January 2026 - Declutter and Organization

[Harriet]

Here we go! It's the New Year!

Beginning an exciting new year with 365 days that are sure to bring clearer, more organized and welcoming space to our lovely homes. We're wishing that wonderful 2026 benefit for everyone who enters here!

In this thread, we encourage each other to commit to a minimum of 15 minutes a day (or the equivalent on a different schedule) of attention to the clutter that tries to take over all our homes. Sometimes, we may need a marathon! Either way, friends here are great encouragers because no matter where you are from pigpen to paradise , we've all been there (spending very little time in the paradise part, but still).

Our suggestion is to stay aware of where you want to declutter and organize next. Then when you have the time to give, you can go right to that space and get started right away. Your planning might be on paper (3x5s, calendars, project trackers) or online, or just sharing your priorities with us and staying accountable.

You may want to try consistently decluttering in areas ahead of your cleaning schedule. If that is helpful, ONE potential calendar of rounds through our homes is in the Cleaning Focus forum, and declutting a week AHEAD of upcoming cleaning week seems to work well to make things easier, with clearer surfaces for cleaning.

No matter what works for you, get in the habit of knowing where you're organizing next!

Chat here about how YOU schedule decluttering - your idea may help someone else. All organizing tips appreciated!

[Harriet]

I plan to stick with the Cleaning Focus calendar this year, to direct me for decluttering, always one week ahead. The decluttering will have an extra purpose in getting a space's surfaces cleared for easier cleaning upcoming. And give my brain a simple answer every time I ask, "Now, where was I?"

If anyone else is so inclined, either all year or for a while, and ya'll come through the house in January to find us , that means we'll be found:


this week - cleaning porch/entry, decluttering bedrooms
week of 1/5 - cleaning bedrooms, decluttering bathrooms
week of 1/12 - cleaning bathrooms, decluttering office/other room
week of 1/19 - cleaning office/other room, decluttering closets
weel of 1/26 - cleaning closets, decluttering Laundry area

[trissie]

Now this is a bit embarassing, but I still have quite a few tasks left from the Christmas cleaning (and it's not like I couldn't start again in some - well maybe all - the areas, but this is stuff that I never got to do before Christmas madness took over). I don't want to think about Christmas anymore, so I need a new place to dump all those tasks and pretend it's new goals!
Give or take, it's 50 items, so if I get through one each day, I should be done by end of February. Some are "low hanging fruit", some are "whole afternoon tasks", so we shall see how that goes!

DBD's room
- clean/reorganize bookcase
- clean/reorganize toy storage stand
- declutter toys
- sort through LEGOs

twins' room - tough one as they do not want me cleaning in there but don't keep the room clean by themselves
- clean lights
- wash and rehang curtains
- clean under beds
- detailed mopping
- clean baseboards
- clean convectors
- clean tables
- clean/reorganize clothes closet
- dust top of clothes closet
- clean/reorganize bookcase 1
- clean/reorganize bookcase 2
- clean/reorganize art storage bins
- clean/reorganize nightstands
- clean/reorganize under bed drawers
- clean/reorganize rolling carts under desks
- sort through art supplies

living room
- deep scrubbing of floor
- clean baseboards
- clean convector
- detail cleaning and oiling of dining room chairs
- clean/reorganize/declutter toy stand
- clean/reorganize LEGO boxes
- declutter rolling cart with school stuff
- declutter pens and pencils

kitchen
- clean door
- clean lights
- wash tiles
- deep scrubbing of floor
- scrub top of cabinets

food storage
- clean/declutter food storage cart in downstairs storage
- clean/declutter food storage shelves in garage

storage
- clean out/declutter attic
- sweep attic

common areas
- clean/declutter shoe rack
- clean/declutter shelf in hallway
- clean main entrance door
- clean inside doors
- clean lights
- clean convectors
- scrub floor - entrance
- scrub floor - hallway
- scrub floor - staircase
- scrub floor - d. bathroom
- detailed vacuuming - upstairs hallway
- scrub shower stall
- clean wall tiling in d. bathroom

[Harriet]

Hi, trissie. Hoping your daily tasks are a big success. I could have an embarrassment tour here. I believe I could lecture on embarrassment with clutter examples, lol.

But, happily, not my Porch and Entry right now.
Tossed from porch : old welcome mat that didn't look very welcoming any more (worn)
another mat of dd27's that should have been tossed when she didn't take it when she married
a bottle of natural spray bug repellent (?) (really?)

And 45 minutes spent sweeping every surface, all the way out to steps. Actually, I counted that my exercise, too.

So, bedroom is the next-up for my decluttering. Yesterday I tried to dovetail wrapping organization with that, since bedroom is where wrappings are stored. Got that done well except that the long rolls, which we keep underbed, took too much time. Sigh. Because I got into that, I also got sidetracked into some other underbed stuff which wasn't really "up" yet. But slowly getting it under control.

Aside - wrappings - I'm pretty sure long rolls of paper are something I won't buy again, just use up what I have (which may take a while). It looks simple to have a long box and use underbed space (golf club box is fine, box for floral like roses is fine) but it's cumbersome. So much quicker and easier to just pull the eye-level folded wrap from the closet. I thought about buying some kind up upright wrap storage, but it's a small house and I have my closets the way I want them.

Reminds me of calling my dear aunt when she was way, way into her 90s and asking what she was doing. She said, "I was hanging upside down over the edge of the bed." She and I agreed then that underbed wasn't the best storage space. Maybe it's time I learned my lesson.

[Nancy]

I have two bed rooms to declutter
1. I call my butterfly room. Jan / focus N. S. X E. okay W. still to do.
2. I call my sewing zone. / Feb. / focus.

[Harriet]

The bedroom declutter week is done and a large storage box has been emptied there, freeing several square feet of space. During this week of cleaning in the bedroom, I can decide what could be stored in that for better organization.

Because the entry had just been cleaned for the holidays, there was very little to do there.

That's fine, because it lets the other spaces that need more time to get some attention on purpose. I spent extra time in the office/sewing room because it's a constant battle there. Organized 2025 sermon notes, dear aunt's estate notes about conference calls. Many little declutterings around sewing area. Not really cleaning, but it was what was needed.

I did listen to the YTs on decluttering a sewing room. Basically, first day get rid of all trash only, 2nd day relocate all things that don't belong only, 3rd day decisions about magazines only, 4th day same with books only, 5th day patterns only. There are 21 days of different focus, so next week when my attention can really turn there, I'll be more interested.

Bathroom declutter is up this week. We were away all day, but while out driving, I discussed with HRH getting rid of a cheap set of drawers in the small bathroom, not even real wood. We agreed that even though there's some convenience in having a surface, this is not the right one because it's such a small room. And there's no way to really redeem this - it is old and falling-apart with frustrating drawers. It would not help others to donate - just too flimsy. we'll let it go in Wednesday's pickup.

[Kittykatt]

WTG with all your decluttering, Harriet!

Now I've finished deep cleaning the spare room, and decluttered the rest of it, it's time to work on those box files of paperwork, one at a time. (Something for the evenings? I can do this sitting down.)

Decluttering box files:
#1 #2 #3 #4 #5 #6 #7 #8 #9 #10 #11 #12 #13 #14 #15

[Kittykatt]

Three box files.done!

Decluttering box files:
#1 #2 #3 #4 #5 #6 #7 #8 #9 #10 #11 #12 #13 #14 #15