Drew and Jonathan’s 9 Best Methods for Decluttering
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“Decluttering is not just about cleaning up. It’s about resetting your home and your mind,” Jonathan says. But even if you know that’s true, you might still be hitting a wall in terms of how to start and—even more challenging—maintain a decluttering process. Drew and Jonathan have tackled all sorts of organization issues through the years, though, and they’re here to share their expert intel for getting your home in tip-top shape. So whether you’re starting our 7-Day Cleaning Challenge with us, or are just on the hunt for some tried-and-true ideas, this advice from Drew and Jonathan will guide you through the steps you need to get going.
One thing to remember off the bat: “Keep things simple, smart, and sustainable,” Drew says. Which means take your time, don’t overcomplicate, and avoid going overboard on buying new items to hide the clutter you have as a primary solution. Clear out the things you don’t need first, and find storage opportunities from there. Because once you finally get rid of the overflow, you can take your space to the next level by organizing your kitchen, bringing function to the entryway, and finally tackling the shoe pile in the closet.
They have a ton of tricks up their sleeves to share with you and your family, so it’s time to explore their best decluttering methods below.
1. Use Baskets to Corral Junk Over the Week (and Actually Go Through It)
Messy catchalls and bins don’t get rid of extra clutter—they just help contain it. And over time, they’ll overflow, forcing you to buy even more storage to hide your junk. It’s a vicious cycle! So instead of using baskets to hide everything, place a few in each room to corral items throughout the week, like toys the kids threw around, mail you’ll “get to later,” or spare batteries you had to change out. Then, go through it at the end of the week and put everything back in its rightful spot, trashing what you don’t need during the process.
2. Take Everything Out So You Can See It and Sort It
Start small when it comes to decluttering. Choose one area of the house, one room, or just one basket, and take everything out so you can sort it by item type. Group keys together, wires and cords together, jewelry and accessories together, etc. Then, tackle the question below.
3. Ask Yourself, “What Do I Use on a Regular Basis?”
Ask yourself what you really need to have out and at-the-ready and likewise, what you don’t need extra copies of taking up space (four rolls of tape in your junk drawer is overkill!). You can keep those most-used items within easy reach—like keys in a catchall by the door, beloved pet or kid toys in a basket in the living room, and so on—but all the extras can be grouped together, organized, and put or thrown away.
4. A Label Maker Is Your Best Friend
All of those small things you need, but can also cause a ton of clutter buildup? Not only should they have a specific home, but you should have an efficient way to find them, too. “If you want to keep everything organized, it needs to be set up in a way that people know where stuff goes back,” Jonathan says. Enter his secret weapon to fix this home headache: a label maker. “The most valuable decluttering and organizing tool I have is probably my label maker,” Jonathan says. Once you’ve decided where these items should live, use the tool to clearly label what’s in the storage container so you can prevent the annoying process of opening every underbed bin to find your coats and scarves.
5. Deal With Papers and Mail Right Away
Mail is probably the quickest piece of clutter that builds up in the house, which is why it’s so important to go through it right away. “As letters come in, deal with them,” Jonathan says. “The first thing I usually do is I either recycle (envelopes and stuff that we don’t need) and I shred anything that has personal information on it.” It’s usually a quick task that helps save you loads of time and unnecessary headaches later.
6. Set Up a Reminder System That Works
“Sticky notes are a thing of the past,” Drew says. “Our phones all have a note app on them—it’s much better to give yourself reminders in one spot instead of having things that could blow away or be lost on random pieces of paper.” Work smarter, not harder, when it comes to reminders and lists, and you’ll end up saving yourself from both random clutter and forgotten to-dos.
7. Donate the Decor That Doesn’t Fit Anymore
“A lot of people, when they renovate, just have generic pieces that fill the shelves,” Drew says. “But you want to fill it with pieces that mean something to you—something with a story.” As you build your decor collection with sentimental items that hold memories of a place or a time that’s special to you, swap out some of those more generic decorations. You can donate them, gift them to a friend, or resell them online. Those pieces served their purpose, but keeping them past their time will only crowd your space.
8. Create Hobby Zones to Help Minimize the Chaos
We all have hobbies we love (have you seen Zooey’s craft room in the Park House?), but they usually involve lots of, well, stuff! Whether you enjoy scrapbooking or want to learn how to make photo album books; have taken an interest in crocheting, sewing, or needle felting (just like Linda!); or developed a growing obsession with candle making and DIY home decor, your hobbies are worth celebrating. But they’re also worth organizing so they don’t take over your coffee table. Keep your supplies tidy in acrylic bins or drawers, or a piece of storage furniture, so you always know what you have and where it goes when you’re done.
9. Embrace the Art of Maintaining
Keep a schedule to remind yourself once a week or once a month to declutter, and stick to it. Maintaining your organization is the only way it’ll stay that way! “Don’t overwhelm yourself, because that’s when you’re going to hate the process,” Jonathan says. “But once you get used to the organization and the maintenance of maintaining a program, it actually becomes kind of fun.” If you need more help with this, check out our free chore charts to keep you on track.
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Bree Pulver O'Hagan
Bree is the Senior Digital Editor at DrewandJonathan.com. In the past, she’s worked for publications focused on home improvement and sustainable living. Bree’s Pinterest board is filled with cozy textures; vintage patterns; sculptural furniture; and moody, warm-toned colors. She has a degree concentrated in the intersection of writing and architecture, which influences her passion for exploring creative solutions to unusual home layouts and stylish renter-friendly decor. She’s a self-proclaimed pro at finding the best antique furniture in the most unlikely of places (but her cat Blue can certainly back these claims).
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