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5 Under 15: Quick Decluttering Jobs You Can Do in 15 Minutes

Tackle these five quick decluttering jobs and see how much you can get done in 15 minutes or less

Amy Revell 20 May 2018

Houzz Australia Contributor. Declutter Coach and Founder at The Art of Decluttering. I'm based in the leafy suburbs of Melbourne, Australia and work with women to help them create the beautiful homes they've always dreamed of. As an author, speaker and podcaster, I love all things decluttering and embrace the freedom that minimalism brings.

Houzz Australia Contributor. Declutter Coach and Founder at The Art of Decluttering.... More

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Whether you’re a busy stay-at-home parent or working full time, taking time to quickly declutter these areas will help bring some calm to your home, and to your life.

AttikoArt

Are you time-poor but see the benefits of living a decluttered life?

Instead of feeling that you need to tackle the whole spare room, kitchen or home office at once, deal with your clutter by setting aside as few as 15 minutes to knock one of these small jobs off your declutter to-do list.

Studio Morton

1. Bedside table
When was the last time you took the time to empty out your bedside table? Do you have books sitting on there that you were given for your last birthday but you’ve never read? Do you have faded receipts, loose buttons and spare change hidden in the drawer? If you’ve answered yes to any of these questions, this quick declutter job is for you.

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Amber Interiors

Take everything off the top of your bedside table, remove anything that’s in the drawers and place it all on the bed. Once you’ve thrown out any rubbish, put anything that belongs elsewhere in your home in its proper place. I encourage all my clients to have one drawer in their bedside table that is for their ‘special things’. It might be the place you keep letters, cards, drawings from your children, your passport or medications.

Rather than your bedside table being piled high with papers and things to follow up on, a clear bedside table will help create your relaxing sanctuary.

Yiangou Architects

2. Bathers
Even though most of us purchase new bathers every year or two, we often keep the old bathers ‘just in case’, hiding them at the back of the wardrobe. For a quick declutter job, grab all your bathers, board shorts, sarongs etc. and put them on your bed.

Casa Greer

If you have items you wouldn’t wear in public anymore, get rid of them. The benefit is that you’ll have more space in your wardrobe and that the next time you want to throw on bathers you’ll only have pairs you love to wear.

Arcandbe Kitchens

3. Mugs
Do you have limited space in your kitchen? Are you guilty of keeping an abundance of mugs even though you don’t like drinking from some of them? This 10-minute declutter job will help you free up much needed space in your kitchen cupboards.

Caitlin Wilson Design

Pull all your mugs out onto the kitchen bench and make quick decisions about which ones are your favourites (the ones you like the look of, or like drinking from). Donate any that you wouldn’t grab to use when you have friends over for a cuppa. I suggest that most four-person families keep a maximum of 12 mugs, as it’s unlikely you’ll use more than that at any one time.

Starline Cabinets

4. Keys
Grab your keys and see if you can name what each key is for… can you do it? Do you have keys on there for a club lock you used in 1994? A set of keys for your parents’ old house? Declutter your key ring by taking off any keys that you have no idea what they are for, or you know you’ll never need again.

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Martha Stewart Living

If you have mystery keys you may like to put them on a separate key ring in a drawer and if you haven’t needed them in 12 months, throw them out. This quick task can even be done while you’re sitting waiting at an appointment.

Decorpro

5. Wallet
I regularly declutter my wallet because somehow, even as a minimalist, I seem to accumulate cards, receipts and other bits and pieces I don’t need. This quick declutter job can take as few as two minutes; just take everything out and only put back in what you need and use.

Colourcube Interiors

It’s good to know that loyalty cards can usually be discarded as you can just give them your details in store to claim rewards. An overflowing wallet can be stressful to carry around as it’s a constant reminder that things are chaotic and disorganised.

Ardent Architects Pty Ltd

Decluttering, when broken down into manageable tasks, becomes much less overwhelming. So take time this week to complete these five decluttering jobs and enjoy the freedom.

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Have you tried these quick decluttering methods? Tell us about it in the Comments section below. And don’t forget to like or share this story, and save your favourite photos. Join the conversation.

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Margaret Connelly

Great ideas. I put my mugs into thr top drawer of my island bench,, handy and organized. I confess that I have kept a few larger ones that I use in the garden or for special friends which are hidden away from sight but still easy to get to.