200+ Ten Minute Miracle Ideas

June 14, 2021

Is every room in your home filled-to-the-brim?

Are you overwhelmed and don't know where to start?

Do you have moments (or weeks/months) of "maintenance mode" where areas in your home are looking good... then they get neglected as you move onto work in other rooms of your home?

We asked members of our community to share their specific "hot spots" they are currently working on... and they named a HUGE list of areas in their homes.

This inspired us to come up with a MEGA LIST of "Ten Minute Miracles" you can do in your own home if you're stuck or don't know where to start.

"But wait... What's this 'Ten Minute Miracle' you speak of...?"

Ten Minute Miracle (or 10MM for short) is a decluttering or organizing task that you can get started within a single area of your home and either complete it in less than 10 minutes, or build the energy and determination to work longer on the task at hand.

If you commit to just ten minutes at a time in an area of your home, you'll start to see results in these spaces over a period of time.

And even better yet... You'll be able to MAINTAIN these areas, long term!

(These are bite-sized versions of our 60-minute decluttering miracle calls also in the membership community.)

We have all sorts of projects in various rooms of our homes, where we work through our project on camera, interact with those commenting, and get a task either completed or a good chunk of it taken care of. We set a timer and get to work!

This may mean taking care of a long-neglected box or bin, or simply straightening up a surface and throwing trash away.

The key to the Ten Minute Miracles is to only focus on a certain item category or area. Otherwise, it becomes very easy to get overwhelmed.

200+ Ten Minute Miracle Ideas

Front room / living room

Coat closet:

  • Shoes
  • Coats
  • Jackets
  • Hats
  • Scarves
  • Gloves

Entry way:

  • hall tree
  • car key bowl
  • mail on table
  • shoes on floor
  • vacuum entry rug
  • mop/vacuum front hall
  • remove trash

Living area:

  • Clear off chair
  • End table drawer / shelf
  • TV cabinet / DVD's / video games
  • Pick up old food dishes / fast food containers
  • Throw out obvious trash
  • Sort mail
  • Dust table
  • Clean window
  • Vacuum floor

Family Room / Play Room

  • TV cabinet
  • Game console(s) / accessories
  • DVDs / video games
  • Couch blankets - washed and folded
  • Pick up toys
  • Vacuum inside couch cushions
  • Broom sweep / vacuum / mop floor

Kitchen

  • One single drawer, cabinet or shelf
  • Create a Command Center for mail & bills
  • "junk drawer" - pens/pencils/notepads/stamps
  • Silverware drawer
  • Serving / hostess utensils
  • Baking tools
  • Cooking utensils
  • Wooden spoons
  • Knives and cutting boards
  • Colanders / strainers
  • Leftover plastic containers
  • Coffee mugs
  • Cookie cutters
  • Rolling pins
  • Dish towels & rags
  • Table cloths & cloth napkins

Refrigerator/Freezer:

  • Refrigerator magnets
  • Old papers on front of fridge
  • Clean off fridge front
  • Freezer foods - sort / go through old stuff
  • Dump out old fridge food
  • Wipe down shelves / drawers / inside door
  • Go through condiments and throw out old
  • Check cheese and lunch meat for mold
  • Organize "lunch bag fillers"
  • Pull fridge out and clean behind it

Pantry:

  • One single shelf
  • Cereal
  • Snacks
  • Canned Veggies
  • Sauces & pasta
  • Dinner sides
  • Baking ingredients
  • Toss expired foods
  • Write expiration date on foods
  • Organize by "like items"
  • Consolidate grocery bags

Stove / cook top:

  • Clear off cooking surface
  • Make sure nothing is sitting in front of oven
  • Clean "warming drawer" below oven
  • Pots & pans decluttering
  • Specialty cooking items seldom used
  • Match pans to lids
  • Tighten loose skillet handles
  • Check pots & pans for rust or disrepair
  • Pull stove out and clean behind it

Sink / Dishwasher:

  • Run a load of dirty dishes
  • Hand wash a load of dishes
  • Dry & put away clean dishes
  • Clean your dishwasher filter
  • Spray and clean out the sink(s)
  • Gather used dish towels and rags for laundry

Bathroom

  • Spray & wipe tub and/or shower
  • Clear off counter
  • Spray and wipe down sink and faucet
  • Make-up
  • Feminine products
  • Hair accessories
  • Cleaning supplies
  • Spray and wipe down toilet inside and outside
  • Broom Sweep floor
  • Mop floor

Linen closet:

  • Go through bath towels / wash cloths
  • Re-fold and organize towels and wash cloths
  • Go through bed linens and discard old sets
  • First Aid Kit / check thermometer
  • Medications / check expiration dates
  • Surplus hygiene products / check expiration dates
  • Manicure tools
  • Discard old nail polish

Laundry Room

  • Start a load of clothes
  • Switch load from washer to dryer
  • Hang up delicate clothes to dry
  • Fold / hang clean clothes
  • Spray and wipe of top of machines
  • Vacuum rug in front of machines
  • Throw out/use up old detergents
  • Empty lint trap
  • Gather up obvious trash and discard
  • Remove and items that don't belong in the laundry room
  • Broom sweep / vacuum / mop the floor

Utility Room

  • Batteries - sort like with like
  • Household tool sorting
  • Light bulb inventory
  • Change the furnace filter
  • Add water softener salt
  • Whole house water filter change
  • Create a space for like items to be stored

Bedroom

  • Strip bedding / throw in washer
  • Spray bed with disinfectant / Febreez
  • Make the bed
  • Check quality of bed pillows
  • Gather trash and take out
  • Put a new trash bag in bedroom can
  • Clear the space by the bed
  • Broom sweep / vacuum the floor
  • Clean out from under the bed
  • Wash and replace the bedskirt

Clothing:

  • Socks
  • Underwear
  • Pajamas
  • T-shirts
  • Shorts
  • Leggings
  • Slippers
  • Robes
  • Dresses
  • Blouses / dress shirts
  • Pants / jeans
  • Sweatshirts /sweaters
  • Hats

Accessories:

  • Purses / bags
  • Shoes / sandals
  • Boots
  • Jewelry
  • Watches
  • Scarves / neck ties

Bedside table:

  • Loose change
  • Chap sticks
  • Phone charger cords
  • Head phones / ear plugs
  • Cups / plates to kitchen
  • Trash
  • Mail

Kids room

Clothing:

  • Too small clothes
  • Organize drawers
  • Organize closet space
  • Strip bedding / put in washer
  • Remake bed
  • Remove obvious trash
  • Replace trash bag in can

Toys / misc

  • Discard broken toy parts
  • Clean under the bed
  • Clean windows
  • Toy box / bins
  • Sort Legos / building blocks
  • Clean up desk/craft area
  • Organize coloring books & crayons
  • Broom sweep/vacuum/mop floor

Office

  • File documents
  • Make a new year folder
  • Run the shredder
  • Remove obvious trash
  • Cups / plates to kitchen
  • New bag in trash can
  • Clear off desk surface
  • Throw out junk mail
  • Sort pens/pencils/markers etc
  • Clear a path to the window
  • Broom sweep/vacuum/mop the floor

Craft / Sewing / Hobby Room

  • Throw out obvious trash
  • Gather like items and home them together in a container
  • Patterns
  • Scissors
  • Stickers
  • Stencils
  • Paints
  • Paint brushes
  • Writing utensils
  • Work on an unfinished project
  • Gather partial projects and containerize
  • Donate "old hobby" supplies
  • Clear off desk or work surface
  • Make a path to the window

Garage / outdoors

  • Clean out the car of trash and dishes
  • Wipe down dash board / handles / steering wheel
  • Organize yard tools
  • Old paint
  • Paint supplies
  • Car maintenance items "like with like"
  • Outdoor sports toys
  • Pump up bicycle tires / check brakes
  • Check oil in mowers / lawn equipment
  • Camping gear
  • Folding chairs
  • Grilling tools/accessories
  • Pull weeds
  • Water flowerbeds

Long term storage / basement

  • Sort "mementos" by each person in the household
  • Gather up photographs in containers
  • Discard old school papers
  • Donate old school books
  • Kids toys
  • Board games
  • Surplus blankets
  • Camping gear
  • Coolers
  • Picnic items

Do you have additional ideas for Ten Minute Miracles that didn't make the list? Comment below!

About the author 

Sarah Mueller

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A Brain-Friendly Tutorial to Clearing Your Clutter

The free tutorial is for you if:

  • Your clutter feels overwhelming
  • You have 1 or more rooms that need significant work
  • You've been trying to declutter for 6 months or longer
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