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It felt so good to get home from vacation last week and put away all our travel toiletries under the sink now that it’s all cleaned out! There was a spot waiting for them and I didn’t need to push things aside at all. It’s further proof how important this challenge is! Less stuff means simple tasks are that much easier because I know where things go and the items fit where they belong. 

If you are just joining us, here’s the deal: 

I still had this mindset of decluttering being a big ol’ chore up until a few months ago when I read this fantastic post from Nony at A Slob Comes Clean. It was like a huge light went off in my brain! Decluttering is simply the act of getting rid of what doesn’t belong, isn’t needed, or belongs in the trash. It doesn’t mean buying a whole slew of new bins for your things to go in or coming up with some type of system that you hope will change your life – that’s organizing. It’s a whole different ball game. Right now, I’m in the game of decluttering. I just want things GONE.

When there’s less stuff, especially less of what has no purpose in your home anymore, organizing can often happen naturally. You won’t be cramming thirty towels into the closet because you only need ten and they fit nicely. You don’t need to dig through a tub of medicines to find what you need only to keep coming across bottles that are long since expired.

Here’s my challenge: Each week, take on ONE area of your home. I’ve already made the list for you so that part is done. Go to the area, throw away trash, put items that you no longer need but are still in good condition into a donation box, and put other items where they belong. Simple!

You can read more about the challenge on the week one post.

Week 26: Sheets, Pillowcases & Blankets

We got married while we were still in college. We both came into the marriage with a supply of hand me down items from our parents that they sent us with when we embarked on our college journeys plus we got even more for our wedding. Then you add in kid bedding? We are swarming in sheets and other bedding! 

I took on the linen closet last year at the same time I tackled under the bathroom sink. 

Since taking that picture we’ve apparently moved more bedding around because there was quite a bit more on the shelves this time around! I didn’t take a full closet shot since this week is only focused on bedding and there are so many different other categories of items in here. I did take a couple pictures of the various piles in the closet though that I sorted through before decluttering them. 

All of the linens are shoved in place rather than neatly stacked because there are too many! I sorted through them quickly enough and found several pillow cases and sheets to donate. Almost all the sheets are flat sheets because not a single person in our house uses them. Some people think it’s absolutely crazy to not use a top sheet but we can’t stand them. They get tangled up under the blankets and drive us nuts.

Since decluttering is all about getting rid of items that don’t belong, aren’t needed, or belong in the trash this perfectly validates getting rid of them! I did keep a couple king sized flat sheets for building forts with the kids but the rest went in the donation pile. 

Look at how few pillowcases there are now! I did move a few downstairs as well so the big boys can swap theirs out easier when it’s laundry day. 

How many extra sets of bedding to you keep on hand? Do you keep them in a central location or store them in each bedroom?

Share a picture in the comments or on social media with the hashtag #clutterbusterchallenge of what you found to declutter.

Come back next week for week 22 to clean off the bathroom shelves. I use our bathroom shelves to hold most of the beauty products but there are also other random items that get set there so I’m sure I’ll find more to toss out. 

If you are looking for a better way of keeping on top of your homemaking tasks now that you are steamrolling through all this decluttering you might be interested in a new course from Humorous Homemaking. Home Management How To: A Guide to Daily Success is open now! I’ve got a post about my experience with this course here but this is a great course for you to take control of all the household tasks in a way that is tailored specifically to your family and life.