By the time you reach retirement, you’ll have had decades to accumulate a lot of stuff. Unfortunately, it’s a heckuva lot easier to amass things than it is to reduce your number of things.
But no matter how difficult it might be, it’s worthwhile—and arguably important—for retirees to declutter their homes.
Retirees frequently downsize or otherwise move in retirement, and the fewer things you have to lug from Place A to Place B, the better. But even if you’re staying put, you should prioritize home organization; clutter can become a tripping hazard, lead to pest infestations, and even be a fire risk. Not to mention: Physical clutter can lead to mental clutter, too.
So for your safety and peace of mind, if you’re retiring soon or are retired, you should consider decluttering. It’s easier said than done, but with these top decluttering techniques, it’s very doable.
In Retirement, Fewer Things Can Lead to Greater Happiness
Decluttering can be a physically and emotionally draining process, but it’ll reward you with more space and serenity.
First, you need to get in the right headspace. Then, you need to decide what to keep … and what to give away, sell, donate, or in the worst case, trash.
The following tips will help make the process easier—sometimes from an organizational standpoint, and sometimes from an emotional one.
1. Don’t Try to Do It All in One Day
Organizing an entire home, even a small one, is a huge project for a single day. There’s no need to take on that level of stress—and in fact, it might be counterproductive.
You don’t want to pull everything out of your drawers and closets and then be surrounded by stuff and burnt out. Even if fatiguing yourself results in you ridding yourself of a lot of things, it won’t have created any sustainable habit changes; indeed, it could cause you to rebound and start accumulating clutter again.
Instead, acknowledge that the project may take several days, or even longer, and focus on doing it right, rather than rushed. You should also work on making this a step toward making your lifestyle a little more minimalistic, rather than a one-time cleaning spree; that should help prevent the clutter from accumulating once more.
2. Begin With Easy Wins
Don’t start the decluttering process with a sentimental item or other hard decision. Start with some easy wins, such as dangerous or damaged items.
Ditch that old, broken coffee pot. You already have a new one and are unlikely to fix the old one. Second microwave just sitting in the basement? You’re not going back to it; let it go.
If you need a really easy way to get the ball rolling, clean out the fridge. Tossing expired food items and anything else that looks past its prime is brainless but gets you in the right frame of mind.
You could also address any stockpiles of papers that are several years old and no longer useful to you … but you’ll probably want to consult our “shred or save” list first.
Related: You May Want to Skip These Popular Retirement Rules
3. Give Away Heirlooms & Other Items Now
Do you have family heirlooms you don’t use, but instead are keeping for family or friends to inherit when you pass away?
Why wait? Give them away now.
You might have loved ones who could and actually would make immediate use of those antique clocks or hand-sewn quilts! Don’t let useful or beautiful objects sit in the attic when they could be making those close to you happy.
In some cases, doing this might even help your family from a financial perspective. Let’s say your granddaughter and her husband recently bought their first home. This would be an excellent time to offer up the antique dressers or dining set you’ve been holding on to. Receiving these gifts from you now could save them money during a time when they might be strapped for cash—not to mention, by the time you pass away, they might have a fully furnished home with no room for your furniture.
By the way: This doesn’t have to apply to just heirlooms passed down through your family. Consider anything you own that you don’t have a need for and ask yourself, “Would my family and friends benefit from receiving this?”
Related: How Much Should You Financially Support Adult Children?
4. Sell Valuable Items for Extra Cash
Even if you’re disciplined enough to craft a retirement budget, you might still find that money occasionally feels tight. According to the 2025 Annual Retirement Study from the Allianz Center for the Future of Retirement, 64% of Americans worry more about running out of money than death.
Selling unneeded, high-value items can add to your financial cushion and reduce financial worries. It’s a win-win: Your “stuff” collection goes down, and your account balance goes up.
Monetary compensation can ease the mental burden of decluttering, helping you determine which things have true sentimental value and which are simply goods you bought and are willing to part with.
You can sell your stuff in a number of ways. Traditional garage sales are still alive and well. You could also list some of your higher-ticket items on selling platforms such as craigslist, Facebook Marketplace, eBay, and Poshmark. But be aware of online sales scams; if you’re selling an item, there is never a good reason for you to give the other person money, even if they claim to have overpaid you via a payment app.
Related: Can You Receive Social Security Benefits While Working?
5. Donate Items to Your Favorite Charities
If you don’t have many relatives or friends in need of what you’ve collected over the years, and you’d rather give them away than pawn them off, you have plenty of options, too.
Secondhand shops, such as St. Vincent’s or Goodwill, are go-to donation stops. You can drop off your goods and go, though giving away items can also save you money at thrift stores—some stores will give you a discount on your next purchase after you donate.
But thrift stores aren’t your only choices. Local homeless shelters or women’s shelters will often accept clothing, blankets, backpacks, and more. So too will many faith-based charities. And knowing that your old items could help people who really need them can be an excellent motivator for decluttering.
Don’t forget about animals, either! If you decide not to have pets in retirement, you might be able to donate unopened food, treats, cleaning supplies, and other items to an animal shelter near you.
Related: How to Invest for (And in) Retirement: Strategies + Investment Options
6. Request Less Mail
Paper is one of the most invasive types of clutter. It’s a few pieces of paper at a time, which seems easy enough to conquer—but then you open your mailbox the next day and find it stuffed with even more envelopes to sort through.
In truth, ditching unnecessary mail is just a bandage. You’re better off treating the sickness, not the symptoms, by ensuring all that mail never reaches your home in the first place.
Start by redirecting mail that was never intended for you. If you’re receiving mail for a previous resident or somebody else who doesn’t live with you, return the mail back to the mailstream with “Not at this address” written on the envelope. If you get a “We ReDeliver for You” PS 3849 form for a different address or for a person who doesn’t live at your address, do the following:
- Check the “Other” box.
- Write in “Refused.”
- Return the form to a mail carrier or your mailbox.
Next, focus on your own mail deliveries. Call to unsubscribe from magazine and ad mailing lists you’re no longer interested in.
Do you receive a pile of bills in the mail? Contact each company and request digital billing. If you’re worried about missing payments this way, you can create calendar notifications or set up automatic payments. (If you do the latter, double-check your bank or credit card statements to ensure you’re being charged the proper amount.)
Related: How Long Will My Savings Last in Retirement? 4 Withdrawal Strategies
7. Take Photos of Things / Digitize Photos
There are two things you can do on the photography front to neaten up your living space.
Do you still have your daughter’s program from that musical she was in? What about that flight ticket you saved from your dream vacation? These items might hold sentimental value, and it could be difficult to get rid of them. The same goes for plenty of non-paper items, too, whether it’s a broken heirloom clock from your grandfather or trophies from when you were younger. And having photos makes it easier to share memories with others, too.
You can also save space by digitizing your photos. Photo scanners from the likes of Epson, or even photo scanner apps on your phone, can help you retain your memories while getting rid of bulky bins of Polaroids.
Just remember: If you do decide to digitize, you should keep those files in multiple places (such as your hard drive and a USB flash drive, or the cloud and your hard drive) to ensure if they’re somehow deleted in one place, you have a backup you can duplicate again.
Related: What Are the Average Retirement Savings By Age?
8. Try the 90/90 Rule
The 90/90 rule for decluttering has you ask yourself the following two questions when you’re deciding what to keep and what to ditch:
- Have I used this item in the last 90 days?
- Will I use it in the next 90 days?
If the answer to both questions is a solid “no,” that usually means you should get rid of the item. Seasonal items, such as Christmas decorations, are an exception. The “90” is less important than having a set, predetermined number of days as a guideline.
The point is that you shouldn’t hold onto items that you might need eventually because you may never actually need them. Even if an object would have been useful five years later, it isn’t necessarily worth storing that long. If you haven’t used something soon and have no plans to use it, give yourself more space by getting rid of it.
Related: When Should You Take Social Security?
9. Consider Getting Outside Help
If your decluttering project is big to the point of being overwhelming, don’t feel ashamed to ask for outside help. Depending on the level of difficulty, you might be able to get a hand from family members (particularly if family heirlooms are on offer).
Or it might just be that you need help with certain steps of the decluttering process. For instance, if part of your strategy is to donate items to charity, you could find a charity that will pick it all up for you.
Many major charities, such as Habitat for Humanity, Salvation Army, and Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, offer free donation pickup. Consider contacting local charities to see if they are willing to collect your donations. Policies may vary by location, and they might have limitations on what types of items they will accept.
Some moving and packing companies specifically offer senior decluttering services, too. These professionals can help you organize your belongings, decide what to keep and what to ditch, and haul away what you don’t want. If you’re moving in retirement, they can also help you pack up and relocate your possessions.
Related: Downsizing in Retirement? 10 Tips to Follow
10. Declutter Your Financial Life
Decluttering your home doesn’t just benefit you in the present—it will also make life easier for your heirs once you pass away.
The same goes for decluttering your financial affairs, too.
Do you have five different 401(k) accounts from various jobs throughout your career? That could lead to unnecessary confusion and complexity for your beneficiaries. You might consider 401(k) rollovers to consolidate your retirement accounts into a single individual retirement account (IRA). If you have several checking accounts or taxable brokerage accounts, you can consolidate those as well.
The less complexity and the fewer accounts you have, the easier the financial transition will be for your heirs down the road.
Related: How to Achieve Financial Minimalism to Reduce Stress
