Want to declutter your house without getting overwhelmed? Try removing just ONE bag of clutter a day! Use this printable 30 Bags in 30 Days Decluttering Challenge to stay on track!
Raise your hand if you’ve ever walked in to your daughter’s room with a trash bag threatening to throw a bunch of stuff away… Well now you have an excuse! I don’t mind a bit if you blame it on this decluttering challenge. (Wink wink!)
Decluttering can seem like a monumental task! Especially if you’ve been undercover-hoarding stuff for years and years! Or if your daughter has to keep every stinkin’ Happy Meal toy that she’s gotten since she was 2… and now she’s 10!
And if your house is a cluttered mess, you may feel completely overwhelmed to the point that you give up before you even start.
That’s where this easy 30 day decluttering challenge comes into play…
By focusing on ONE small area each day, and making it your goal to fill JUST ONE bag of clutter from that area, you’ll have 30 bags of clutter out of your house in only a month.
30 BAGS!
Just think about how much of a difference 30 bags would make in your own home… For me, 30 bags of clutter would probably fill my entire kitchen. That’s A TON!
And I’ve got a FREE printable Decluttering Checklist to get you started… so let’s jump right in…
How to do the 30 Bags Decluttering Challenge
The beauty of this decluttering challenge is that it focuses on just ONE area a day, so it’s more manageable. If you start any type of “challenge” and you can’t even make it through the first day, then you’re more likely to quit before you even really get started.
Here are some tips for how to do this 30 Day Decluttering Challenge and actually make it through the full 30 days!
- Print off the 30 Bags in 30 Days Decluttering Challenge printable – I’ll show you how to get it down below! Hang it on your fridge or bathroom mirror so you don’t forget to fill your bag of clutter for the day!
- Get 6 large cardboard boxes, plastic totes or trash bags – I’ll tell you why later!
- Choose a day to start the challenge
- Get a bag – The size of bag that you need will depend on the area that you are decluttering for that day. For instance, your junk drawer will probably only require a plastic grocery bag, but you may need a garbage bag for your linen closet. You can also use a large box… this is YOUR challenge so do what works for you!
- Declutter items that you no longer need or want from the assigned area and put them in your bag
But, what do you do with your bag of clutter, you ask? Well you have a few options…
What to Do After You’re Done Decluttering
So, after you’re done filling your bag with clutter, you’ll need an action plan to get that junk out of your house for good.
I recommend that you put 8 large boxes in your garage/foyer/etc to sort your bag of clutter each day by category. Just keep these 8 boxes in your home for the full 30 days, and add to the boxes as you go. Then, after your 30 Day Challenge is over, you can get those boxes out of your house for good.
Here’s a breakdown of the 6 boxes you need to sort your clutter:
- Donate – Items to donate to local thrift stores, missions, or churches
- Family/Friends – Items in good condition that you think your family or friends would love to have
- Sell – Items that you feel are of value and are worth your time trying to sell on Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist, or Ebay
- Trash – Items that are unsalvageable or worthless – You technically don’t need a box for this category… You can just place your junk straight in the trash after you fill your bag for the day.
- Recycle – (Optional – if you have a recycling bin)
- Repurpose/Fix– Items that you think can be up-cycled or that may require small fixes (Only save these items if you will commit to fixing or reusing them)
You may find it helpful to also have boxes for these two categories, but this may be better suited to a different type of decluttering, like this Declutter Your House in 7 Days Challenge…
- Relocate– Items that you wish to keep, but belong in a different room of the house
- Store – Items that you need to keep for sentimental reasons, or items that are only used seasonally
30 Bags in 30 Days Decluttering Challenge
The 30 Bags in 30 Days Challenge is simple… Just commit to removing one bag of clutter from your home everyday for a month. You can use this easy guide to help you focus on one small area each day:
- DAY 1: Kitchen Cabinets
- DAY 2: Kitchen Pantry
- DAY 3: Kitchen Drawers
- DAY 4: Under Kitchen Sink
- DAY 5: Junk Drawer
- DAY 6: Cleaning Supplies
- DAY 7: Fridge and Freezer – Grab a FREE Printable Freezer Inventory Sheet and get tips for organizing your freezer!
- DAY 8: Linen Closet
- DAY 9: Bedroom Closets – Go HERE for ideas for what to do with old clothes after you declutter!
- DAY 10: Nightstands and Drawers
- DAY 11: Shoes
- DAY 12: Master Bedroom
- DAY 13: Guest Bathroom
- DAY 14: Medicine Cabinet – See how I organized my medicine cabinet and made super cute DIY basket labels HERE!
- DAY 15: Makeup
- DAY 16: Under the Beds
- DAY 17: Toy Box
- DAY 18: Desk Drawers
- DAY 19: TV Cabinets
- DAY 20: Laundry Room – After you get done decluttering the laundry room, why not make some cute DIY Laundry Wall Art using Dollar Tree Supplies?!
- DAY 21: Old Magazines and Newspapers
- DAY 22: Paperwork – See how I organized ALL of my family paperwork in an easy filing system HERE!
- DAY 23: Art and Craft Supplies
- DAY 24: Holiday Decorations
- DAY 25: DVD’s and CD’s
- DAY 26: Car – Anyone else feel like they get an entire bag of trash out of their car every single week? 🙂
- DAY 27: Garage Shelves and Storage
- DAY 28: Boardgames
- DAY 29: Purse
- DAY 30: Electronics – old phone chargers, remotes, etc.
After you’ve finished the first 30 days, you may feel like a Decluttering Master! If so, I’ve got you covered… Tackle even more clutter by decluttering and organizing your kitchen countertops.
Then, move on to one area that you probably haven’t thought of to declutter, the digital files and photos stored on your computer! I’ve got an awesome post on how to declutter your computer files!
Free 30 Bags in 30 Days Printable Checklist
Want a FREE printable decluttering checklist to help keep you on track?
When you sign up for my FREE email newsletter you’ll get access to my entire freebies library as a gift… there are a TON of printables for kids’ activities, home management, cleaning, meal planning, and more!
Just use the form below to sign up and then check your inbox!
Hope you find this Decluttering Challenge helpful! I’d LOVE for you to leave me a comment and let me know how it goes!
Happy Nesting!
I like the idea of a bag a day.
Yes, it definitely makes decluttering less overwhelming… baby steps, right! 🙂
Amy, really have gotten in the mood to do something for my very small apt after being inspired by your ideas. I’m 80 years old and unable to climb but would really like to inquire with my management to see if hanging shelves could be installed (if Ipay for them) here and left. I have 2 spaces that I think would house them nicely and be beneficial. One is to the left of my sink- where I’d like to place medium canisters and a small stack of Corningware. The other one by my utility closet (2 doors) on the small wall where possibly 2 or 3 may fit. Where I’m thinking of placing my drop leaf table to become a b nook on wheels. To be rolled out on wash day. My son. Says no sounds like a lot of hassle. But I think worth it if possible.
I think the links that are sent are broken. Everytime I sign up for a freebie, the link sent doesn’t work. I purchased the happy home binder and am so in love I am trying to get all the things 😀
Hi Sabrina! Sorry about that… not sure what the problem is – but I will email you the link to the freebies library right now. Thanks! 🙂
I’m following your plan. Thanks.
I need this so bad. ty very much!!!
I need this AND keep it simple!
I need this.
THANK YOU FOR THE 30 DAY BAG CHALLENGE LOOKING FORWARD TO IT .
I really like the lists!
Planning to use the tips with my ladies Church group each month!
Love this. Just retired and on a mission to declutter and organize.
Hi Pam! The thing I love about this declutter challenge is that it’s just one bag per day, which is a lot less overwhelming… I also have a ton of other cleaning and decluttering printables that you should check out too! 🙂
Ok I have signed up for 3 of your printable books to help my life yet every time I go to check my email it tells me to sign up again . What is up with that?
Hi Patricia! Did you see a link to the freebies library in the emails? You shouldn’t have to sign up again… when you sign up once you get access to the entire library. Sometimes I will link to the blog post that goes with the freebie in the emails so that you can read about it and get more info, but the actual printables are all in the library. 🙂
Hi…. can’t wait to read what else you have in your library. Thank you so much.
Hi Stacy! I’ve got lots of decluttering printables in there, plus some super helpful cleaning checklists and LOADS of other goodies, too! Hope you enjoy!
Thanks for sharing this challenge, it’s been very helpful! I printed your list out and added dates to it so I can use it for my spring cleaning and decluttering process, and I’ve even been able to get my kids to help out with some things. So far, I’m about a quarter of the way through, and I even got a carpet cleaning. I can’t wait to finish the rest of the challenge! My house already looks so much better!
I also have signed up because I’d love to have access to the freebies and any other helpful organizing or activity tips you may have to share. Just not sure how to get to the printables? Or how to even print this chart.
Hi Amanda! My email service doesn’t show your email address as having signed up at all… Did you enter your info in the big box at the bottom of the post that says “Get the free printables”? I can go ahead and email you the freebies info and templates right now. Thanks for reaching out! 🙂
Hi! I have signed up twice and still don’t get access to print anything.
Hi Debbie! Thanks for reaching out… I see that you’re confirmed on the email list, and you should have received a welcome email with the link to print. I will just go ahead and email you the freebies directly. 🙂
how do you print this??
HELP! I can’t figure out how to download this. I have followed the directions but have no clue what to do when I get the search box. Did I see in another persons comment that we can join “something” and then will just be able to download the chart? Would love to do this. Thank you. He
Hi Helen! When you sign up for my free email newsletter (sign up box at the bottom of the post), then you get access to my entire library of over 60 free printables. But I can just email you directly so you don’t have to go through those steps… Sending it over right now. Have a great day, and good luck! 🙂
Love the concept. This sounds like something that will not overwhelm people. Thanks. I will be starting my own 30 day and see if I can complete it.
Pat
Hi Pat! Yes, just focusing on one bag a day is much easier than trying to do your entire bedroom, kitchen, etc. Plus, not many of us have an entire day to work on stuff like that. Thanks so much for your comment! 🙂
thank you
I can’t find how to print the 30 Day Declutter challenge. I signed up gpr emails used password read the article and nothing to print.
Hi Carolyn! All of my free printables can be found in the freebies library… you should have received an email with the password after you signed up. I will go ahead and send you the password and the 30 Days Decluttering Challenge now so you don’t have to go searching for it. Thanks! 🙂