New Year’s resolutions at all because I burn out immediately on whatever they are, but this? This I’m excited about. Maybe I’ll even be able to get into my office/craft room by the end of it 😉
I’m so glad that you feel that you can do this!! It is all about taking things slowly and avoiding all of those anxious, overwhelmed feelings! Both the office and craft room are in the plans for the year so we will get there! 😉
I could spend a week just on the “DAY 1” Task!!! Thanks for this organization plan, I hope to start this after January (I’m focusing on a yoga challenge, green smoothie challenge, and tracking calories this month!)
Good for you! I need to do that too! 😉 The January challenge is all about just getting started – the whole month of March will be dedicated to office spaces and getting all of that paperwork in line! 😉 Good luck with your yoga and smoothies!
Paperwork is my down fall! I pile it into one big “Clothes basket”, I really get put off by sorting into filing!!!
At least you put it all in one place. That’s a good start! 😉
I am so looking forward to this! I have a small house so it is a necessity that we stay clutter free. I just did my desk and paperwork tonight. So energizing! Thank you!
Great! So excited to have you join in! 🙂
Just a quick note, the word declutter is misspelled as delcutter in the summary sentence of the title.
Oh shoot!! Thanks for letting me know! I’ll correct that when I get a chance. 😉
When getting rid of hotels shampoo and soap, homeless shelters, soup kitchens and food banks will take any unused items to give out. Also, many schools and Makerspace labs will take Legos and K’Nex and other toys like that.
Great tips for the shampoo bottles! And, yes, we have donated lots of our books and games to our school. 🙂
When will the printable lists be available for February 2015? I’m excited to get started!!!
They will be up first thing on Sunday morning!! Glad you are joining in! 🙂
Heads up – there’s a typo in the title of the image. It says delcutter. 🙂
Yes, thanks! It’s been corrected! Guess I even need to declutter my images! 😉
Loved the plan! I’m going to use it to help me prepare to move in the next few months. Just wanted to mention that local animal shelters are almost always in need of used sheets, blankets, and towels! (And usually can write a tax receipt for you) So maybe consider making a donation before tossing them. 🙂
Yes, we have given a number of towels and even some old bedding to our local animal shelter. Thanks for the reminder!
Oooh, too bad I find this now… well, maybe it can help me anyway, even if it’s out of schedule 🙂
Thanks! And please forgive me if my english is not okay.
You can do this anytime. Not just in January! 🙂
I still can’t find the 31 day printable. I have searched so many places. Can you send me a direct link? Thank you!!
Here’s the direct link to the printable…
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B1NqR9nHnp__WDNLYlhNRnRzb2M/view
This printable as well as the January calendar can be found at the bottom of this post…
https://www.cleanandscentsible.com/2015/01/household-organization-diet-2015.html
Hope that helps!
Homeless shelters will take those unopened travel-size toiletries! Women’s shelters especially like make-up, nail polish, lotion etc…
Great idea!
My home is currently on the declutter diet and it is freeing! I am 1/3 of the way done and can’t wait to finish. I am spending 10 – 15 minutes a day. I planned for it to take 2 months using this method, but I am so far ahead 30 days will be more than enough. I have 24 “areas” to get through. I also wrote this recipe to get me going and keep me in track when dealing with my stuff:
1. Review each area (take a visual and look at the stuff).
2. open each box or bag and look inside.
3. Remove trash and expired items.
4. Box up donation or sale items.
5. Determine what can be stored outdoors, box up and take to storage shed.
6. Reorganize what’s left.
Hope this helps and good luck to everyone!
Thanks so much for sharing your tips! Sounds like they are working wonderfully for you! 🙂
” Inch by inch life’s a cinch, Yard by yard ,Lfe is hard”. I thought that that old saying definitely applies to your cleaning methods. I am going to Detox my house starting on Monday!
Great saying! Good luck with your detox!
The best tips I learned for decluttering are:
1. Do not place anything LARGER on top of anything SMALLER!
2. Keep a few bins handy for moving things OUT of the area where they do not belong. These can be sorted later or taken to the room where they belong to put away.
3. My home is not a storage area for other people. If I have things for other people, put them in a bag, write that person’s name on it, and call them or send an email. Put all these things next to the door or in my car.
4. If I have too many, choose a reasonable number and get rid of the rest. (pens and pencils, rubber bands, hammers, etc.)
5. Put things into bins and WRITE A LIST OF WHAT IS IN THE BIN. Tape it to the bin or write a number on the bin and a number on the list, and put the list nearby (clipboard hanging on a wall works great).
One of the major reasons we end up with several of one item is because we can’t find it when we need it.
All great tips – thanks!!
You should actually donate torn, stained, or dingy linens, clothes, etc., not throw them away, as the donation places have ways of recycling them. Please advise folks to keep all fabric out of landfills.
Thanks for the info! Recycling abilities do depend on where you live, however, as they will not recycle them here. You can often donate linens and towels to local animal shelters though if they are still usable.
This is a great plan, and I’m going to start implementing it! One thing I would like to note is that old sheets, blankets and towels that are a bit too shabby to donate to Goodwill will usually be gratefully accepted by animal shelters or rescues, who use them as bedding.
I do not to donate to Goodwill. Their CEO reportedly makes over $1 million a year. Try to donate to local church based or hospital related charities.
love that craft looking desk with the two stools! Where did you buy that? Or is it something you built?
It’s from Ikea – kind of a mix and match desk system that they have.
I just found this and think it’s a great idea! It may not be January but I’ll start now and just follow along. I can do 15 min a day. Great idea! Thanks!
Glad you are joining in! The plan is designed to start at anytime so now is perfect! 😉
So I found this a while back and thought I would come back to it and forgot about it till I came across it today looking for something else. I decided to join the “band wagon” so to speak. Oddly enough I have already been doing some of these things that you guys worked on up till now. So I will not have 6 months to catch up on, but more like three. Hopefully this will help me keep my eye on the goal more than I have been the past six months.
Glad you decided to hop on the band wagon! 😉
This is awesome. I’ve been ready to declutter for awhile and I love the breakdown….makes it simple Nd not overwhelming.
Thank you!
Hope it works for you!
These tips seem very doable when you break them down and spread them out over 31 days. I think half of my battle is that I try to do too much at once, get overwhelmed, and give up. Thank you for the great suggestions.
Yes, I am exactly the same way and I have to work very hard to stay focused on one task at a time!! 😉
Hi.. I’m Danar from Indonesia..I think my english is’nt good, but i try my best..i have 2 doughter n I’m a worker. thx for the sharing, i likes your web coz i like everything organize. have a nice day jenn..
So glad to hear from you from Indonesia! Definitely one of the places that I would love to visit one day. Thanks so much for reading!
Jenn, Thanks for the monthly plan. Moved again recently and finally have all our belongings out of the storage facility. My two cents worth….packing for a move is usually a good time to do more purging. Then again as you unpack you can usually continue to purge. Take the time to have a garage sale. Spend the money on storage/organization items. Be sure to check out the thrift stores for repurposing ideas. If you have a recycling dump. check if they have items for cheap also.