Room by Room: How to Declutter a Lifetime of Stuff and Get Your Space Back
Decades of stuff. One house. Zero idea where to start? Start here.
You'll learn how to:
- Clear out years of accumulated belongings without a weekend-long meltdown
- Decide what stays and what goes, and actually feel good about it
- Let go of gifts, heirlooms and "someday" stuff without the guilt trip
Sound Familiar?
The hall closet has a "don't open" policy. The garage last held a car during the Clinton administration. The guest room is now officially the room where things go to wait for a decision.
And somewhere in the back of a cabinet, there are 14 coffee mugs, 3 fondue sets and a bread machine that has not made bread since the bread machine craze.
Here's the thing: you're not lazy, and you're not a hoarder. You're someone who has lived a full life in one home for a long time.
Twenty or thirty years of birthdays, kids, careers, moves, hand-me-downs and "I'll deal with it later" add up. Of course it feels overwhelming.
Why Another Storage Bin Won't Fix It
You've probably tried organizing. The labeled bins, the closet system, the shelf that was supposed to change everything.
But you can't organize your way out of too much stuff. You just end up with very tidy clutter.
What you need is a realistic way to decide what stays, what goes, and how to keep it from piling back up. That's why I wrote Room by Room.
No extreme minimalism. No judgment. No dumping every closet onto the floor at 9 a.m. Saturday and sleeping on the couch by Saturday night. Just a manageable way forward.
What You'll Learn Inside Room by Room
- How to start without getting overwhelmed. Break big, scary projects into small, finishable ones.
- How to decide what deserves to stay. Simple questions that make the keep-or-go call for you.
- How to let go without the guilt. What to do with gifts, sentimental objects and Great-Aunt Ruth's china that nobody in the family wants.
- How to stop saving everything for "someday." Spot the "just in case" thinking that keeps your closets full.
- How to clear every room. Kitchens, closets, bedrooms, living areas, garages and storage spaces.
- How to keep, donate, sell or recycle, fast. So getting rid of things doesn't become its own exhausting project.
- How to keep clutter from coming back. Simple systems for the things you choose to keep.
You don't have to get rid of everything. You just have to make room for the life you're living now.
Is Room by Room Right for You?
This book is for you if:
- You've got years (or decades) of accumulated belongings
- You're downsizing, moving or just tired of tripping over things
- You've inherited possessions and have no idea what to do with them
- You feel guilty letting go of gifts or sentimental items
- You've organized before, but the clutter keeps winning
- You want a comfortable, livable home without becoming a minimalist
It's probably not for you if you want a home with one chair, one plate and a single tasteful succulent. No judgment. We're just not your people.
Why This Book Is Different
I'm not going to tell you to throw away your family photos, give up your collections or own exactly six dinner plates.
Room by Room takes a practical approach: start small, make decisions, finish one manageable area, then move on. Short sessions mean you can make real progress without hauling everything out at once (your back will thank you).
The goal isn't a home that looks like nobody lives there. It's one where you can find what you need, use every room you have, and spend a lot less of your life taking care of stuff.
Meet the Author
I'm Tara Aronson, and I've spent my career helping people make their homes easier to live in.
For nearly a decade, I wrote the Coming Clean column for the San Francisco Chronicle, answering readers' real-life household problems. I'm also the author of Simplify Your Household, Mrs. Clean Jean's Housekeeping with Kids and The Clean Freak Manifesto.
After all those years of organizing tips, I've learned one thing for sure: sometimes the best organizing solution isn't a better container. It's having less to put in it..
Questions Before You Buy
I'm busy. How much time does this take? You don't need a free weekend. The book is built around small, finishable areas, so you can make progress in short sessions and stop whenever you need to.
I'm sentimental. Will this make me get rid of things I love? Nope. You keep what matters. The book helps you separate the things you love from the things you just feel obligated to keep.
What do I do with heirlooms my kids don't want? There's a whole section on this, including how to pass things down in a way that works for everyone, and what to do with the rest.
Do I have to become a minimalist? Absolutely not. This is about a comfortable home that works for you, not an empty one.
Is it available on Kindle? Yes! It's on Kindle ($12.99), and also in paperback ($14.99) and hardcover ($17.99), which makes a nice gift for anyone downsizing.
Ready to Get Your Space Back?
Picture opening a closet without anything falling on your head. Eating dinner at the dining table instead of next to three months of mail. Walking into the garage without needing a sherpa.
You don't have to fix the whole house this weekend. You just have to start. And every month you wait, the pile doesn't get any smaller.
Room by Room: The No-Guilt Way to Clear a Lifetime of Stuff and Get Your Space Back By Tara Aronson
One room. One decision. One pile at a time.
P.S. Still on the fence? Think about the one spot in your house that makes you wince every time you see it. Room by Room will help you clear that spot first. Then the next one gets easier.
Keep Your Newly Decluttered Home Clean
Once you've cleared the clutter, The Daily Home Reset shows you how to keep every room clean in just 15 minutes a day. Not ready to buy yet? Get free tips in my newsletter, or browse my decluttering guide.