26 Things To Declutter in 2026
The start of the new year often brings with it a desire for serious organizing and a good decluttering session. Once the Christmas decor is cleared out, it’s the perfect time to start thinking about clearing out any excess clutter that has built up throughout the year.
As you set goals for your home in 2026, one of those goals should include maintaining a clutter-free home. I promise it’s the best thing you can do to create a home you love!
This is especially true in the first part of the year. This is because our homes tend to receive lots of new stuff throughout the holiday season. I know this is true of my home, so I am updating my list of things to declutter for 2026.
It’s a short list of just 26 things to declutter. Anyone can do that! These items are easy to tackle and will set you on your way to a 2026 clutter-free home.
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26 Things You Should Declutter This Year
I hope you join me in committing to decluttering these 26 items. It’s the perfect way to start the year off right! Even picking a couple of categories a month means you’ll have conquered a lot of clutter by year’s end.
1. Excess water bottles
While having a favorite water bottle helps me keep my water intake on track, I don’t use most of the water bottles that have been collected in my home.
I know I’m not alone in this. If you’ve mysteriously built up an excess supply of water bottles, now is a good time to let go of those you don’t need. Pick a favorite or two and declutter the remainder.
2. Overstuffed areas
This may be a closet, a drawer, or even an entire room. When an area in your home becomes completely non-functional because there is too much stuff, you know it’s time for all that stuff to go!
So if you have a space in your home overflowing with stuff, you know it’s one of the things you should declutter this year!
3. Extra kitchen tools
If it’s been a little while since you did a Kitchen declutter or received a few new items, now is the time to declutter the extras. I promise your kitchen will feel amazing when you’re done.
Whenever new items come into your home, let go of older items. This will help you make room for the new items. Plus, getting into this habit will ensure your home stays clutter-free in 2026!
4. Extra throw blankets
Nothing beats cuddling up on the couch during the cooler months with a cozy throw blanket, warm tea, and a good book. Because this is my happy place, I tend to collect cozy throw blankets.
In addition, friends and family like to give them to me as gifts because they know I enjoy them. While I do rotate some of them out, I also regularly purge ones that are no longer as soft and cozy.
If you have more than you need or use, this is another thing you should declutter in 2026. My favorite place to donate extra throw blankets is the animal shelter.
At the same time, I am sure there are many places where this type of donation would be most welcome. Places like homeless shelters and women’s shelters are also great options.
5. Paper Clutter
Tackling paper clutter early on will make all other decluttering easy going from here on out.
Even though I have some really good tips and tricks for conquering paper clutter, every now and again, the piles just sneak back up on you.
Paper clutter is one of those things that the longer you put it off, the harder it becomes. Do what you can to go completely paperless in 2026; the entire year will feel much lighter.
6. Home Decor
If you knew how much I love home decor, it wouldn’t surprise you that this is an area I struggle with.
Truthfully, I am pretty good about following the one-in-one-out rule regarding decor.
However, I’m not perfect, so it does accumulate. Plus, it’s sometimes hard to let go of some items. This is when I remind myself that one thing I don’t like is living in a messy, cluttered home or having to move a ton of decor just to dust and clean.
So in 2026, I will again pick my favorites and let go of the rest.
7. Your junk drawer
We all have one. And most of them are filled with random miscellaneous things we don’t know what else to do with.
The next thing you know, your junk drawer is overflowing. If that sounds like you, you’ll want to declutter that junk drawer in 2026.
8. Plastic Shopping Bags
I’m not sure why I feel guilty about getting rid of those plastic shopping bags, but somehow I do. However, when I learned I could donate them to our local thrift store, it was a game-changer.
If you have amassed a collection of plastic shopping bags when you drop off some of the other things you should declutter in 2026, add in those plastic shopping bags. Your local donation center will put them to good use.
9. Toiletry items
It’s easy to collect toiletry items without even trying. They start to build up from products you tried but just didn’t work for whatever reason, or items that were given as gifts. Either way, you should declutter what you don’t use.
Toss out any partially used products you didn’t like. Also, consider passing on or donating any items that are still new.
Decluttering these toiletry items is an excellent way to give your bathroom a fresh start in the new year.
10. Extra pens and pencils
Now that your desk is clear from paper clutter, it’s the perfect time to declutter some of those other desk items.
Pens and pencils are another item we tend to collect without realizing it. The good thing is, these are easy items to declutter in 2026.
If you have a collection of extra pens and pencils or other school or office supplie,s consider donating them to a school district or after-school program. They are always in need of supplies like this.
11. Furniture
As you begin to downsize, you may find yourself with a few extra furniture pieces stored in the garage or basement. Furniture is one of those things that we tend to store away because we feel like it might be useful.
But let me ask you this — if you are not using it now, how useful is it really? What this furniture is doing is taking up valuable space in your home.
Now is the time to donate or pass on any furniture items you are not currently using. If the items are valuable enough to make the effort to sell them worth it, you might make a few extra dollars.
12. Broken Items
This is an easy one! If you have things you’ve been holding on to that are not working, or working poorly, it’s time to get rid of them.
Go through your home and declutter all broken items. I promise you will not miss them!
13. Anything not used in the past year
As you go through your home, you will likely discover several items you don’t use anymore. It’s time to pass them on.
If you have things you have not used in the past year, this is the time to let them go.
Honestly, this is a good thing to do each year. Go through everything you know you have not used and get it out of your home!
You and your home will feel so much lighter.
14. Books
When it comes to things you should declutter in 2026, decluttering books is a touchy subject for some. There is a lot of emotional attachment to books. But you need to be honest with yourself. Will you really read those books again?
Here’s something to keep in mind if you’re a book lover: decluttering the excess allows you to make room for more.
So spend some time going through your books. Consider donating the books you want to declutter to a local free library. Schools are another great option; many teachers have a classroom library that they fill themselves. Those teachers would be happy to receive donations for their classrooms.
Just think, you’ll be clearing space in your home and blessing someone else at the same time.
While you are clearing out the books, you may also want to clear out any CDs or DVDs. Almost all of these can be streamed online these days.
15. Excess Storage Bins
By now, you’ve decluttered a ton of stuff from your home. Way to go!!
This likely means that you now have a number of extra storage bins and baskets you no longer need. Any storage bins that were previously storing your clutter have now become clutter themselves, so it’s time to let them go.
Gather all storage bins and containers you are not using and donate them. Do not hold on to them, thinking you might need them later. Doing that puts you into a mindset to collect more clutter. And that is the last thing you want to do in 2026!
16. Anything outgrown
Whether it’s clothing, toys no longer played with, or hobbies no longer loved, these are things you should declutter in 2026.
Try passing them on to someone who could use and love those items, and I promise it will feel great. Your home will be rid of the clutter, and you’ll be blessing someone else. That’s a win-win.
17. Expired medications
Going through your medicine cabinet annually is a good idea. Most medications expire after a year. You will likely find several products that have reached their expiration date.
This is a fairly quick job. Nevertheless, I recommend setting aside 30 minutes to go through and toss all expired items (including sunscreens). Organize what’s left and note what needs replacing.
If you have expired prescription medication, make sure to dispose of it correctly. Many police and fire stations have drop-off locations for these items. Just don’t forget to remove the labels first.
18. Food storage containers
Do you have a cupboard full of plastic food storage containers and mismatched lids? If so, make 2026 the year you finally tackle and organize this area of your kitchen.
I did this a couple of years ago, and let me tell you, it was a huge blessing. Investing in some stackable glass containers was so worth it.
It is so nice not to go digging around and searching for the right size or matching lids.
If your kitchen has too many plastic food containers and mismatched lids, 2026 is the time to let them go!
19. Outdated Tech and extra cords and chargers
Did you get any new tech items in the past year? If so, now is the perfect time to declutter the older items along with the outdated cords and chargers.
These items tend to migrate all over the house, so make sure to check drawers, closets, and cabinets for miscellaneous tech items you no longer need.
Old tech no longer working should be taken to your local recycling center, and older working items can be donated.
20. Unwanted gifts
Throughout the year, you may end up receiving a few unwanted gifts. If you don’t love it, won’t use it or it’s just creating clutter, you are under no obligation to keep it!
There are lots of things to do with unwanted gifts. The one thing you should not do is keep a gift out of obligation. After all, the person gave you the gift because they want to bless you, not make you feel guilty.
21. Clothing not worn all season
If you haven’t worn it all season long, you’re not suddenly going to start wearing it now. After all, there is a reason you’ve chosen not to wear it.
Whether it’s because it doesn’t fit or flatter you, there is no good reason to keep it. Plus, if you don’t want to wear it all season long, it is very unlikely that you’ll ever choose to wear it. This is especially true with how quickly fashion styles change these days.
I promise you’ll feel so much better getting rid of these items than you will by keeping them in your closet.
22. Extra linens
Do you have older, worn-out towels in your linen closet? Now is the time to get them out of your home. Consider dropping them off at your local animal shelter next time you are out running errands.
In addition to decluttering extra towels, consider how many other linen items you have. There is no reason to keep more than two sets of bedding for each bed in your home. You will never need more than that.
Storing extra linens actually takes up a lot of space. By decluttering the excess, you will free up so much space in your home.
23. Craft supplies you didn’t use
If you’re a regular crafter or like to craft at certain times of the year, it’s always a good idea to regularly clean out your craft supplies.
You may have extra scraps and leftover pieces here and there. Go through those items and declutter the things you don’t have a plan for using in the foreseeable future. This should include any craft supplies the kids have.
This will make organizing what you have left much easier!
24. Coffee cups and mugs
To say I am a big fan of coffee is an extreme understatement. As a result, someone almost always gets me a new coffee mug or two. While I appreciate the thought and love behind the gift, my cupboard starts getting crowded.
You very well may be relating to this. If so, coffee cups are one of the things to declutter in 2026.
I will be going through and picking my favorites and donating the rest. If you have extra dishes, go ahead and add them in as well!
25. Food you won’t eat, or that’s expired
By the time the new year arrives, we tend to have extra food on hand from all of the holiday festivities. In addition, sometimes we buy things that turn out not to be our favorites, and we prefer not to eat them again. Of course, expired food may also be added to the mix.
I think we all agree that wasting food is never a good thing, especially with the prices of food these days.
This is why I always do a food pantry cleanout. Basically, I limit grocery shopping and try to come up with as many meals as I can from what we have on hand.
For those items that do not get used during the pantry cleanout, I donate them, as long as they’re not expired. All expired items get tossed straight into the trash.
26. Your Subscriptions
This category is becoming more and more important to keep a handle on. It seems like almost everything is subscription based these days. This goes from clothing to news stories. Of course all streaming services these days are subscription based.
Gone are the days of remember to cancel the gym membership you forgot about, these days there may be countless subscriptions are you are even aware of.
It’s so easy to forget about all the subscriptions you have with these payments automatically applied every month.
Now is the perfect time to take a look at all those subscriptions and unsubscribe for those that you are not using or no longer need.
You just might find you’ll be saving quite a bit of money as well.
Choosing to declutter these 26 things in 2026 will start your year off right. It will also make your home and life easier to manage.
If you want some quick wins to get you started, here are 45 things that you can throw out quickly!
