Decluttering checklist: organize your home with room-by-room guide

Decluttering is an important step when selling a home, but it can feel overwhelming and emotional as you take down your personal items.

It's essential to declutter before listing a house, as buyers will want to envision themselves living in the home. Taking personal items, removing excess items and performing a deep clean resets the space visually and physically for a potential buyer.

As you start to prepare to sell, set a goal for yourself each day to accomplish a specific task. Decluttering can involve simply removing piles of mail or trash and organizing belongings. It could also involve a thorough clean sweep of a room, including hauling away furniture and sorting through old belongings. The amount of decluttering needed will vary based on your home and lifestyle. The more advanced time you give yourself before listing — several months to a year is best — the better off you'll be. The more you break up the tasks, the less overwhelming it should feel.

You should have a system. Gather boxes, trash bags and cleaning supplies before beginning. Start a donations box to make it easy to drop off. If you decide to pack some items, be sure to label them well.

While decluttering is mostly about purging items, you can take the time to clean and restore your belongings.

Here is a room-by-room checklist to help guide your decluttering before selling:

The entrance to a home can become a catchall for outerwear, shoes and dirt.

• Put away shoes
• Hang up coats in closets or pack away
• Put away keys
• Go through mail
• Throw away trash
• Take down any pictures or personal items

As the name implies, the living room often sees a lot of foot traffic and use in a home.

• Put away anything out of place
• Remove extra pillows and blankets
• Clear off the coffee table and end tables
• Remove personal decor: pictures and art
• Clear surfaces of clutter
• Clear TV stand of clutter
• Organize electronics and cords
• Declutter shelves
• Take down personal trinkets
• Sort through books, DVDs and magazines
• Check under the couch for clutter

The kitchen cabinets and drawers can become a hub for clutter.

• Clean out the miscellaneous or junk drawer: test pens and throw away unnecessary items
• Clear off counters
• Put away small appliances
• Remove decor
• Clean out pantry and fridge
• Get rid of expired items
• Clear off shelves
• Organize cupboards
• Pack anything not essential
• Go through dishes and donate unwanted items
• Organize storage containers and make sure everything has a matching lid
• Organize pots and pans

This room could have the most clutter and could be the hardest to declutter.

• Clean out your closet
  
  • Go through each item and decide what to keep, sell or donate (ask yourself when the last time you wore it was)
  • Fold or hang each item
  • Neatly put away the clothes you are keeping
  • Make sure the closets are not overstuffed
• Clear off dresser
  
  • Put away important items
  • Pack personal items
  • Remove valuable items like jewelry
• Clean out desk
  
  • Empty the drawers and sort through items (keep, donate, trash)
  • Clear off desk surface
  • Sort through important documents and shred what you don't want to keep
  • Make sure pens work
  • Organize technology
• Declutter nightstand
• Hide extra cords
• Check under the bed for clutter and messes
• Remove personal items: photos, art and anything with your name on it

Kids produce a lot of clutter and parting with these items can be hard. Luckily, many children's items can be donated to a child in need.

• Sort toys into donate, keep, sell and trash piles
• Make sure the toys you are keeping work
• Store toys out of sight
• Line up larger toys neatly
• Sort through books and other collections
• Get rid of clothes that are too small
• Put away seasonal items
• Purge children's artwork or put drawings in a scrapbook
• Organize and clean out crafts supplies
• Organize and clean out sports gear

This is another area of the house that tends to collect items.

• Clean out the vanity
• Organize and clean out under the sink
• Organize and clean out drawers
• Go through each product to make sure it's not expired and that you still use it
• Combine products when possible
• Sort products into keep, donate (if unused) or trash
• Go through medicine cabinets

Experts advise against getting a storage unit because it creates more work and ultimately costs more money. Try to find space to organize the packed items, such as a garage, attic, or shed. But decluttering is about getting rid of unneeded items.

• Clean out garage or shed storage
• Sort through athletic and sports gear
• Organize yard work tools
• Declutter and organize tools
• Create a space to store boxes of clutter
• Organize attic space
• Make sure all items are in storage containers and labeled
• Declutter attic and only keep what you actually need
• Pare down on sentimental items