How Long Does It Take To Declutter a Single Room?

Decluttering a room might seem like a dreadful activity that induces unnecessary stress. However, it’s therapeutic and can make you feel calmer in your space. But there is a time investment that you need to make when decluttering, which will be worth it.  

Decluttering a single room can take between two and six days. The time you take to declutter a single room depends on the size and type of the room, how long you’ve used it, how many other people use it, how many items are stored in it, and how quickly you can make decisions about your things.    

The rest of this article will explore this question in more detail, including the factors that affect how long it takes to declutter a room and how often it should be decluttered. I’ll also show you how to speed up the decluttering process. 

Why Does It Take Long To Declutter a Single Room?

Decluttering a single room takes long because people are attached to their belongings. Their belongings shape their identity and create a sense of security in their lives. Therefore, it’s painful to let go of them. Decluttering is also an overwhelming process, and this can lead to procrastination.

In a sense, decluttering is a mindset process rather than a physical one. It’s easy to clear a room out, but it can be challenging to accept that you need to do so in your mind because our items have sentimental value. They’ve either been passed down to us, or we’ve spent hard-earned money to purchase them. 

Factors That Affect How Long It Takes To Declutter a Room

The time it takes to declutter a room depends on several factors. Let’s explore these factors in detail: 

The Size and Type of the Room

The room type plays a huge role in determining how long it will take to declutter. For example, decluttering a bathroom will not take as much time as decluttering a kitchen. A kitchen generally has more clutter from crockery, cutlery, the pantry, different cabinets, etc., than a bathroom with one cabinet.

Similarly, a bedroom will not take the same time as decluttering a living room. There are different items that we store in each room, and the time it takes will depend on that.

Furthermore, how small or big your room is will also impact the time it takes to declutter it. A bigger space will obviously take longer to clear out than a small room.

How Many Other People Use the Room

If many people use the room, you’ll have extra items stored, and some might be stored in places you don’t know. Furthermore, some people might feel annoyed if you touch their things. Therefore, it’s best for everyone who uses the room to declutter their own stuff. 

The Number of Things Stored in the Room

A bedroom with one wardrobe will clear out faster than a bedroom with five wardrobes. And a kitchen with an overflowing pantry will take extra time compared to one with no pantry. Therefore, if you have plenty of things stored in your room, you can expect it to take much time to declutter.

How Long You Have Used the Room

When you’ve used a room for a long time, clutter tends to accumulate because you become comfortable. Therefore, somebody who’s used a room for five years will have more clutter than someone who’s inhabited a space for a year.

Over time, you will also find things that you don’t remember placing in the room and spend some time contemplating whether or not you are ready to let them go.

How Fast You Can Make Tough Decisions

Everyone’s attached to their possessions. However, when it comes to decluttering, emotional attachment can cause a significant error in judgment. You may hold onto things that take up space because a loved one passed them to you.

Therefore, if you aren’t emotionally attached to your possessions, and if you can decide to let go of what you don’t need faster, decluttering will move quickly. 

How Often Should You Declutter a Single Room?

You should declutter a single room every week. Spend at least 30 minutes a week reevaluating if you need certain things, what you can donate, or what you can throw away. If you declutter regularly, you’ll accumulate less clutter over the years, making it easier for your space to breathe.

Decluttering regularly also makes it easier on your future self if you decide to move houses. 

How To Declutter a Single Room Quickly

The time it takes to declutter a single room might depend on many factors. However, here are some tips to make the decluttering process go faster:  

Tackle One Room at a Time

Trying to clear different rooms simultaneously will overwhelm and confuse you. You’ll eventually get so tired trying to balance cleaning the pantry and your wardrobe that you’ll get demotivated and give up.

Therefore, it’s best to work on one room at a time. You’ll stay focused and motivated and have a clear idea of what to do with each room. 

Create a To-Do List for Each Room

Write a plan or to-do list for how you want to declutter each room. For example, if you’re starting with the kitchen, your to-do list may have the following items:

• Clear crockery cabinet. 
• Sort cutlery.
• Organize the pantry.

Writing a to-do list helps you understand exactly what needs to get done. Therefore, you’ll move much faster than if you carried on with the task without any plan.

Set a Deadline

Without a deadline, you won’t have a sense of urgency, and you’ll keep putting decluttering off for later. You’ll also waste time pondering what to keep and let go of. Therefore, set a realistic deadline for when you want to complete a single room, and you’ll be surprised at how much faster your decluttering will go.

Have a Dedicated Workspace

A workspace is a central area where you’ll sort through your stuff.

Often, we try to sort our things in different areas of the house and then get confused. But setting one place where you can go through your stuff will speed up organizing, and you won’t mix things you want to get rid of with what you want to keep.

You can use your bed as a workspace or even a big table. 

Use Storage Bins To Organize Your Stuff

It’s recommended to use four storage bins to organize your stuff for things you want to keep, throw away, store, and donate (source).

We recommend this Pack of 4 Rubbermaid Storage Containers (link to Amazon) because their design maximizes shelf and drawer space. And once you’re done decluttering, they’ll be perfect for everyday organizing.

Using storage bins helps you systematically sort through everything, which speeds up decluttering. It also eliminates confusion, ensuring you won’t put what you want to keep into the donation pile.

Here’s how to sort your stuff using the storage bins:

• Sort the items you regularly use into the “keep” bin.
• For things you don’t regularly use, ask yourself if you’re ever going to use them again or whether they are just taking up space.
• If you don’t regularly use an item but can’t bear to part with it, put it in the storage box.
• If an item is broken and useless, throw it away.
• If the item is in good condition but you don’t want to use it again, donate it. 

Final Thoughts

The time you take to declutter your room will depend on various factors, including:

• The size and type of the room.
• How long you’ve used the room.
• How fast you can make tough decisions about your items.

Decluttering doesn’t have to be overwhelming. Try looking at it as a way to let go of what doesn’t serve you and to create space for what does.