26 Things To Declutter Before 2026.

Hey my friends, so can you believe that we have about 10 more weeks until the new year? In today's video I'm sharing 26 things to declutter before 2026. These are super doable, nothing too overwhelming or time consuming, but you can definitely still get them before the new year begins. Just some simple things to let go of to create more space, but also more calm, more energy and more joy into your life. If your home is feeling a bit cluttered, chaotic, unorganized, now is the perfect time to start getting rid of some of that extra stuff, so that we're not taking the same mess and stress with us into the new year. Because honestly, a fresh start feels even better without all that clutter in the background. So think of this video as a gentle reset, just a way to make life easier and lighter for yourself heading into the new year. And of course there's no rush, you can start now and just take your time even into 2026 if that works better for you. I hope this will give you some motivation and inspiration and get you in the mood to declutter. Feel free to take notes or just listen along and let's talk about some things that you can clear out to make more room for the life you envision for yourself in 2026. A big thanks to my friends over at AQT for sponsoring this video and supporting the channel. And I'll tell you more about them later. The first is any crafting or hobby supplies you haven't used this year. So here it's important to ask yourself, have you not used them? Because you just haven't really, if you're being honest with yourself, haven't felt the desire to use them. Or you've really wanted to use them, but you simply haven't had the time to. That's a very important distinction. But if it is the first one, then I feel that the hobbies and craft supplies that we're not using can just make us feel so guilty. And it's such a negative feeling that we should have been using them more. It can even make you feel like you cannot try new hobbies and crafts, because the old ones are there taking up space. So if you recognize this, try to ask yourself, have you not used them? Because if you're being completely honest, you just haven't felt the desire to, then I think that this is the perfect time of year to donate them or give them away to someone who can use them, if they're still good. Because that creates space and new space opens up new opportunities and maybe even new hobbies. It's okay to say goodbye to old interests if they don't really pull at you anymore. Not everything is meant to stay with us forever. So if you recognize this, then feel free to forgive yourself for not using them anymore, for not loving them anymore, and pass them on. So you have more room and space for perhaps new hobbies and interests in 2026. Number two, anything under your bed. If you are using the storage space underneath your bed, then this could be a really good idea to just take everything out, see what it is you have in there. Because so many people store things under their bed and have no idea what's really there. So this will be the perfect time of the year to find out. I know that many people are a huge fan of storing things under their bed, it's like unused storage space, and I completely understand. But for me personally, I've never really liked keeping things under the bed. I'm allergic to dust and I find it much harder to keep the area dust free if there's all kinds of stuff under there. So I like to keep it completely empty, but it's a personal preference. So take out all the things under your bed and divide them into three categories. Makes sense that that's where it's stored and then you're gonna put it back. Category two, you want to keep it but not underneath your bed because you kind of forgot it was there and you would like to use it more. Keep it somewhere else in your home. And number three, I forgot that this was even there. I never use this and that can be decluttered. Number three, sunscreen leftover from the summer. If you can still use them up, that's great. Obviously don't declutter them. But sunscreen does expire and we always keep like little tubes of leftover sunscreen that really doesn't have much of it in there anymore. So be critical. Can you still use it going forward? Or has it expired? Or is it almost used up? So you can kind of just do a little refresh in the sunscreen area. I personally use sunscreen throughout the entire year, so I'm just gonna use up everything that I still have. But I know that it's not going to still be good next summer, so then I will need to buy more. In the same category, number four, swimwear that you haven't used this summer. If you do enjoy swimming but you just have some swimsuits that you haven't reached for, try to ask yourself why that is. And if you realistically see yourself wanting to use them again next year or not. So be critical there. Or maybe you have a family and you have some younger kids who will grow out of them by the time next summer rolls around. So take out everyone's swimwear in your home and look at it with a critical eye. Is this still good to go for next year? Have you enjoyed using it? Is it comfortable? Does it fit? Etc. And get rid of the rest. Number five, a fun one. That is to declutter your notes app. I'm guilty of this. I always have different kinds of notes in my phone. And I have all these different little lists of things. And some of them I actively use basically throughout the year. Like a grocery list or a small book tbr list that I keep on my phone. And those are fine. But I also always have all these little random notes on my phone that are just not relevant anymore and that I can delete. And this is just a way to clear out some mental space, mental clutter, to head into the new year with a fresh and organized notes app on your phone. And similarly, a really important one to be super super mindful of. And that is the apps that you don't want to bring with you into 2026. Are the apps on your phone serving you? How much time are you spending on them? How do you feel when you're using them? Ask yourself these questions and make a good decision about which apps really serve you, make your life better, easier, more joyful, help you save time or save money or whatever way bring you value. Then you can bring them with you into the new year. But I'm guessing that many people also have apps on their phone that are not really adding value, that are stealing their time, stealing their money, stealing their attention, making you perhaps shop more than you want, or making you feel anxious when you use them. Those are the kind of apps where you want to be critical and ask yourself is this something that I want to bring with me into the new year? Or can I delete this now, kind of like rip off the band-aid? Maybe it's a little bit painful, but then at least you won't have it with you into the new year anymore. Number seven, seasonal decor. The time of decorating our home is upon us. And if that is something that you enjoy, then I'm happy for you and I wish you tons of fun with it. And it also means that this is the perfect opportunity for us to declutter some things. Because if you have some fall decor, halloween decor, christmas decor, that you're really not that excited about putting up in your home, then instead of just keeping it in the box and putting it back, think about actually decluttering some of that. Because holiday decorations, I feel like they should always actually make us feel excited to use them and to see them in our home. And if we're not really excited about using them, especially if you've noticed that this has been going on for several years and you never really like to use that kind of thing, then there could be a really good opportunity to declutter some of that. Because decorations tend to take up a lot of space in our So we can save it for the ones that we're actually excited to use. And you're already holding them in your hands anyway, you already have the box out, so this is the perfect opportunity to donate the ones that you don't want to use. Number eight, desk clutter. If you have a workspace in your home, whether that is a desk where you actually work from home, or it's a desk where you have your hobbies and craft supplies, take a little moment to go over it and get rid of all the little items of clutter that are cluttering up the space where you want to work and be creative. Perhaps old sticky notes, papers, paperclips. I always have a few little lists of scribbles for like to-do lists or emails that I still need to send out, that I keep on my desk for way too long, that are no longer relevant. So go over them. And the things that you do want to keep, I would recommend if you're the type of person who easily gets overwhelmed by visual clutter, to keep them on your desk or in your desk. But at least store them in closed storage, so that they're not like out and they're actually like hidden away and not stealing your focus and your concentration. So this way you can allow yourself to start the new year with a fresh, tidy workspace that will get you excited to work there or be creative there. Because cluttered desks with lots of like old junk, old mental stress, or all kinds of different clutter, they steal our attention and it makes it less pleasurable to be there. So allow yourself to start the new year with a clean and tidy workspace. Number nine is a really important one, and that is dead plants. So I'm guilty of this too. I keep my dead plants around for way too long, hoping that somehow they will magically come back to life. But it hasn't happened yet. So I want to do this for myself as well. I have one plant that I don't think is going to be making it. And I also want to repot the plants that are doing well, but need a bigger pot. So that I can start off the new year with a fresh plant situation, where all my plants are happy and well taken care of. And I don't start out the new year with a bunch of dead plants that just haven't been able to to thrive here. All right, number 10 is dust collectors. Speaking of dead plants, I also don't like how they can collect dust. And there are many more things in our home that really are dust collectors. And for me, dust always feels like past muck. Basically, it always feels so nice to go into the new year more dust free. Maybe you have some fake plants that you don't really look at a lot anymore. They're kind of just there collecting dust. Maybe you have one of those vases with fake flowers or dried flowers that are getting really dusty. Maybe you have some knickknacks that you're not really excited about anymore that are collecting dust. This is just a way to literally bring less dust with you into the new year. And I always really like this. So go over them. If you want to keep them, give them a good clean. And I also recommend if they're a decorational item, to put them somewhere else in your home where you can appreciate them with fresh eyes and it looks a bit more new and interesting. And then if you find ones that are basically just dust collectors, then you can declutter those. Before I tell you about the next one, I quickly want to thank Ikkyu tea for sponsoring the video and supporting the channel. They are my favorite tea company in the world. I've been ordering my tea from them for years. They're a small team located in southern Japan and they work with local tea producers to help them to keep the Japanese tea tradition alive. And in my opinion, they just have the best quality green tea for a very fair price. The teas are beautiful, they have such a beautiful deep green color, super flavorful and they're full of healthy antioxidants. They sent me some wonderful teas and I want to make some recommendations for you. So the first one is Kiwami. This is a hand-picked organic green tea that just launched and it's already one of my favorites. A very deep flavor, super refreshing and very little bitterness. I also love Reina, which is a premium organic black tea powder. It's super nice as a latte, hot or cold. And it makes for a good alternative to matcha, but also as a low caffeine alternative to coffee. And lastly Mutsumi, which is an absolutely fantastic first flush sencha. Smooth, mellow, but very rich in flavor. This one is also naturally low in caffeine. If you're new to the world of green tea, you can find lots of information on their website. And they also come with brewing instructions. But really, you can't go wrong because all their teas are amazing. I highly recommend giving Ikkyu a try. They would also make for a really nice holiday gift. So if you click my link in the description box or use my code OCTOBERZEN, then you can get 15% off your order. Huge thank you to Ikkyu as always for supporting the channel. And let's get on with the video. All right, number 11. Your TBR. I don't know if you know what TBR stands for. It means to be read, and it just means the list of books that you still want to read. This can be physical books that you already have, it can be ebooks or audiobooks, it can also be, like me, a little list on your phone of books that you still want to either buy or borrow from the library. With many people who enjoy reading and all of these amazing books that are always coming out, our TBR list can grow more quickly than we can actually read the books. And if you recognize this, that feeling of a very large increasingly growing TBR can actually be a little stressful. If you recognize this, take a really good look at your TBR and spot the books that you really are excited about reading. And the ones that are just there because you feel like maybe you should read them or you've heard about them a while ago. Be very critical there. Try to keep only the books on there that you're actually excited about, and declutter the rest. Keep your list super short and sweet. It will really increase your reading experience overall. Similarly, number 12. Your watch list on streaming services. Speaking of lists, you can also do the same with your watch list on Netflix, HBO or Amazon. Whatever streaming services you have. So many people just keep adding things that even slightly spark their interest to their watch list, so that they won't forget to watch it. But then what happens is your watch list grows and grows, and it will become its own like overwhelming thing. Go over it with a critical eye and delete everything that doesn't make you honestly excited to watch it. Just keep it short and sweet. Number 13. Old used up towels. I did this last year and it was great. Our old towels were back then 11 years old, they were really worn out and used up. And I gave myself the gift of starting off the new year with fresh new towels. So the reason I'm bringing it up now is Black Friday is around the corner. And while I am a minimalist, I do think that Black Friday holds some opportunity if we're super intentional and mindful about it. If you've been wanting to buy something and it can wait a little bit, then you can wait. And that is what I did with the towels. When Black Friday rolled around, they were on sale and I got to replace our towels for much cheaper. I wouldn't recommend doing this just for like a seasonal shift or for whatever. If your old towels are still in good condition, then that works absolutely fine, keep them. But for us, they really really weren't very old. And it makes a huge difference in, you know, the whole experience of showering and stuff. I do recommend actually keeping maybe two or three of your older towels around. That's what we did as well. And I was really happy with that when our washing machine sort of exploded or there was a big leak. And we had all those old towels to soak up all the grime and stuff that came out of the pipes. So I was very happy that I didn't have to use my new towels for that. So I would recommend keeping like maybe two or three older towels around for emergencies or just for like chores that are kind of gross. So you won't have to use your new towels for that. Number 14 is your old pillow. The one that you sleep on. And this might not be for you. If you have a pillow that works, then skip this one. But many many people, myself included, keep our old pillows around for too long. And when they are actually hurting you, when they give you neck pain, back pain, they're not supportive, they don't give you the good rest that you need for sleeping, then this could be a good time to replace your pillow and allow yourself just sweet dreams in 2026. Number 15, sheets. If you have a linen closet and you have tons of different options for sheets and linens and blankets and everything, then go through that with a critical eye. Because that stuff really takes up space. And many people keep too many. We personally only have two sets of and I use one when the other is in the wash. So our entire sheet collection takes up half of one drawer. That's it. And that's the way I like it. I personally think like if you have multiple beds in your home, it makes sense to have more than two. But I would say two per bed makes sense. Number 16, kitchen appliances and gadgets that you haven't used all year. Especially the big ones, but also the small ones. Kitchen appliances and gadgets take up so much space in your kitchen, especially the ones that you can only use for one thing. Oftentimes you also have something else that could serve kind of similarly, but can do more things. So it makes more sense that that thing is taking up space in your kitchen, rather than the appliances that you hardly ever use. I am really careful with this category of stuff, even though I love cooking and I do like to make different kinds of things. And I don't like the feeling of seeing a recipe and then thinking like I don't have the things to make this, even though I really would like to. But we also have not a very big kitchen, and this apartment doesn't come with a pantry or anything like that. So we also keep our pantry in the kitchen. Which means that I just don't have that much space for kitchen appliances. Which means that I'm really critical about which ones I want to include in the kitchen. Number 17, pet accessories and toys that your pet doesn't use anymore, or that have just seen better days. I don't have pets myself currently, but I do like watching videos where people make stuff for their pets and DIY huge like trees that they can climb in and everything. I think it's really cute and fun to watch. But when I used to have a dog, I would sometimes go out and buy toys for him or things I thought that he could play with. And the only thing that he was truly ever interested in was this old grimy tennis ball. So some pets just don't use half the stuff that they have. If your pet is not using it, or it just looks too raggedy and gross, then this could be a good thing to get rid of before the new year starts. Number 18, last year's calendars, planners and notebooks. Obviously if they are for 2025, then feel free to keep using them until the year is up. Maybe you even have ones from 2024, 2023 that you're not using anymore. That could be a really good opportunity to let them go. I like starting a new phase without still clinging to the past. But it's a personal thing, so be critical there, make your own decisions of what makes sense for you. But if you have old planners just lying around with, you know, not very like personal things, just appointments and stuff, then that could be a good thing to get rid of. Number 19, cocktail glasses, champagne glasses, etc. I've talked about this before, about how wonderful it has been for us to get rid of these. Because we never use them and they take up so much space in our cupboards. If you have a beautiful big kitchen or you have glasses in a cupboard somewhere and it works for you and they're not in the way and you like to use them occasionally, keep them. 100%. But if you live somewhere with a small kitchen and you hardly ever use these kinds of glasses, then this is your permission to donate them. Number 20, product boxes and manuals. If you have these still around, I'm actually kind of jealous of you in a way, because I loved decluttering this stuff. Because it created so much more empty space. It was such a good satisfying feeling to do. I was always the kind of person who kept these things, this is what I was taught even back when I was still living with my parents. That if you need to send the appliance back for something, you need the original box or you need a product manual. But usually the manuals are available online and the boxes just take up space. I've never ever used the box for something that I bought after I unboxed it and started using it. So I will keep the box until I know for sure that it actually works, and then I get rid of the box. It's just such a satisfying thing to declutter, it's easy too. You can just flatten them, recycle them, and look at all the space you've created. Number 21, expired pantry items and spices. There are 10 weeks left in the year for you to do a use it up challenge for all the little bits and pieces that are still good. Maybe you have several different boxes of pasta with only a little bit in there, or rice. You can always cook them together and use everything up. And then get rid of everything that is expired, or that you just realistically don't see yourself ever really using. We all have those things when we're being adventurous and we bought something for a recipe one time, but it's just not something that we ever use. Be critical and give yourself the gift of a clean and organized, up-to-date pantry and spice cupboard for 2026. Number 22 is mugs that no one ever touches. So many people, maybe myself included, have too many mugs. We just collect them. Like mugs are super fun to buy and they're easy to get, sometimes for free and stuff. So many people have many mugs and we typically only gravitate towards a few. So if you recognize this, again mugs take up valuable space in your kitchen. So get rid of the ones that no one is actually ever really using. Any medications, over-the-counter medicine, and health supplements. Browse through them first to get rid of all the ones that are expired first. And then also maybe there are some things that you bought for a certain kind of symptom that you had once, but it didn't really work for that. Or a supplement that's not working out for you anymore, then you can get rid of those as well. Number 24, your purse and your wallet. So this is also a really big one. I usually have the same purse that I use always. So I always have old receipts that aren't relevant anymore in there, that you can take out. I also sometimes get, when I like have lunch somewhere, they give you those little mints. And sometimes I have like the presence of mind to say no thank you, but sometimes I don't. And I accept the free mints after paying for the meal. And then I chuck them in my bag and I don't look at them anymore. So every once in a while I find like two or three old mints just kind of crumbled up on the bottom of my purse. And you know, that's the kind of thing that we can let go of for sure. So empty out your purse and your wallet completely, and be critical. Get rid of anything that obviously needs to go. But also think about, you know, do you need every card that's in your wallet? For example, maybe you have some loyalty cards from stores that you don't shop at anymore. Give everything a good declutter. And also, when your purse is empty, you can clean it on the inside. Make sure it's fresh for the new year. And while you're at it, give your phone a little bit of a clean and a disinfect as well. Number 25 is a big one. Subscriptions, that you no longer want to be paying for in 2026. I personally think that subscriptions can be very much worth it. If you are intentional and mindful about it, and you actually use them a lot, then that is obviously fine. But if you have some subscriptions that are still running, that if you're really being honest with yourself, you're not really getting enough value out of, then this is the perfect time to cancel them. So that you can save that money next year. And number 26, things you meant to fix but never did. I myself have been guilty of this in the past too. But the thing is, just like we live busy lives, and we think that we're gonna get to it later, but sometimes later just doesn't come. And sometimes it's just not really worth it. It depends on what it is obviously. But here's the thing. So you can collect all the things in your home that you meant to fix, and then make yourself do it before the end of the year. And if you're really like thinking that it's not worth it, then forgive yourself and declutter it. Don't keep it with you into the new year. Because all the things that we still want to fix, it all causes mental clutter. And it's just nice when there's no like to-do list that's still like old and nagging from the past that we bring into the new year with us. All right, now I'd love to know from you, how many of these resonated with you? Which ones will you be working on until the year is done? And maybe you have some other decluttering projects or home organizing projects that you want to do before 2026 begins? I would love to know in the comments. Today I shared a list of physical things to get rid of, but also keep an eye out for an upcoming video where I talk about not necessarily physical things, but more so life things. Small things that we can do for ourselves to simplify our life before the new year, make it easier, lighter, more joyful, less stressful for ourselves. So keep an eye out for it, because that video is coming soon. As always, a huge thank you to my channel supporters on patreon and youtube memberships. You're really helping me to keep the channel going, so thank you. I will leave the links in the description box for anyone who wants to join. If you join and become a channel supporter too, then you will unlock a growing library of bonus videos, vlogs, deep dives, tea time chats, all kinds of fun things, and also help to support the channel. So thank you. And a huge thank you to my friends over at AQ as well. I always love working with them, so I really appreciate their support. And I love their teas, so I really recommend checking them out. All right, that's it. As always, questions, comments, conversations down below. Have a wonderful, wonderful day. Thank you so much for joining me again, and we'll talk again soon. Bye bye. So after this video goes up, I will actually be taking one week off. And I've had that planned for a while, I'm super super looking forward to it. And then for November and December I've got some really fun video ideas coming up, so I'm excited.