1. Throw Pillows and Blankets

Pillows and throws make a room feel soft and inviting, but they multiply quickly. Bring them together so you can see the entire collection. Keep the pieces that are comfortable, in good condition and easy to use with several of your favorite looks.

Let go of pillows that are permanently flat, scratchy or always being moved out of the way. If you love changing covers seasonally, keep good inserts and store only the covers. They take up far less room and give you the same decorating fun.

Give this category a physical boundary. One shelf, one basket or one section of a closet can hold the extras. When that space is comfortably full, the collection is full.

2. Fall and Holiday Decorations

This is the perfect time of year to use what I call the Decorating Box Test.

Instead of emptying every Fall bin at once, remove one item at a time and ask yourself how you feel when you see it.

Ask yourself:

• Am I genuinely happy to see this again?
• Would I choose to display it this year?
• Do I own another version that I like more?
• Is it still in good enough condition to deserve storage space?
• Would I buy it again today?

Your answers will become clearer when each piece has to earn its way into the room.

Display the favorites first. You may discover that your home feels beautifully decorated before the bins are empty.

3. Candles and Candleholders

Gather candles from drawers, cabinets and closets. Use up the nearly finished candles you enjoy. Discard damaged candles that cannot be burned safely, and donate unused candleholders that never seem to fit anywhere.

Keep a few flexible candleholders that work through several seasons. A simple wood, brass, black or creamy white holder can change completely with a different ribbon, wreath or grouping.

Versatile pieces earn their space because they help us create many different looks without buying something new each time.

4. Baskets, Crocks and Decorative Containers

You know I will never tell you that baskets are not wonderful. They are beautiful and useful… until we have baskets storing empty baskets that are waiting to store something someday.

Give every keeper a job. It might hold blankets, magazines, dog toys, craft supplies, mail or seasonal stems.

Nest empty baskets when possible, but do not keep one simply because it could be useful. “Useful someday” and useful in your actual home are two very different things.

5. Frames, Signs and Wall Art

Artwork gives our homes personality, and rotating it is one of the easiest ways to refresh a room without spending much money.

Begin by separating personal photographs and meaningful art from purely decorative pieces.

Keep frames that are sturdy, beautiful and in sizes you regularly use. Remove broken backs, scratched plastic and frames you always skip over.

If a frame is lovely but the artwork no longer suits you, add a family photograph or one of your favorite free printables rather than sending the entire piece away.

Store rotating prints upright in one clearly labeled portfolio or box. When artwork is protected and easy to find, you are much more likely to enjoy it again.

6. Vases, Pitchers, Wreaths and Seasonal Stems

This category can occupy an astonishing amount of space because so many pieces are tall, delicate or awkwardly shaped.

Choose the vases and pitchers you reach for again and again. They should be easy to clean, stable on a table and useful with more than one kind of arrangement.

Remove dusty or damaged faux stems, and combine partial bunches when the colors work together.

Hang wreaths rather than crushing them in a bin. A few beautiful, well protected pieces will serve you far better than a large collection that comes out of storage bent and broken.

7. Mugs, Serving Pieces and Pretty Dishes

Pretty dishes are one of life’s little joys, especially when they came from someone we love or were discovered on a wonderful thrifting day.

The answer is not to remove all of them. The answer is to keep enough space around them that they can be safely reached and actually used.

Check for chips, cracks and duplicates. Keep the mugs that feel comfortable in your hand and the serving pieces that fit the way you entertain now.

If an heirloom dish is too fragile for food, consider displaying it on a plate wall or using it to hold jewelry instead of hiding it at the back of a cabinet.

8. Craft Supplies and Unfinished Thrift Projects

Creative people see possibility everywhere.

That chipped table could be painted. The old frame could become a chalkboard. Every scrap of pretty paper could become a tag.

I understand this category completely!

Choose the projects you still feel excited to complete, then give each one a realistic finish date.

Donate supplies for crafts you no longer enjoy and release projects that have begun to feel like obligations.

Creativity needs room to move. When old plans crowd every shelf, new ideas have nowhere to land.

Try creating one Projects in Progress basket. If a project does not fit, another project must be finished or released before a new one enters the basket.

9. Sentimental Pieces

Sentimental belongings deserve more patience than expired candles or extra baskets.

Do not begin your decluttering day with the hardest family pieces. Build confidence with easy decisions first.

Remember that honoring a person does not require keeping every object they ever touched. Choose the pieces that hold the clearest memories or best represent the person.

Display them, use them or store them carefully. A treasure packed beneath twenty objects we feel guilty about keeping is not truly being honored.

If the memory matters more than the physical object, take a beautiful photograph and write down its story. That photograph can become part of a family album, journal or memory box without requiring you to store something large, damaged or unsuitable for your home.

10. Bargains, Duplicates and Just in Case Items

A low price does not make something free.

Every object asks for storage, cleaning, care and a little piece of our attention. This is especially important for those of us who love thrift stores, yard sales and clearance aisles.

Keep the best version and release the extras.

If you have six similar pitchers but always choose the same two, those two are telling you something. The others can become someone else’s lucky find.

Before bringing home another bargain, ask where it will live and what it will replace.

If there is no clear answer, take a photograph, appreciate the wonderful find and leave it for the next treasure hunter.