Decluttering the Family Room

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I can’t believe it, but we’re already wrapping up week two of the Holiday Decluttering Challenge! I hope you’re seeing great progress around your home and are excited for today’s task.

This post contains affiliate links. For more information, please see my disclosures page.

Today, we’re going to be tackling our family rooms!

If your home is anything like mine, the family room is a much used and loved area of the home. It’s probably the second most used room in the house after the kitchen. It’s where we gather to play, watch tv, and spend time with one another.

It’s also the room where clutter can easily accumulate. Blankets, dvds, mail, TOYS, and all kinds of other things can pile up over the course of a day (or week… or month), and suddenly the cozy spot for family time is just another big mountain of clutter and a nagging to do list.

Decluttering the family room not only creates a more pleasing space for entertaining guests, but it’s necessary for creating a calm, peaceful environment because it’s really hard to relax when you’re surrounded by too much stuff.

Questions to ask while Decluttering your Family Room

First, take a few pictures of your room from different angles. Sometimes we’re able to see things in pictures that we miss by actually being in and used to a space. Once you’ve taken pictures, ask yourself the following questions:

• What are my goals for this space? How will I/we use it?
• What doesn’t support that goal and no longer belongs here? Now remove everything that doesn’t belong.
• Does every remaining item support this room’s purpose? Take another sweet through the room. There’s almost always more stuff that can be removed.
• Does every remaining item have a home in this space? Find a specific spot for each and every item.
• What kind of clutter typically accumulates in this room? How can I solve those problems?
• Has everything that’s been removed either found a home in a different room or been taken to a designated donation spot? Try to have one gathering location for everything that will be donated. The trunk of your car is a great place so you can drop it off next time you’re out of the house.

Once you’ve gone through this list, take “after” pictures of your room. Does it look and feel the way you’d like?

If it does, your job is done! Well, almost. The good news is now you only have to maintain your hard work!

If it doesn’t, what do you want to change? Immediately take care of any simple tasks you can, and make a list of any larger tasks you’ll need to come back to at another time. Work on maintaining the progress you’d made by tending to this room daily. It’s a lot easier and faster to take care of small messes than large ones, and your house will feel better too.

Does your family room tend to be well organized or messy? What kind of clutter accumulates there? I’d love to hear about it in the comments below!

If you’re looking for support and encouragement on your decluttering journey, be sure to join The Declutterathon group on Facebook!

Other Posts in this Series:

Decluttering the Kitchen
Decluttering the Family Room
Decluttering the Guest Bathroom
Decluttering the Dining & Guest Rooms
Entryway Closet Organization
Holiday Decluttering Challenge Begins!
Holiday Decluttering Challenge 2018