Decluttering can seem daunting, especially when you have a busy schedule. So, instead of trying to declutter your entire home at once, set a timer for 30 minutes and see how much you can achieve until the alarm goes off. Whether it's your kitchen, bedroom or hallway, this makes the process less overwhelming and allows you to make progress gradually.
Nicknamed decluttering 'sprints' by the New York Times, tidying in just 30 minutes can provide a sense of accomplishment and motivation to tackle larger organising projects. It can serve as a starting point for creating positive habits around maintaining a clutter-free home, setting the stage for ongoing tidiness.
Keep reading for the expert-approved decluttering projects you can tackle in under 30 minutes. You'll also find lots of inspiration on Instagram, with many people filming their 30-minute decluttering sprints and posting them as Reels. Timers at the ready...
1. Bedside table
Decluttering your bedside table can bring a sense of calm to your sleep space. Clearing clutter will make it easier to locate the essentials you need, particularly during the night.
"With the bedside table being the first thing we see in the morning and the last thing we see when we go to bed, it's important to keep this space tidy, clean and organised. However, it's easy for this space to get cluttered with jewellery, tissues and other non-essential items," says Camilla Lesser, Development Manager at Essential Living.
"If you have a drawer in your bedside table, store things associated with sleep such as earplugs, skincare, and an eye mask. Aim to clear clutter such as pens, notes and random items that have found their way into the drawer, as these things aren't necessary for going to sleep. Once the space is decluttered it should take 30 seconds to a minute as part of your daily routine to keep clean and put things away."
2. Sort through your wardrobe
Clearing out your wardrobe regularly is a great way to take stock and organise what you have (and no longer need), but it's not always easy to get going. The good news is that you don't need to spend all day sorting through rails and shelves; set yourself the challenge of getting as much done in 30 minutes.
"Rather than pressuring yourself to sort through your whole wardrobe, start with a single drawer and work through your clothes one drawer at a time. You can also do this by clothing item, for example starting with gym clothes and then moving onto trousers, until you've sorted through all of your clothes," continues Camilla.
"If you've sorted through one draw and you still have time left, do another one! Whilst you're tidying, keep an empty bin bag next to you and put in any clothes you want to sell or donate."
3. Check expiry dates
Sofia Vyshnevska, a housing expert and co-founder at NewHomesMate, suggests using your next decluttering sprint to check expiration dates.
"I'm sure you regularly check your fridge for mouldy items, but do you check your cupboards? That opened packet of pasta won't last forever. While it might not show the tell-tale signs that it's gone off, its flavour and texture will degrade with time.
"You will be surprised just how many products in our homes expire, so check your medicine cabinet and makeup drawers too while you've got the decluttering bug, and throw anything out of date — especially if they've sat through a summer or two."
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4. Clear your desk
A clutter-free desk eliminates distractions and allows you to focus better on your tasks, leading to increased productivity and efficiency.
"If we try to work surrounded by piles of unorganised papers it can be harder to focus and we become less productive," says Louise Knight, a professional declutterer at Simply Organised, who is working with fyio.
"Set a 30-minute timer to clear everything off your desk and give it a good wipe-over. Take this opportunity to declutter your paperwork, shred or recycle unnecessary documents. Assess which items you really need on your desktop - for example, an 'action basket' for my current paperwork, and my iMac are the two essentials on my desk."
5. Bookshelf organisation
When was the last time you gave your bookshelf some love? From novels gathering dust to old magazines, sorting through your shelves is a great task to tick off.
"If you're an avid book reader with lots of bookshelves spread out in your home, it can often feel daunting having to narrow this down. Rather than overwhelming yourself with tackling every single bookshelf, spend half an hour sorting through one bookcase every few days," says Camilla.
"Keep an empty bag next to you and fill it with books you're never going to read again, books you don't like, or books you want to donate."
6. Use the "empty box method"
"Grab an empty box and spend 10 minutes in each room sorting through the stuff you hardly use. Then hide the box out of sight for a few months," explains Sofia.
"Because you're not consigning your possessions to the scrap heap, emotion is less likely to cloud your decisions. Once you finally open the box, you'll realise you've already forgotten about half the stuff in there — and it will be far easier to throw it away."
7. Fridge
And finally, the fridge is a great place to declutter in 30 minutes. We're all guilty of not sorting through drawers and shelves regularly, so set your timer and see how much you can achieve.
Not sure where to start? Louise tells us: "First, clear out all the contents onto your worktop. Wash all the removable items (shelves, veg drawers) in warm, soapy water and wipe down the interior. I like to use a mix of three parts hot water and one part vinegar, in a spray bottle, to freshen up and de-grime.
"Go through the fridge contents items by item, paying close attention to items you'd forgotten about and no longer use. Put in date food items back organised by type, so all condiments or cheeses are together. Ikea Variera boxes are great for containing all your deli items together. By grouping items according to type when organising your fridge, not only is it easy for everyone to find what they are looking for, but it helps save you money by reducing food waste and buying duplicates."
47 country kitchen ideas to fall in love with
Florals
Nothing beats flowers for putting the ‘country’ into kitchens. An abundance of dainty florals has a lovely enveloping effect, creating the signature cosiness of a country kitchen and softening an otherwise functional space.
Pictured: Wallpaper from Morris & Co
Buttermilk tones
Using warm, buttermilk tones is an easy way to instil a bit of calm into an otherwise busy kitchen. It's particularly helpful if you have a hard time editing down your collection of kitchenware and accessories. Rich copper finishes are the perfect foil to plain neutrals.
Pictured: Accessories at Tori Murphy
White and wood
This rustic countryside kitchen combines warm, off-white walls with rough woods and a classic flagstone floor. Using natural materials is one of the best ways to bring the outside in — especially if your wood still retains its knots and grains. One of our favourites.
Pictured: Kitchen painted in Lime White at Farrow & Ball
READ MORE: How to create your dream country kitchen
The bootility
The 'bootility' room is a hybrid utility-boot room full of handsome cabinetry and clever storage solutions. A bootility serves to bridge the gap between indoors and out, preventing outdoor dirt from entering the kitchen, as well as holding bulky white goods, utility products, and everyday family clutter.
Pictured: Bespoke boot room by Olive & Barr
READ MORE: How to create a bootility room
Mixed materials
Exposed brick is usually left to stand in all its rustic, reddish glory, but layering on a tiled chevron splash back works beautifully.
Pictured: Tiles at Artisans of Devizes
The kitchen island
A spacious kitchen island is perhaps one of the best ways to bring the family together. "Just like the traditional dining table, the kitchen island is designed to be an engaging area of the kitchen," says Nicolle Whyte, Design Director at Olive & Barr. "Facing your guests while chatting and cooking means you can easily host and enjoy being part of the conversations. An island is a catalyst for discussion, entertainment and a relaxed alternative to formal seating."
Pictured: Bespoke kitchen at Olive & Barr
The pantry
These days, kitchen larders or pantries can come in all shapes and sizes, from discreet free-standing units, to whole walk-in rooms with floor-to-ceiling shelves. Depending on the space available to you, larders can be an incredibly practical solution to store dry food, vegetables, and small appliances like coffee machines, microwaves, and toasters.
Pictured: Bespoke kitchen by Olive & Barr
READ MORE: 6 stylish kitchen larder ideas
Exposed brick
Quintessential country styles often feature raw materials, here in the form of exposed brick. Creating a feature wall – painted in a fresh cream or left as a classic red brick – is a great way to soften more contemporary kitchens and pairs well with wood surfaces, as in the case of this rustic kitchen.
An AGA, naturally
A cornerstone of the country kitchen. AGAs come in many sizes and colours to suit most tastes – we love this sweet buttermilk four door version that sits so happily in a natural recess.
Pictured: Bancha No.298 at Farrow & Ball
Kitchen curtains
There seems to be no escaping the trend for cafe curtains in the kitchen. Pleated, patterned and generally hyper kitsch, they are used in lieu of cabinets, under sinks and wrapped around kitchen islands. They hide the requisite level of household mess that accrues in kitchens and utility rooms, and offer a money-saving alternative to replacing worn out cupboard doors.
Low ceilings or slanted ceilings
Country cottages often have low or slanted ceilings, especially in the kitchen. A few design tricks can make these spaces feel more expansive - using a lot of white can brighten the room, while large windows add an illusion of space and encourage natural light.
Farmhouse sink
In a country kitchen, the devil is in the details. A farmhouse sink is a wonderfully spacious addition, and breaks up a great swathe of cabinetry.
Sage green hues
Refresh and revive your country kitchen with uplifting hues of green. This kitchen from Neptune combines timber ceiling panels with soft sage green walls and cabinets. And it's the most beautiful space. We love the little arched window above the sink to peer out of when washing the dishes.
Pictured: Bespoke kitchen at Neptune
A breakfast nook
A breakfast nook provides a level of informality in the kitchen – not quite as relaxed as a cup of tea and a piece of toast on the sofa, but without the ceremony of a dining room. It's an in-between space for leisurely mornings in pyjamas.
Pictured: Breakfast nook in the home of Cathy Nordström, designed by Inuti Design
Modern Delft tiles
Petra Palumbo's hand-decorated Delft tiles are some of the best and most creative available. Where classic Delft patterns lean to quaint and traditional, Petra's are full of clever depiction of disco balls, ice cream cones and dirty martinis.
Pictured: Delft tile selection at Petra Palumbo
Galley kitchens
A country kitchen doesn't have to be expansive with high ceilings and wooden beams. A quaint galley kitchen can have all the hallmarks of a country home, if you embrace shaker cabinets, touches of greenery – in the form of dried herbs or small plotted plants – and, importantly, a display of pots, pans, enamelware and table linen.
Pictured: Bespoke kitchen by Neptune
Classic grey
Whilst grey might be considered a contemporary kitchen colour, a soft slate grey makes a great base palette for a country kitchen. Keep your cabinetry traditional, and display white enamelware and rustic wood accessories to get the most out of classic grey tones.
Pictured: Chichester kitchen at Neptune
Lots of antiques
Antiques provide a great counter to any clinical finishes or features in a kitchen. “For many, the thought of decorating with antiques previously conjured up images of highly traditional tastes and stuffy old collectables. But this has changed," says interior designer, Naomi Astley Clarke. "People really appreciate how storied items can bring warmth, history, and soul to their homes."
Attractive storage
Get smart with your country kitchen by creating new spaces for utensils, crockery, fruit, and vegetables. We love the practical baskets and glass containers for neat storage.
Bistro dining
For homes without a dining room, a little dining corner can be worked into a kitchen alcove, or nestled into the angles of a bay window. Furniture can be integrated, like this bespoke window seat, and a large dining table swapped for a small bistro table.
Pictured: Bespoke kitchen at deVOL
Stone flooring
A classic country kitchen feature, stone flooring is a super practical choice for high traffic family kitchens. This dark and dramatic cellar kitchen by Plain English uses handsome cream-coloured slabs to offset the traditional burgundy kitchen island. If you use real stone flooring, rather than a replica vinyl for instance, add a hardy jute rug for a bit of warmth underfoot.
Pictured: Bespoke kitchen by Plain English
Window seats
One for truly compact kitchens – this sweet window seat adds an extra place to perch. Integrated seating just needs a spare corner, and the joy here is that you can create extra storage underneath.
Burgundy
"Shades of burgundy and blush are a great accent for burnished brass, the most on demand handle finish," says Melissa Klink, creative director at Harvey Jones. "The colours work exceptionally well as monochromatic scheme, pairing a lighter more neutralised blush with a darker more saturated burgundy.”
Pictured: Bespoke kitchen at Olive & Barr
The rise and rise of sink skirts
Sink skirts are part of the recent resurgence in some quaint areas of kitchen design – we've seen classic pantries return, pan rails holding rows of vintage copper pots, and these sweet ruffled curtains under sinks or units. This will have the effect of breaking up a run of cupboards that can appear imposing in smaller spaces.
Pictured: Kitchen design at Tori Murphy
Eclectic
Eclectic design thrives on a mix of things – old and new, plain and patterned, functional and whimsical. This style is popular in kitchens because it balances sterile materials and creates a room that feels a bit more lived-in. It is an invitation to relax a bit, to fill shelves rather than edit them down, add much-loved trinkets, or introduce pieces like armchairs, table lamps and frilly cushions that don't traditionally belong in the kitchen.
Pictured: Kitchen design at Annika Reed
Narrow kitchens
A makeshift island if ever we saw one. If you have a particularly narrow galley kitchen, a simple bench can become your version of a kitchen island. "Even if increasing the size of your kitchen is not an option, the integration of a small kitchen island or peninsular unit can create the ultimate divide," says Tom Howley, Creative Design Director at Tom Howley.
Splashbacks
This is a really unexpected take on the splashback, but works so well surrounded by wood cabinetry. "We have witnessed the increasing popularity of using a single, continuous slab of material, such as marble, granite and quartz as the backsplash, extending from countertop to ceiling," says Al Bruce, the Founder of Olive & Barr. "The slab splashback serves as a focal point, showcasing the beauty and natural patterns of the chosen material."
Traditional cabinetry
This smart country kitchen embraces traditional cabinetry, but also has a more modern feel. The under-sink storage provides a practical place to tidy away extra plates, cups and utensils. "Finishing touches underline the design of a classically country kitchen," says Tom Howley. "Cornices, skirting boards and columns or pillars are the final elements of the design. They bring the kitchen together, and are carefully designed to distinguish country kitchens from their more modern counterparts."
Pictured: Bespoke kitchen at Tom Howley
READ MORE: The best shaker kitchen doors
Uplifting your small storage
Some people are loath to decant dried goods into mason jars or fruit and veg into baskets, but if you have an open pantry or any open units in the kitchen, a line of mason jars or some stacked crates will look considerably less cluttered than a sea of supermarket packaging.
READ MORE: 6 ways to make a kitchen larder work for you
Mustard
Mustard yellow is a great choice to uplift pokey kitchens without much natural light. Combining yellow cabinetry or walls with raw materials like natural woods and stone offsets any risk of your yellows appearing too bright or garish.
Lisa Joyner is the Deputy Daily Editor at House Beautiful UK and Country Living UK, where she's busy writing about home and interiors, gardening, dog breeds, pets, health and wellbeing, countryside news, small space inspiration, and the hottest properties on the market. Previously, she has written for Conde Nast Traveller, House & Garden and Marie Claire magazine. Lisa studied at University For The Creative Arts, where she completed a BA in Fashion Journalism.
