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A House Beautiful report offers a five-year decluttering checklist, drawing on advice from home organizers and design experts. It recommends reviewing unused belongings, while treating items such as leftover paint and expired products according to safe disposal guidance.
House Beautiful has published a 13-category decluttering checklist for people who have lived in their home for five years or longer, recommending they review belongings that no longer fit their routines, space or needs. The list is based on advice from professional organizers and design experts; it is guidance, not a rule that every household should discard the same items.
The categories include accumulated tote bags, reusable bottles and branded merchandise; manuals and cords for devices no longer owned; worn or unwanted linens; and fitness equipment that has gone unused. The report also names stalled craft or repair projects, decorative accessories that have become visual clutter, and decor carried over from a previous home but never put to use.
Other suggestions include reviewing leftover paint, tile and building materials, specialty or duplicate kitchen gadgets, wellness devices associated with abandoned routines, furniture that obstructs or no longer suits a room, and expired or unwanted bathroom and personal-care products. The thirteenth category is unopened boxes; the supplied report excerpt lists the category but does not provide its accompanying explanation.
The experts generally recommend keeping items that are useful or meaningful and passing on, recycling or disposing of the rest appropriately. For building materials, organizer Ann Lightfoot advises keeping a small labeled paint sample and perhaps one tile for repairs, while taking other paint and dried products to a municipal hazardous-waste drop-off. Disposal rules vary locally, so readers should check their community’s instructions.
A Five-Year Check on Household Clutter
The report’s point is less about a fixed deadline than a useful opportunity to reassess possessions. After several years, residents may have a clearer sense of how they actually use a home, while jobs, family circumstances, interests and routines may have changed. Reviewing storage can help identify items being kept out of habit rather than for a current purpose.
That can matter in practical ways: clearing an unused chair or duplicate kitchen tool may free space for things residents do use. The advice is presented as an organizing approach, not evidence that decluttering produces a particular financial, health or property benefit. Readers should also distinguish ordinary donation or recycling from items that require special handling.
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Organizers Recommend Small Edits
The report quotes three experts describing a gradual buildup of possessions and favoring deliberate editing over an all-at-once cleanout. Ann Lightfoot, cofounder of DDH Home Organizing & Move Management, says that by year five, people may have accumulated more belongings without gaining additional space. Laura Kinsella, founder of Urban OrgaNYze, says changes in careers, families and interests can leave possessions out of step with daily life.
Designer Kerrie Kelly, CEO and creative director of Kerrie Kelly Studio, recommends working by category and starting with a drawer, cabinet or closet. The report’s examples span several parts of a home, from storage and kitchens to bedrooms, bathrooms and garages. Its underlying advice is to keep what is genuinely used or valued, rather than treating the five-year mark as a requirement to throw things away.
“Our careers, families, routines, and interests can change dramatically, but the things we’ve accumulated don’t automatically change with us.”
— Laura Kinsella, founder of Urban OrgaNYze
What the Checklist Cannot Decide
The supplied report does not specify a publication date or provide detailed advice for the unopened-box category. It also does not set universal rules for how many linens, tools or keepsakes a household should retain; those decisions depend on individual needs, available space and local circumstances.
Disposal guidance is not uniform. Paint, cleaners and other household products may be subject to local collection or hazardous-waste rules, and usable items may be suitable for donation rather than disposal. The report does not provide a complete, location-specific guide to recycling or safe disposal.
How Readers Can Start Reviewing
The experts’ suggested next step is to choose one category or small storage area, remove its contents, clean the space and return only items that merit keeping. Residents can sort the remainder for reuse, donation, recycling or disposal, checking municipal guidance before discarding products such as paint and cleaners.
The checklist does not call for a deadline or a whole-home purge. Households can work through the categories at their own pace, retaining equipment, furniture and supplies that meet real needs, and revisiting the decision when circumstances change.
Key Questions
Does the report say everyone should throw away these 13 categories?
No. It offers categories to review, not a universal instruction to discard every item. The experts advise keeping belongings that are useful or meaningful.
What should I do with leftover paint?
The report’s organizer advises keeping a small labeled sample for touch-ups and perhaps one tile, while taking other paint and dried products to a municipal hazardous-waste drop-off. Check local rules because disposal options vary.
How should I begin decluttering?
Kerrie Kelly recommends working by category and starting with a small area, such as one drawer, cabinet or closet, instead of trying to clear the entire home at once.
What are the 13 categories?
They are accumulated bags, bottles and branded items; manuals and cords for things no longer owned; worn linens; unused fitness equipment; stalled projects; unnoticed decorative accessories; decor that does not fit the current home; leftover building materials; unused kitchen gadgets; wellness tools; furniture that no longer suits the household; expired or unwanted products; and unopened boxes.
Source: housebeautiful.com
