When my decluttering journey started in 2020, I wanted to “do it right”. I borrowed some decluttering books from the library thinking that experts who make money helping people declutter must know something I don’t.

Although I picked up a few tips and tricks from each book, I ultimately determined that successful decluttering isn’t rocket science. There is no single tip or system to make a lifetime of clutter disappear. You have to roll up your sleeves and get to work.

Today’s post provides a quick overview of the decluttering books I read, along with nine takeaways that I’ve applied to my own decluttering efforts and the 52-Week decluttering challenge.

This post was originally published in January 2021 and updated in December 2023.

The decluttering books I read

The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up – Marie Kondo

Marie Kondo’s name is synonymous with decluttering and simplifying, so this felt like a logical book to start with.

For me, there was nothing life-changing about this book. I was glad I borrowed it from the library instead of wasting money on it. I kept reading and waiting for the big moment when I would realize the error of my ways, but it didn’t happen. Not only that, I read a few things in the book that I just couldn’t embrace:

• Decluttering has to be a single, big multi-day event. Honestly, if I waited until I had time for that, it would never happen.
• Your things have feelings, and they need to rest and relax. That’s why you need to take everything out of your bag every night and put it all “where it belongs”. I don’t know about you but, the stuff I keep in my purse and backpack belongs in my purse and backpack.
• Constant references to dumping garbage bags full of stuff. Marie takes pride in telling us that the average family she works with discards 70 bags of garbage. I accept that the goal is to get rid of stuff, but you can achieve that without filling the landfill.
• Her overly cold and clinical approach to sentimental items just didn’t sit well with me.

Even though Marie’s method is not for me, there were one or two things that I found useful.

• Deal with your own mess first and let your family deal with theirs.
• Marie’s idea of vertical storage is brilliant. When I adopted this, I actually ended up with an empty drawer in my dresser, without getting rid of a thing. And, I can easily see everything in the drawer without having to lift up layers of clothes. If you’re not familiar with vertical storage, this is what it looks like.

I know Marie’s approach has helped a lot of people but it’s not for me.

Real Life Organizing – Cassandra Aarsen

I liked the title of this book. It felt like something I could get behind. Cassandra takes a more practical approach to clutter. She suggests you break your decluttering down into manageable 15-minute projects.

She also recognizes that people have different approaches and styles. The first part of the book talks about identifying your organizing style. Although it was a fun exercise, I didn’t find it overly helpful.

Cassandra makes it clear you need to declutter first, before you organize. Buying bins and containers is the last part of organizing. You buy containers only once you know what will go in them.

For me, the value of this book came from some of the ideas about organizing. Here are some tips I picked up.

• Create a household management binder with daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly lists. She suggests putting the checklists in plastic pockets so you can erase and reuse.
• Vertical storage for paperwork. Instead of burying items under piles of stuff, Cassandra suggests putting paperwork in an upright file with hanging folders instead of piles of stuff. I have started to do this, and it definitely makes it easier to see what’s there.
• Although my kids are grown and our house is no longer toy kingdom, I think her concept of toy rotation is really smart. The idea is you store half of the toys in containers out of sight. When you bring them out, you put the other half away.

Cassandra also provides access to printable checklists and other resources on her website.

Overall, this book was mostly common sense with a few practical tips. Again, nothing life-changing here, at least not for me.

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Decluttering at the Speed of Life – Dana K. White

The title of this book also caught my eye because we all need to fit decluttering into our busy lives. Dana acknowledges there is no wrong way to declutter. She also recognizes that things don’t have to be perfect. They just need to be better. This aligns perfectly with my philosophy of progress not perfection.

Dana reminds us that decluttering is about keeping things you love and making space to enjoy them. The first part of the book talks about building a decluttering mind-set. For me, this was one of the most valuable things about this book. Dana asks us to think about our goals for our home, and each space. If we do that it makes the work easier.  

A few practical tips I picked up from this book:

• Decluttering is about what you need now, not what you might need in the future.
• This size of your “container” defines what you can keep. Think of your home, your closets, cupboards and drawers as containers. Fill your containers with the things you love first. Once the container is full, get rid of the rest. In addition to decluttering, I’ve applied this principle to packing for travel and it has simplified my life significantly.
• You don’t need a bigger house. When you declutter, your house becomes bigger.
• You need to let go of useful things you don’t use. There’s a difference between something being useful and actually using it.
• When decluttering, ask 2 easy questions:
  • If I needed this, where would I look for it first? Put it there.
  • If I needed this item, would it ever occur to me that I had one?

The one thing that made me scratch my head was Dana’s suggestion that you store all your food containers with the lids on. I have a lot of containers, but I use them and doing this would just take up too much space.

Bottom line, this book was a worthwhile read with lots of great, practical tips.

The Minimalist Home – Joshua Becker

After reading three books written by woman, I thought it would be interesting to get a male perspective. Although not technically a decluttering book, this book addresses the philosophy of minimalism and the value of owning less.

The main premise of the book is that owning less gives you an opportunity to live more and do more. It also lets you remove things that distract you from the things you love.  

Joshua suggests you define a purpose for each room in your home. This will help you decide what belongs there. He suggests you go room by room at your own pace, handling each item, and deciding if you will leave it where it is, move it, or remove it.

The one chapter I found really interesting was the bathroom chapter. It’s an area we don’t often think about. Joshua suggests it’s an important one because it’s where we start and end our days. It’s also a small space that can get easily cluttered. And, if you remove the clutter, it’s easier to clean.

If you’re thinking of exploring minimalism, I recommend this book. Joshua reminds us that some of us have closets bigger than houses in poor countries. He also spoke about how our homes are getting bigger while our families are getting smaller. Why do we need all that space?

9 things I learned from decluttering books

Although there are dozens more decluttering books I could read, by the time I got to the fourth book I realized I wasn’t learning anything new.

Here’s my roundup of the learnings from the books I read.

• Think about why you want to declutter. Knowing your goals makes it easier and keeps you motivated when it gets difficult.
• Decluttering takes discipline and work. There is no magical solution. 
• Daily cleaning is not decluttering. If you search decluttering, you’ll find lists with references to getting rid of broken things, expired items, or things that no longer work. Staying on top of that stuff daily will immediately make your home less cluttered.
• You know your family and your life best. Do what works for you. There is no right answer or method that works for everyone. Apply a dose of common sense to anything the experts say.
• Don’t make the solution more effort than the problem. If you have items you use often, by all means store them on your kitchen counter, or in your purse or backpack. Don’t create more work and stress by putting them away only to get them out again.
• Take your time. Do you remember the fable of the tortoise and the hare? It took years to accumulate the clutter. You can’t clean it up in a weekend.
• Intentionally look at and handle each possession. This will ensure nothing is overlooked and make it easier to decide what to keep.
• Focus on your own stuff. Don’t try to force your family into decluttering. They will do it when they are ready. 
• Make decluttering a habit. Marie Kondo says if you tidy a little at a time, you’ll be tidying forever. But, shouldn’t tidying and organizing just be a habit?

Join me in the 52-Week Decluttering Challenge

My biggest takeaway from reading these decluttering books was I already subconsciously do a lot of the things the experts suggest. So, I decided to consolidate my learnings into my own approach. As we complete the 52-Week Decluttering Challenge, I’ll provide common sense tips from my own experience.

Have you read these or any other decluttering books? Tell us your thoughts below.