Declutter Archives

An open kitchen cabinet full of mismatched coffee mugs, with a paper bag of mugs to donate and plastic containers on the counter below

30 Things to Let Go of After 60: One Small Task a Day

If you have a house that feels a little too full and no energy for a big weekend clear-out, this list is for you. For years, I asked myself the …

A table lamp with a crooked shade on a side table beside a floral sofa, with reading glasses and a book

Would I Buy It Again Today? The One Question That Cleared What “Do I Use It?” Missed

A lamp showed me what my favorite decluttering question was missing. It sits on the little table next to my spot on the couch. I turn it on every single …

A weekly pill box and pill bottles on a kitchen counter by the coffee maker, with a basket of loose batteries on a low shelf below

Before the Grandkids Come: A Grandma’s-House Safety Clear-Out

My niece called me last week. She’s bringing her little boy to our house for Thanksgiving. He’s just over a year old. He just started walking, and his mom says …

A worn navy cardigan with a missing button folded on a bed beside a laundry basket of towels

The Things That Remind Me of a Hard Year

“Mom, you don’t even like that sweater.” My daughter said it gently, the way she says most things. We were folding laundry together on a Saturday, and she was holding …

An open dresser drawer with folded winter sweaters beside a stack of old diaries, flowered notebooks and a bundle of letters tied with string

My Diaries, My Letters, My Choice: What I’m Sorting Now So Nobody Has to Wonder

Last Sunday afternoon, my husband was out in the garage, and the house was still. I sat down on the edge of our bed and opened the bottom drawer of …

A pile of fall mailings, window envelopes and booklets on a wooden kitchen table beside a cup of tea and reading glasses

Decluttering for Women Over 65: What to Clear at Medicare Age

The envelope had a little blue window and big red letters on the front. “Important Medicare Information Enclosed.” It was addressed to me. I’m not even 65 yet. By the …

A wicker basket overflowing with holiday catalogs and envelopes on a small wooden table by the front door, with reading glasses beside it

Stopping Holiday Catalogs and Credit Card Offers Before They Fill the Mail Basket

Every year, the week after Halloween, the catalogs start coming. First it’s one or two. Then it’s a stack every day, with shiny covers, red bows, and sweaters I would …

A silver car parked inside a cleared garage with a clear path to the house door steps, gray metal shelves and frost on the lawn outside

Where to Start Decluttering the Garage After 60 (Short Sessions, No Heavy Lifting)

My husband and I have shared almost everything for forty years. The garage was never one of them. The garage is his space. I made peace with that a long …

A trash bag and a paper donation bag on a kitchen table beside old pens, worn sponges, condiment packets and loose batteries

15 Easy Things Women Over 70 Can Let Go of This Weekend (Nothing Sentimental)

Three bags. That’s what my mother and I filled one Saturday when she was 78. Not one thing in those bags made either of us cry. There were no photos, …

A backyard patio in late fall with patio chairs, a laundry basket, and piles of plastic pots, cracked clay pots and faded cushions to sort

Putting the Patio and Garden Things Away for Winter: What I Keep and What Goes

Last spring, I made a mistake I don’t want to make again. I opened the garage on the first warm day to bring out the patio things. The cushions I …