'It had become a time capsule' – 6 things I ruthlessly decluttered at 70 to honor my past but make room for a streamlined future

For decades, my life has revolved around helping others conquer their clutter. As a professional home organizer, I've guided countless clients through the emotional and physical maze of transforming their chaotic spaces into havens of calm.

When I turned 70, it felt like the right time to take my own advice. I began looking at my life as half over, and so asked myself what was really important to me going forward. Whether in the kitchen, hall closet or even my home office, I wanted to live with just the things that make me happy, not a load of lingering, extraneous items.

Featuring some of the best decluttering tips I know – plus product recommendations from Homes & Gardens' expert editorial team – here's a guide to the six areas I ruthlessly decluttered at 70, the peace of mind it brought me, and how you can do it too.

6 things I ruthlessly decluttered at 70

1. Old linen

As simple as it sounds, I tackled the linen closet first. Aging blankets, mismatched pillowcases, old sheets that no longer fit the bed – there was so much stuff that had accumulated over decades, moving from house to house, gradually fading along the way.

The linen was taking up valuable space, and sorting through it felt like rummaging through a forgotten past. Using the ODT Decluttering Method to make one decision at a time, I kept only the sets that were truly comfortable and in good condition for current use, plus a few spare sets for guests. Everything else went to textile recycling.

I felt really good after I cleaned that out – an immediate sense of accomplishment and a weight lifted, knowing my decluttering challenge was underway.

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2. Crockery and small kitchen appliances

With linen covered, I moved to probably the most frequented area of any house: My kitchen.

Top of any decluttering checklist should always be those mismatched cups, plates, and glasses most of us accrue over the years. But when I really got to searching through those cabinets, I found a whole lot more.

This included two old toasters, an extra coffee machine, serving dishes, napkins, placemats, and a range of other accessories that were no longer needed and yet taking up valuable space.

The 'Didn't Know' decluttering method was perfect for this task. If I didn't know I had it, the time to say goodbye had arrived.

Personally, I love garage, yard, and estate sales. And local charities will happily take anything outstanding. So I set about selling or donating all items, until each one had a new home. You just can't beat the feeling of clearing out those cabinets, while also knowing it's all going to good use for others.

3. The hall closet

Next on the list was the hall closet – busting with mine and my children’s old coats, gloves, hats and scarves.

I'd maintained my own clothes closets pretty well, but had neglected this one. It had become a time capsule of my children's younger years: tiny raincoats, worn-out mittens, forgotten scarves, and various hats from school plays.

The golden decluttering rule states that if you didn't wear it last summer, you probably won’t wear it this summer, and can get rid, guilt-free. Well, most of these items hadn't seen the light of day for a lot longer than that! Even though my children are grown adults, these items lingered, taking up prime real estate.

I took a deep breath, and with a mix of nostalgia and resolve, I boxed up truly sentimental pieces, and donated the rest to charity shops. Whenever there were two of something I was considering keeping, I used the Toddler Decluttering Method to make a quick, guilt-free decision between them, breaking through any decision fatigue.

Honestly, it was a relief to finally let all that clothing go. Plus, now the closet serves its actual purpose – holding current coats and guest items with ease.

4. My home office

Next, I wanted to simplify my office. I'm not yet retired, so it's still important for me to keep on top of my limited space in this area.

The best home office ideas begin with streamlining all that paper, and through more than two decades of working as a home stager and professional organizer, I'd accumulated all kinds of client folders and old receipts – paper that was once important but no longer had purpose.

The drawer with dried-up pens, orphaned paperclips, and Post-it notes from forgotten tasks was also a mess. I realized all this clutter was draining my mental energy.

Knowing I needed to get ruthless when decluttering, I created a strict 'active project' zone and a 'digital archive' plan. Old client files were shredded, with anything of some importance scanned for digital storage. The drawers were emptied and reset, keeping only current supplies I use week-to-week.

After decluttering my office, I had a sense of serenity and newfound joy for approaching work projects.

5. Important documents

This was perhaps the most crucial decluttering task. With age, the thought of burdening loved ones with a disorganized mess of financial, legal, and health information became a significant motivator.

Avoiding overwhelm when sorting documents starts with creating a filing system. Wealth management is important to me, so I began with that, deciding to make one spreadsheet of accounts, which I then shared with my family for their future reference.

Next up was organizing important documents and tasks regarding my health. It was time to make decisions about my will, health proxy, and executor of my estate. I gathered all this information, requested up-to-date medical records from doctors, so I could then neatly organize the paperwork, collating it in a booklet, which I then walked my family through.

Helping your family understand your personal affairs while still alive is both resourceful and rewarding. Of all the steps in my declutter at 70, this one gave me real peace of mind, knowing everything was in order.

6. Old photographs

Finally, came the ultimate 'now or never' task. Boxes of unsorted photos and neglected albums were gathering dust. I had photographs dating back before digital cameras ever existed, and for those of you old enough to remember, I even had negatives!

For so long, I'd promised myself I'd get to the task of editing this collection, including writing dates and names, and putting them in some kind of order. Decluttering sentimental items is one of the hardest things to do, but now – at 70 – it was time.

Adopting a 'lessting' mindset, I focused on curating the best images, discarding blurry or duplicate shots, and then began the process of digitizing them. For the most cherished physical prints, I invested in archival-safe albums. This process was a journey through my life, often emotional, but incredibly rewarding.

And, honestly, it's not complete yet. It was such a big task that I decided to embrace slow decluttering and make it an ongoing organizing project for me in my 70s.

Little by little, I'm working through those old family photos and enjoying those daily and weekly flashes of nostalgia in the process.

So there you have it – six things I ruthlessly decluttered at 70.

Decluttering at 70 wasn't just about clearing physical space; it was about honoring my past while making room for a calm, streamlined future.

It provided a sense of control, and perhaps most importantly, gave me the profound peace of mind that comes from knowing things are in order.

If you’re struggling to declutter, delve into our decluttering methods library, where we have more than more than 70 tried and tested methods to suit all ages.