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30 Day Declutter Challenge

30 Day Declutter Challenge

Thirty days, one zone of your home each. Tick a day and its pile leaves the house below. Print the sheet for the fridge, put a reminder for every day in your calendar, or switch to the minimalism game and count your way to 465 things.

Starts in 50 days, on Friday 1 January 2027.

0 days done of 30

0 things out of 465

0 rooms clear of 10

Next: day 1, Entryway. Shoes, coats and bags by the door.

Tap a pile in the house, or a day in the list, to tick it off.

Your challenge

Mode

One zone of the home a day, no counting.

Day 1: one thing out. Day 2: two. Day 30: thirty. 465 in all.

Start date

Ends Saturday 30 January 2027 · ·

Reminder time

Add 30 reminders to my calendar

One event a day at your reminder time, each with an alarm. Opens in Apple Calendar, Google Calendar or Outlook.

The 30 day declutter listThe 30 day minimalism game

One job a day, room by room. The dates follow your start date.Each day's count, its zone and the running total, if every day so far was played.

The printable sheet

One page with all thirty days, their dates, a box to tick each day and a house to colour in room by room. Laid out to fit A4 and US Letter.

To keep a PDF, choose "Save as PDF" in the print window.

30 Day Declutter Challenge30 Day Minimalism Game

Friday 1 January 2027 to Saturday 30 January 2027

Name

Day N: N things out of the house by midnight. 465 in all.

Colour in a room when all its days are ticked.

Day 1Fri 1 Jan Entryway Shoes, coats and bags by the door Keep what is worn this season. Everything else goes back to its room or into a donate bag. 1 thing1 so far
Day 2Sat 2 Jan Kitchen The junk drawer Tip it all out, bin the dead batteries and mystery keys, and put back only what you used this year. 2 things3 so far
Day 3Sun 3 Jan Kitchen Food containers and lids Match every container to a lid. Anything without a partner goes in the recycling. 3 things6 so far
Day 4Mon 4 Jan Kitchen Pantry and cupboards Check the dates, finish or bin anything past them, and donate unopened food you will not use. 4 things10 so far
Day 5Tue 5 Jan Kitchen Fridge and freezer Empty one shelf at a time, wipe it, and put back only what you will eat. 5 things15 so far
Day 6Wed 6 Jan Kitchen Mugs, glasses and gadgets Keep enough for a normal week plus guests. Single-use gadgets you have not touched in a year can go. 6 things21 so far
Day 7Thu 7 Jan Bathroom Toiletries, samples and make-up Bin anything dried out or past its date, and pass on full bottles you will never use. 7 things28 so far
Day 8Fri 8 Jan Bathroom Under the sink and the cabinet One of each cleaning product is enough. Old towels can go to an animal shelter if yours takes them. 8 things36 so far
Day 9Sat 9 Jan Bedroom The nightstand Clear the top completely, then keep only what you reach for at night. 9 things45 so far
Day 10Sun 10 Jan Bedroom Clothes that no longer fit If it does not fit today, or you have not worn it in a year, it goes in the donate bag. 10 things55 so far
Day 11Mon 11 Jan Bedroom Socks, underwear and worn-out basics Odd socks and anything with holes go to textile recycling, not the donate bag. 11 things66 so far
Day 12Tue 12 Jan Bedroom Shoes, bags and accessories Keep the pairs you actually wear. Anything that hurts your feet goes. 12 things78 so far
Day 13Wed 13 Jan Living room Coffee table and every flat surface Give every object on a surface a home, or a bag. Surfaces stay clear from here on. 13 things91 so far
Day 14Thu 14 Jan Living room Books and magazines Keep the books you will reread or lend. Old magazines go in the recycling. 14 things105 so far
Day 15Fri 15 Jan Living room DVDs, games and remotes Find what each remote belongs to. If nothing, it goes, along with discs nobody plays. 15 things120 so far
Day 16Sat 16 Jan Living room Cushions, throws and decor Keep the pieces you notice and like. The rest goes to the donate box or the sell box. 16 things136 so far
Day 17Sun 17 Jan Kids' room Toys they have outgrown Sort with your child where you can. Broken toys go, and outgrown ones go to a younger child. 17 things153 so far
Day 18Mon 18 Jan Kids' room Children's clothes Too small goes in the donate bag, too big goes in one labelled box, and that box is the only one. 18 things171 so far
Day 19Tue 19 Jan Kids' room Art, crafts and school papers Keep a few favourites in one folder and take photos of the rest. 19 things190 so far
Day 20Wed 20 Jan Home office The paper pile and old mail Recycle what is finished, file what you must keep, and shred anything with personal details. 20 things210 so far
Day 21Thu 21 Jan Home office Cables, chargers and dead electronics Match each cable to a device you own. Take old electronics to an e-waste collection point, not the bin. 21 things231 so far
Day 22Fri 22 Jan Home office Pens, stationery and the desk drawer Test the pens. Keep one pot of what writes, and pass the spare notebooks on. 22 things253 so far
Day 23Sat 23 Jan Laundry Cleaning and laundry supplies Combine half-empty bottles of the same thing and bin the empties. 23 things276 so far
Day 24Sun 24 Jan Laundry Sheets and towels Two sets of sheets per bed and two towels per person is plenty for most homes. 24 things300 so far
Day 25Mon 25 Jan Garage Tools and DIY leftovers Keep the tools you use. For old paint and chemicals, check your local disposal rules before they leave the house. 25 things325 so far
Day 26Tue 26 Jan Garage Sports and hobby kit Be honest about the hobby you have stopped doing. Someone else will use the kit this year. 26 things351 so far
Day 27Wed 27 Jan Storage Boxes not opened since you moved in Open each one. If you did not miss it, it can go without a second look. 27 things378 so far
Day 28Thu 28 Jan Storage Holiday decorations Keep what made it onto the tree or the table last year. Broken lights go to recycling. 28 things406 so far
Day 29Fri 29 Jan Storage Keepsakes, gently Choose the few that matter most and give them a proper box. Photograph the rest before they go. 29 things435 so far
Day 30Sat 30 Jan Entryway Out the door: donate, sell, recycle Every bag and box from the month leaves the house today. Drop it off, list it or book a collection. 30 things465 so far

Printed from gethomsy.com/tools/30-day-declutter-challenge

Your start date, mode, reminder time and ticks are saved in this browser, and the share link carries them, so another phone can open the same challenge.

How the list was put together, and the minimalism game arithmetic

The thirty days are our own list, not a published standard: ten zones of a typical home, each given about as many days as it holds small things. The kitchen has five; the bedroom and the living room four each; the children's room, the home office and storage three each; the bathroom, the laundry, the garage and the entryway two each. The entryway has day 1 and day 30: the first quick win, and the day the bags go out. Skip any zone your home does not have.

In the minimalism game, day N asks for N things. Thirty days come to 1 + 2 + … + 30 = 30 × 31 ÷ 2 = 465, and by the end of day N the running total is N × (N + 1) ÷ 2: 55 after day 10, 210 after day 20 and 465 after day 30. A day ticked out of order counts its own number, so day 12 on its own is 12 things. The rule of one thing, then two, then three comes from The Minimalists; the zones and jobs it is paired with here are ours.

Each day's date is the start date plus one day for every day before it, so a start on 1 January ends on 30 January. The calendar file follows RFC 5545: thirty events at the reminder time you choose, half an hour long, in your phone's own time zone, each with an alarm as it starts. The start date, the mode, the reminder time and the ticked days are saved in this browser, and the share link carries all four.

Where these numbers come from

1. Play the 30-Day Minimalism Game — The Minimalists
2. RFC 5545: Internet Calendaring and Scheduling Core Object Specification (iCalendar) — Internet Engineering Task Force, 2009

Every figure above was read out of the code that runs on this page. Where a number is our own judgement rather than a published one, the note says so and cites nothing. Method last checked 9 November 2026.

Why thirty small days clear more than one big weekend

A whole-house declutter usually stalls in the same place: the decisions. Every object asks the same question — keep it, give it away, sell it or bin it — and by the third cupboard of a big weekend nobody can answer it any more. The 30 day declutter challenge splits that work into thirty pieces small enough to finish: one drawer, one shelf or one pile a day, in one zone of the home, from a fixed list, so nobody has to decide what today is.

The order is deliberate. The month opens on a quick win, the coats and shoes by the door, because a result you can see on day 1 is what gets you to day 2. The kitchen gets five days because it holds the most small things. Keepsakes wait until day 29, when four weeks of practice have made deciding easier, and day 30 is the only day with no sorting: everything in the bags and boxes leaves the house.

The minimalism game is the same month with a count. The Minimalists made it popular: one thing goes on day 1, two on day 2, and so on, so the full thirty days come to 465 things. It starts easy and turns hard, because the second half holds three quarters of the total: days 16 to 30 ask for 345 of the 465. Pick the game when you want a number to chase, and the plain list when you want one zone a day and no counting.

Things leave in four directions: donate, sell, recycle and bin. Before you photograph anything for the sell box, our declutter value calculator gives a rough figure for what it might fetch and how long listing it would take. Once the month is over, a weekly Sunday reset checklist is what stops the drawers filling up again, and a cleaning schedule spreads the rest of the housework across the week.

The honest limit of any declutter list is that it was not written for your home. Skip a day that has nothing to do with you, such as the garage or the children's room, do two on a weekend, or move the start date: the sheet and the calendar follow the date you set. The one rule worth keeping is day 30's. The bags leave the house.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the 30 day declutter challenge?

A month of short daily decluttering jobs, one zone of the home a day, from the shoes and coats by the front door on day 1 to taking every bag out of the house on day 30. The list on this page is fixed and printable. It covers the entryway, kitchen, bathroom, bedroom, living room, children's room, home office, laundry, garage and storage, and you can start it on any date.

Is there a free printable 30 day declutter challenge PDF?

Yes. "Print the sheet" gives one page with all thirty days, the date of each day from your start date, a box to tick and a house outline to colour in room by room. It is laid out to fit A4 and US Letter: pick your paper on the page, then choose Save as PDF in the print window to keep a file. No email address or account is needed.

How many items is the January declutter challenge?

If it is the minimalism game, 465 over 30 days: one item on day 1, two on day 2 and so on up to 30 on day 30, and 1 + 2 + … + 30 = 465. January has 31 days, so a group that keeps going to 31 January adds 31 more, for 496. The plain 30-day list has no item count: each day is one zone, done when it is done.

What is the 30 day minimalism game?

A decluttering game made popular by The Minimalists, Joshua Fields Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus. On the first day of the month each player gets rid of one thing, on the second day two things, and so on, and whatever goes must be out of the house by midnight. Switch this page to "Minimalism game" and each day shows its count and the running total, the printed sheet carries the counts, and the calendar reminders say how many things the day asks for.

When should I start a declutter challenge?

Whenever thirty days in a row look manageable. The page starts on the coming 1 January, because the new year is when most people go looking for one, but any start date works: set it and every date on the page, on the sheet and in the calendar moves with it.

What do I do with the things I declutter?

Sort them into four boxes or bags as you go: donate, sell, recycle and bin. Day 30 on the list is for taking them all out of the house. For the sell box, the declutter value calculator on this site gives a rough estimate of what it might fetch and how long listing it would take.

Can I add the declutter challenge to my calendar?

Yes. "Add 30 reminders to my calendar" downloads a calendar file with one event a day at the time you choose (18:00 unless you change it), each with the day's zone, its job and an alarm, for Apple Calendar, Google Calendar or Outlook. In the minimalism game the reminders carry the day's count as well.

What if I miss a day?

Do it the next day alongside that day's job, or skip it: apart from day 30, nothing on the list depends on the order. In the minimalism game catch up as early as you can, because the counts grow. Missing day 25 means 51 things on day 26.

Can the whole family do the challenge together?

Yes. Each day is one zone, so it splits well: one person on the kitchen drawer, another on the toys. Ticks are saved in this browser, and "Copy the share link" gives a link that carries the start date, the mode and the days ticked so far, so another phone opens the same sheet. The minimalism game is meant to be played against a friend, each player keeping their own count.

Is there a slower version, like a 52 week declutter challenge?

The same list works at any pace. Do one day of it each weekend and it becomes a thirty-week challenge. The page, the sheet and the calendar count one day after another, so for a weekly pace print the sheet and write your own dates over the printed ones.

Share the declutter month with the house in Homsy

A declutter month goes faster with more hands. Homsy puts each job on the phone of whoever is doing it, with a reminder, so the junk drawer is not one person's problem.

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