Before you start
Set out four containers — keep, donate, relocate, trash. Never leave a room to put something away mid-session; the relocate bin exists so you keep working.
The seven-day plan
Work in this order. Each day is one hour, timer on.
- Day 1 — Entry and mudroom. Shoes, coats, mail. Highest visibility, fastest payoff.
- Day 2 — Kitchen counters and one pantry shelf. Expired food goes first.
- Day 3 — Bathroom cabinets. Toss anything expired, half-used or unloved.
- Day 4 — Clothes you can see. Hanging items only; skip the dresser today.
- Day 5 — Paper. One pile: shred, file, act. Nothing else.
- Day 6 — Kids' toys or hobby gear. Sort by category, not by container.
- Day 7 — Load the car and deliver donations. The week is not done until items leave the house.
The rule that keeps it working
Every item needs a home you can name out loud. If you cannot say where something lives in one sentence, it does not have a home yet — and it will be back on the counter by Friday.
Seven hours over seven days beats one exhausting weekend that never gets repeated.
Want it done for you?
Clutter Cure organizes homes across Peoria and Central Illinois. Flat-rate quotes, donations hauled, complete confidentiality.
