It’s week 13 of the 52-Week Decluttering Challenge. We’re one-quarter of the way through the challenge. This week, we move on to our living areas. This includes some of the high-traffic areas of our homes like living rooms, dining rooms and family rooms. We’ll start with decluttering living area table surfaces.
This post was originally published in April 2021 and republished in March 2024.
Many experts suggest living areas are the best places to start decluttering. In some ways, this makes sense because they are the most visible areas in our homes. We see them every day, and so do our guests.
For me, living areas aren’t a big concern. As I’ve said before, I accept some clutter in these rooms because our house isn’t a show home. It’s our home. Real people live here! If you drop by, you’ll find my daughter’s half-finished jigsaw puzzle, craft and knitting supplies, and the books and materials for my latest course out on display.
But, despite my willingness to accept the clutter that goes with day-to-day living, one area that is an ongoing annoyance for me is table surfaces. For some reason, any horizontal surface seems to be an invitation to pile up stuff. Our coffee tables and dining room table are frequently so full of junk you can’t actually see the table surface.
So, we have work to do!
What is the 52-Week Decluttering Challenge?
In this year-long journey, we’re tackling one task at a time with the goal of cleaning up and organizing our homes. If you’ve just joined us, no worries. You can jump right in with this week’s challenge. Just check out the first two posts in the series to download your free checklists.
You can get easy access to all previous weekly posts on the main Decluttering page.
Are you ready for week 13? Let’s get decluttering!
Week 13 – Decluttering our living area table surfaces
Here’s a “before” photo of our living room coffee table and dining room table. As I said, these horizontal surfaces seem to be a magnet for junk.
If you look closely at the dining room table, you’ll see Christmas trees on the table runner. There was so much stuff on the table that we made it to the end of March, and I didn’t even notice I hadn’t put the Christmas table runner away.
And, then there’s this little pile of stuff on the floor. Most of it had been there since Christmas.
This week’s decluttering and organizing tips
Here are my tips and learnings from week 13.
- Create a RELOCATE basket to gather up miscellaneous items that wander to your living and dining room.
- Make a 5-minute sweep part of your daily routine. At the end of each day, take 5 minutes to clear off table surfaces and return everything in your relocate basket to its rightful place.
- Stop the clutter before it starts. When you’re tempted to set something down on the coffee table or dining room table that doesn’t belong there, make a point of immediately taking it to where it belongs.
What I got rid of
Interestingly, I didn’t actually get rid of a lot this week. It was more of a relocation exercise than a decluttering task.
But there were a few things I got rid of. There were some papers that went into the recycling bin, a small watering can, an empty CD case, a packing box from a recent delivery, and a few novelty toys.
The bigger problem for us was definitely the relocate pile. Here are the items I relocated to their proper home from the living room.
Here’s how things look now.
Now that my coffee table and dining room table are clean, the trick will be to stay on top of the clutter. I’ll definitely have to make handling the relocate basket every day a priority.
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2024 Update
It has been three years so I’m rebooting the 52-Week Decluttering Challenge to see how much I can get rid of in 2024.
Since my first round of decluttering, I’ve done a decent job of keeping our living area surfaces free of clutter, so I only found 3 items to get rid of.
So that’s week 13 done.
If you have friends or family members who could benefit from a little less clutter in their lives, please share this post and spread the word!
Is this a problem area for you? Do you have other tips to share for decluttering living area table surfaces? Tell us below.
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I am a lunatic about clean surfaces…and I know it’s a remnant of my dad’s ‘neatnik’ behavior. He’d grab the Sunday paper – back in the day when that was a thing – and dispose of it before anyone (other than him of course) had read it because he hated the way scattered newspapers looked on a footstool or a chair. But there were good giggles about his compulsions…he owned it! “Oh…were you gonna read that”, he’d say with a wink. 😜
Ha ha. I love it. My dad hated it when someone else got to the newspaper before he did. He liked it neatly folded.
See??? Something else we have in common! Yes — wanting to be the first reader. Right! LOL! 😜🥰😜
Right. If we had a sneak peek at the newspaper, we had to be really careful to refold it and make it look like it hadn’t been touched. 😂
Yes!!!!! Same!!!!! 😜🥰😜
Life is so much easier when you live alone 😉 My water bottle sits on my dining table all day so I remember to drink, drink, drink every time I pass by. Nothing out of the ordinary on the other small tables, but I’m not a “collector” to begin with. It really is a different story when you share space with others.
That’s an excellent point, Deb. I often think I’d have a lot less clutter if I lived alone.
I am nuts about keeping my dining table cleared off. My family tend to drop things which drives me crazy. I’ve taken to using tote bags to put there stuff in when I find it around
Ha ha. That’s a good approach. I admit we’ve done a good job of keeping our dining room table and coffee tables clear since my first round of decluttering. It just makes the room look so much more inviting.
I did one of my kitchen cupboards today. A small step forwards.
Every little bit helps!
Ooooh, that relocation basket sounds a little dangerous . . . But your surfaces certainly look happier! I am the put-it-away-when-you’re-done-with-it kind, but my partner is anything but! I cannot even mention organizing his office without him getting offended, so I’m learning to let it go. It’s hard, Michelle! Great series you’re doing here! 🌞
Thanks Lisa. I try to put things away when I’m done with them but, like you, I live with people who don’t subscribe to the same theory. 😀 My husband and daughter like to hang on to things so I mainly focus on decluttering my own stuff. They will come around in time.
My living room is a complete mess. It’s so cluttered! A lot of it is my partner’s belongings! But, I know I have too many books stuffed in my sideboard!
However, I do like the idea of a relocate basket. 😀
Funny to read your comment today as I just started looking at my bookshelves for a future post. Mine aren’t too bad … but my husband is another story! 😂