Decluttering your home can feel overwhelming. It’s not only about getting rid of things — you can get weighed down by emotional baggage, tired out by decision fatigue, and feel guilty over wasted money. Plus, there’s always that nagging “what if?” feeling, and the process takes time and energy.
However, you can break it down into manageable steps. A 10-10-10 declutter challenge makes it easier by setting clear limits. This challenge is quick, flexible, and fits into a busy schedule without feeling daunting.
Let’s explore what the 10-10-10 decluttering technique involves and how to use it to transform your home.
What is the 10-10-10 declutter challenge?
The 10-10-10 challenge simplifies decluttering. Choose 10 areas in your home, spend 10 minutes on each, and remove 10 items from each space. That’s 100 items gone in just over an hour.
Do you feel you might need more time? Extend it to 15 or 20 minutes per area, adjusting the challenge to fit your needs while maintaining the core structure. The key to this challenge’s success is to set a time limit, but it can be whatever works best for you.
How to declutter using the 10-10-10 method
Follow these steps to declutter your home quickly and efficiently.
Step one: Choose 10 spaces
Pick 10 areas of your home that need attention. Focus on spaces you use daily or places where clutter builds up the fastest.
Step two: Prepare to declutter
Organise decluttered items
Gather boxes or bags and label them as rubbish, recycle, donate, and sell.
Plan for large items
If you intend to remove furniture or cover more than 10 areas at once, hire a skip to clear waste quickly.
Set limits on sentimental items
Choose a dedicated box or shelf for keepsakes and commit to keeping only what fits. To stay in control, set limits for each category — allowing more room for small items and less for larger ones. Common categories of sentimental items include:
- personal keepsakes (letters, photographs, wristbands, tickets, trinkets)
- souvenirs
- family heirlooms
- gifts
- documents
- soft toys
- children’s artwork.
By defining boundaries, you’ll keep meaningful items without letting clutter take over.
If something has sentimental value but no actual use, take a photo before letting it go. This works well for children’s artwork — you can’t keep it all, but you can preserve the memory.
Tidy up
Quickly tidy up before starting to declutter. Cluttered spaces make decision-making more complicated and slow the process.
Grab a timer
A timer will help you keep track of time as you declutter.
Step three: Start decluttering the first area
It’s time to begin your 10-minute declutter. Set the timer for 10 minutes, then move items around and ask yourself:
- Have I used this in the past year?
- Does it work?
- Is it damaged?
- Do I have duplicates?
- Does it hold sentimental value?
- Does it have a designated space?
- Does this serve me now, or is it aspirational?
Use your answers to these questions to remove 10 unnecessary items from the area.
Step four: Sort and organise
Make quick decisions and avoid getting lost in memories — remember, your goal is to remove 10 items in 10 minutes. Place each item in its designated box or bag and move on.
Step five: Move to the next area
When your timer rings, stop and shift to the next area. The goal of the 10-minute declutter isn’t perfection but to make a noticeable difference in many spaces. To stay motivated, switch up the areas instead of tackling the same type of space for 20 minutes.
Step six: Clear the waste
When you’ve completed the challenge, don’t let clutter linger in new piles. Immediately:
- toss rubbish into bins or a skip
- recycle at home or drop items off at the local household waste recycling centre
- drop off donations at a charity shop or schedule a collection for larger items
- list items for sale, then store them out of sight until they’re sold.
Step seven: Review your progress
Assess your achievements at the end of your 10-10-10 declutter. Some areas may need another round of decluttering, so add them back to your list. You might also notice new spaces to tackle.
Then, it’s time to start the challenge again. Track progress with before-and-after photos or a checklist to keep yourself motivated. The more you declutter, the lighter and more functional your home becomes.
For more decluttering inspiration, check out our recent post on Swedish Death Cleaning.