If you hate cleaning or simplifying your home and the thought of de-cluttering makes you anxious, this post is for you! Learn How to Declutter Your Home Fast when you only have 15 minutes or less to spare. You can do this 15-minute task daily until your space is completely simplified!
In case you’re curious (or in a hurry):
✅ This specific home organizing resource has helped others organize their homes quickly and is a popular printable!
Get ready to have your mind blown. This method to organize house clutter quickly is not a new method or secret hack. Do you think the organizing pros have been keeping this secret method with how to declutter your home fast all to themselves? I think my mother used this “secret” strategy to quickly organize the house with 6 kids in the 1980’s… it’s definitely not a new way to clean a house fast… but it’s so easy that anyone with a laundry basket can do it.
My friends and family always asked me how to declutter fast because our house looks like a model home (not to brag). So I shared my secret with how to declutter a house fast with my friends and family and then they started doing this trick to quickly organize house declutter.
I bet you are dying to know how I organize my house fast with a family of 4 and a dog…The first thing I do is tackle the high-traffic areas in the home.
Let’s talk about those high-traffic areas in the home.
A pet-peeve of mine is clutter on the kitchen counter-top. It never ends in our house – the kids come home from school and although they hang their jackets, backpacks and put their shoes away in our mudroom… their school work and art projects end up piled on the kitchen island!
The kids are not the only guilty ones, the hubby will leave items on the kitchen island as well… newspapers, mail, notes from teachers… sometimes there are clean AND dirty dishes on the counter too.
There are days when I just let it go but then there are those days I can’t stand looking at the mess on the counter anymore which makes me determined to make the clutter disappear in a matter of minutes so I can have peace of mind again.
It’s on those days is when I do this trick…
–>>Okay here it is – You don’t need a magic wand to declutter your home in 15 minutes or less.
I call this secret hack “The Laundry Basket Method” because all you need is a laundry basket…
Follow these steps to declutter your home fast:
- Grab a large laundry basket (whatever type of basket you have works, one with handles that you can carry with one arm is preferred – something like this is perfect)
- Go to the space that you would like to de-clutter (aka kitchen counter-tops in my house)
- Throw everything that you want to be removed from that space into the basket until space is cleared to your liking
- Take the basket with you throughout your home and place the items in the basket back in their designated homes (trash in the trash can, toys in the toy box, paperwork in a filing system, toothbrush in the bathroom, lol, you get the idea)
- Dust/clean the space that you just decluttered (chances are that surfaces have not been properly cleaned since the clutter claimed a home there) I use these cloths to clean everything in the house.
- Take a deep breath and admire your decluttered space. Well done, you now have peace of mind 🙂
The Laundry Basket method is also perfect for those last-minute visits from unexpected guests.
When you have unexpected guests, do you sometimes panic that your house is a mess?
We have neighbors, family and friends stop by our house frequently – sometimes unannounced or asking to stop by last minute – that’s when I usually scramble to de-clutter the house if it’s a mess.
Remember the saying, “If you want a clean house, invite someone over.”
When unexpected guests come over or announce they are on their way over, use the laundry basket method to keep a clean house and organize the house quickly 😉
FAQs about the Laundry Basket Method:
Q. What if you don’t have time to put all of the stuff that you collected in the basket back in their designated homes?
A. Say you only have 5 minutes to spare and now you are stuck with this huge basket of crap. I strongly urge you to find a few more minutes to put the stuff away so you don’t forget about it. Stashing all the items that you collected in a closet, basement or garage is not helping the situation but making it worse. If you really don’t have time, put the basket somewhere you will not forget about it so the next moment you have a few extra minutes, you can put the items in their designated homes. Otherwise, the basket will be the newly designated home for the crap and you won’t have a laundry basket to fold your clothes, lol!
Q. I put the basket items back in their designated homes and now I have clutter in those spaces my home!
A. Well, that should not be the case if you are taking the time to put the items in a designated home. If you created clutter in another space then you don’t have a designated home for the items. You will need to:
- Designate a home for the item
- Get rid of the item if you can’t find a home (donate, recycle, sell, trash)
De-cluttering your home doesn’t need to be challenging, stressful or time-consuming. If you have 15 minutes or less, you can de-clutter a major area in your living space and get back to the bigger things in life that matter, like spending time with loved ones. Taking 15 minutes or less a day and using this basket technique will keep your space de-cluttered and clean in a moments notice.
Don’t forget!
✅ Don’t forget to check out this popular home organizing resource that has already helped others organize their homes fast!
How to Organize Your Personal Life (Free Printable Bullet Journal Pages)
I had no clue what a bullet journal was until I did some research and found a bullet journal description to be a combined day planner/journal/diary/sketchbook/to-do list. But what I found most interesting when I started designing my bullet journal pages was that I could make each page anything I wanted it to be.
You see, there are A LOT of different planners and journals out there. Like a blogging planner, business planner, mom planner, meal planner or a gratitude journal, meditation journal, travel journal… and the list goes on and on!
I’m making it super easy for you to try bullet journalling for FREE and if you love it, then maybe you keep printing the free printable bullet journal pages or maybe you invest in a really cool journal and start posting pics of your beautiful pages on Instagram 🙂 If you could just mention that my free printables were your inspiration, that would be great 😉
–>>Go here to see (and download) the Free Printable Bullet Journal Pages!
6 Questions to Help You Organize Your Life and Get Rid of Clutter
Getting rid of the things you’ve collected during your life can be an emotional and physically draining process. Make the process easier by asking yourself 6 Questions to Help You Organize Your Life and Get Rid of Clutter.
Learn how to Organize Your Life and Get Rid of Clutter with these 6 simple questions and #getorganized for good!
If you don’t know how to declutter and simplify your home, this post with a simple 6 question checklist for decluttering your home can help. These questions can help you with organizing your life and getting rid of clutter. Getting rid of sentimental clutter is the hardest part for most individuals and these questions can help declutter your home fast. In fact, many of my readers have used this tool to learn how to clean and declutter their home in 30 days.
–>>Go here to see the full list with the 6 Questions to ask to get rid of clutter.
How to Get Rid of Unnecessary Possessions and Live the Life You Want
Stuff overload. Negative energy in your home and surroundings. Sound familiar? Are your materialistic items taking over your life? Do you want to know how to get rid of unnecessary possessions and live the life you want? I want that too… I mean, I really want to share how you can get the life you want by only keeping yourself surrounded with what matters most.
I know there are people (like you) that need REAL help getting their lives back and are stuck spinning their wheels because of the (bad) advice they find online. I’m sure you’ve seen the organizing “hacks” I’m talking about that don’t really help you eliminate things, but suggest that you need to add more things in your life in order to organize your current things.
If you organize things a certain way, that will reduce the clutter in your life, right? Wrong.
The only way to organize clutter is to get rid of it. Period.
–>>Read more about How to Get Rid of Unnecessary Possessions and Live the Life You Want here.
10 Items You Need to Organize Your Home Like a Pro
The best way to organize clutter is to get rid of the clutter right? I agree that it doesn’t make sense to spend money buying more stuff in order to get organized, but there are certain organizing items that can help create a functional, simplified home.
I’m a firm believer that it’s best to re-purpose many items around your home FIRST before investing in more stuff. Take a look around your home to see if you have similar items that you can use in place of these items (shoe boxes, plastic food containers, etc).
If you don’t find anything in your home that will help you create the organizing systems that you need, spending a few dollars on these useful organizing supplies will be worth the investment in the long run!
–>>Go Here to see the FULL list of 10 Items You Need To Organize Your Home Like a Pro!
Printable Labels to Organize Every Room in Your Home
You can organize the heck out of your home but truth is, Your Home is not completely organized until you add labels!
I’ve done the hard work for you and made every label for every space in your home.
If there is a label that you don’t see available below (for common household items), please let me know in the comments and I will add it!
–>>Go Here to Print These Labels to Organize Your Home now!
Printable Home Organizing Cheat Sheets
Need help getting your family organized? Want to learn how to declutter your home fast with kids? Do you need help simplifying all the “stuff” in your home?
Let me help with my Cheat Sheet Bundle to Simplify Your Home in 30 Days!
Right now, you can get the Simplify Your Digital Life Cheat Sheet Plus 20 more pages of printable forms, cheat sheets, and checklists to help you FINALLY get organized!
Here’s what’s included in this bundle:
- Organize Your Home in 30 Days Calendar (also available separately here*)
- Simplify Your Home in 30 Days Checklist
- 6 Questions To Ask Yourself When Decluttering Cheat Sheet
- 7 Steps To Get Your Family Organized Cheat Sheet
- 15 Steps To Get Rid Of Paper Clutter Cheat Sheet
- Simplify Your Digital Life Checklist
- Declutter Your Home Fast (The Laundry Basket Method) Cheat Sheet
- Weekly (Detailed) Meal Planning Form (also in the meal planning bundle here*)
- Weekly (Simple) Meal Planning Form (also in the meal planning bundle here*)
- Sorting Signs (ONE of each): Trash, Recycle, Shred, Sentimental
- 30 Blank Printable Home Organization Labels in SIX Different Shapes (5 labels per page) and Transparent (can be printed on ANY color cardstock)**
–>>Download the Simplify Your Home in 30 Days CHEAT SHEET bundle here!
32 Home Management Printables that REALLY Work!
No one should have to feel overwhelmed by homemaking because it costs too much or they can’t get the help they need.
When it comes to homemaking, do you ever struggle with everything on your to-do list? The cleaning, the cooking, the laundry, the organizing, the home projects… shall I keep going?
You are not alone.
Maybe you can relate to these statements:
- “I can never find the time to clean and organize”
- “I’m tired of feeding my family take-out for dinner”
- “I have no idea why we are always broke!”
- “I’m not sure how to start so I just keeping reading stuff & doing nothing”
- “I struggle with doing “all the stuff” to create a perfect home”
I’ve said all of these before by the way.
Almost all homemakers struggle with these points – whether you work outside the home or not, whether you have 0 kids or 12. Since I was struggling in these areas (and thought you might be as well), I created some encouraging and useful resources to overcome the most common homemaking struggles.
Everything you need to take your homemaking strategy to the next level is included in the Homemaking Printable Pack. I’ve been using the goodies included in the printable pack and the resources have significantly changed my home management strategy.
–>>Go here to get your copy of the Homemaking Printable Pack today!
Make the Most of Every Day With the Ultimate Productivity Bundle
Are you ready to be more productive? Get 46 eBooks, eCourses, and printables on conquering your to-do list, reaching your goals, and freeing up more time with the Ultimate Productivity Bundle.
Life’s too short to waste! Why not learn how to streamline your routines and use productivity tools to your advantage – all so you can free up the time to do more of what you love? That’s exactly what the Ultimate Productivity Bundle is all about: 46 eBooks, eCourses, and printables to find more margin, reach your goals, and rock your to-do list.
—>>Get the Ultimate Productivity Bundle here
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Psssssttt…Right now I’m offering a FREE 3-Day Course to Organize your Kitchen FOR GOOD! The free course includes instructions, tips, and pictures for how to de-clutter, simplify and organize your kitchen in only 3-days! Hurry up and sign up here! (Course instructions will be sent after subscribing)
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[…] you need help decluttering, there is a great post on the Simple Made Pretty Website. The website’s author is a former professional organizer so she has so great tips! I’m […]