May Decluttering Ideas (with Printable)
Our May decluttering calendar gives you a full month of simple daily decluttering ideas. The challenge is about building a regular decluttering routine and creating space and order at home, one step at a time.
On busy days, even 10 minutes is enough to make a difference. Do your little bit every day, then go back to what you were doing before.
Find the planner printable at the foot of the article. Declutter and reset your home, ready for summer!
May Decluttering
Set a 15-min timer and go through your hobby items.
Declutter Your Closet (May 2-8)
Find 3 items in your closet you haven’t worn in the last 12 months to give away.
Take a quick look at the items in your closet. Ask yourself which ones no longer fit, which ones aren’t comfortable, or which ones you don’t like anymore. Pick three that you want to donate (if in good condition) or toss (if not in good condition).
Go through your shoes and donate the uncomfortable ones.
Try on the shoes you generally avoid wearing. Walk around the house for a few minutes. If they’re very uncomfortable, donate them (they might be comfortable for someone else).
Organize the shoes you have ready for the season.
Store away shoes that you don’t plan to wear this season. Organize the remaining shoes using a system that works for you (e.g., by color, by occasion, by how frequently you wear them).
Store away off-season items (e.g., clothes, shoes, accessories).
Select the clothes, accessories, and remaining shoes you don’t plan to wear this season. Clean everything before storing it. You can use labeled clear bins (like these Rubbermaid storage bins) to see everything better or vacuum bags. Keep a few items on hand in case the weather changes unexpectedly.
Start organizing clothes using a system (e.g., color-coding, by item).
If you already have a system you like, just tidy your closet according to your system. If you don’t have one, consider what would work for you. You could arrange by category (tops, dresses, suits), by occasion (work, casual, gym, formal), or by color. You could also combine multiple ideas and arrange by both occasion and color, for example.
Set a 15-min timer and organize a couple of shelves in your closet.
Now that you have a system to work with, you can focus on a couple of shelves or other small areas in your closet to work on.
Organize the accessories in your closet.
This is an area that can quickly get messy and disorganized. Having some dividers, hooks, or trays can help bring order here and keep everything organized.
Get the May Closet Decluttering printable here.
Declutter Your Kitchen & Pantry (May 9-15)
Toss expired items from the fridge & pantry.
Toss everything that’s gone bad. Start by checking the expiration dates on packaged things. Afterward, see what else is no longer good, including leftovers, fruit, and vegetables. Try to group things by category (e.g., condiments, leftovers, dairy). You can use some fridge organizer bins to help keep things neat and tidy.
Declutter and organize the pots and pans.
Get rid of any pots and pans that are warped or scratched if nonstick/teflon. You can use an organizer for lids. Place your most-used pots and pans in the cabinets that are easier to access.
Sort through the utensils and organize them.
Try to organize the utensils by category (e.g., cooking tools, cutlery, gadgets). You can use drawer dividers to have an assigned home for each category. You could also relocate some of the utensils you rarely use but still need to a bottom drawer. Get rid of any utensils you don’t use at all.
Declutter and organize the dishes and mugs.
Toss chipped dishes and mugs. Donate ones that you don’t use and don’t want to keep. You could use shelf risers to maximize vertical space when stacking the plates. Keep dishes you use every day in an easily accessible place (generally at eye level).
Declutter and organize the under-the-sink area in the kitchen.
Remove everything and clean the area. Then group items by category (e.g., cleaning supplies, dishwasher supplies). Combine half-empty bottles of the same product and recycle empty ones.
Organize the tea and coffee area.
Use containers to organize coffee pods, coffee beans, tea bags, loose tea leaves, and add-ons like sugar and sweeteners. Think about whether the current layout works well for you. If not, think about how to reorganize the area.
Declutter and organize the kitchen countertops.
Clearing the counters will instantly make your kitchen feel cleaner and bigger. Remove everything first and wipe the countertops. Store appliances you don’t use often in cabinets rather than placing them on the countertops. Only keep what you use daily or almost daily (e.g., toaster, kettle).
Get the Declutter Your Kitchen & Pantry (May 9-15) printable here.
Declutter Your Bathroom (May 16-22)
Focus on clearing and organizing the area under the bathroom sink.
Put the most frequently used items in the front. Combine any half-used duplicates and recycle the empty ones. Use trays or other organizers to separate the items by category. You can maximize vertical space with stackable drawers or shelf risers.
Toss expired makeup, skincare products, and other toiletries.
Some products will have an ‘open jar’ symbol that shows you how many months the product is good for after opening (e.g., 6M means 6 months after opening). You should also check if any products have a strange smell, texture, or color.
Declutter and organize the items on the bathroom countertop.
Ideally, keep only items you use daily on the countertop and move the ones you use occasionally to your drawers or cabinets. You can also use trays and other countertop organizers to keep everything neatly arranged.
Group similar products in containers and combine duplicates.
Try to create zones for all the different categories of products you need (e.g., hair care, dental care, skin care, bath products). You can use containers like clear acrylic bins, small baskets, and drawer dividers to organize them. If you notice duplicates, combine them if you can.
Organize the bathroom cabinets.
Use the harder-to-reach cabinets or shelves for extra stock (e.g., extra toilet paper), guest supplies, and other rarely used items. Keep everything organized by category. Use items like shelf risers and labeled bins. Try to store everything you use frequently in the cabinets that are easy to access.
Remove any items that don’t belong in the bathroom.
Sometimes, things can get misplaced and end up in the bathroom (e.g., cleaning products that belong in the kitchen or another room, clothes that belong in the laundry room, tea mugs you should take back to the kitchen). Return all these items back to their proper rooms.
Replace old toothbrushes & old towels.
If your towels are thin and scratchy, fraying heavily, or just no longer fresh and fluffy, it’s time to declutter them. As a general guideline, toothbrushes should be replaced no later than 3-4 months. There are times you should replace the toothbrush even sooner (e.g., if the bristles are frayed).
Get the Declutter Your Bathroom (May 16-22) printable here.
Declutter the Rest of Your Home (May 23-31)
Go through the living room and remove things that don’t belong there.
Declutter and organize the TV area and coffee table.
Group similar small items in trays or baskets (e.g., put the remotes in a nice tray).
Pick 3 small areas to declutter in 15 minutes.
Set a 15-min timer and tidy and declutter the entryway.
Declutter and tidy the bedroom for 15 minutes.
Tidy and declutter your purse or work bag.
Set a 15-min timer and focus on the area that bothers you the most.
Do a 15-min declutter of your outdoor area in preparation for summer.
Get the May decluttering printable here.
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