Every Diwali, most of us do the same thing. We take everything off the shelves, dust it, wipe it, and put it all straight back. Then we wonder why the house feels just as full on Bhai Dooj as it did before Dhanteras.
Here’s the one change we would ask you to make this year: declutter first, clean second. There’s no point dusting a stack of boxes you’re going to give away anyway. Clear out what you don’t need, and the cleaning takes half the time.
After years of walking into homes, we can tell you that the same ten things turn up in almost every house. Here’s what to look for, and what to do with it.
The short version
The best way to declutter your home before Diwali is to go one area at a time, with four bags or boxes: keep, donate, recycle and discard. Start with the places that fill up quietly through the year, like the medicine box, the kitchen drawer of takeaway containers, the paper pile, the cable drawer, the loft and the box of last year’s decorations. Get everything you’re letting go out of the house within two days, then clean, then decorate.
10 things to declutter this Diwali
1. Clothes you’ve stopped wearing
Start with the wardrobe, because it’s the space you open every single day. Take out anything that doesn’t fit, hasn’t been worn in a year, or is waiting for a repair that’s never going to happen.
Make three piles: keep, give away and throw away. Clothes in good condition can go to someone who’ll use them, especially with winter coming. Anything torn or stained beyond saving can be used as dusters for the rest of your Diwali cleaning.
If your sarees need the most attention, I’ve written a separate guide on decluttering and storing your sarees this Diwali.
2. Expired medicines, skincare and toiletries
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1O4AMXvhPz9RQV6vnRiVKgDXK9uLwP_sN/view?usp=sharing
Every Indian home has a medicine box, and most have old strips that expired long ago, half-used cough syrups and three tubes of the same ointment. The bathroom cabinet and dressing table are no different: old sunscreen, dried-out kajal, hotel shampoo bottles and moisturizers you’ll never use.
Check every expiry date. Keep what you use, with everyday items at the front.
3. Takeaway containers, mismatched lids and extra utensils
Open the kitchen drawer. Take out the takeaway boxes without lids, lids without boxes, the bag full of plastic bags, and faulty or unused appliances.
Match every container to a lid, and recycle anything left over. Keep the tools you reach for daily within arm’s reach, and move the festive-only vessels (the big kadai, the extra serving bowls) to a higher shelf. While you’re there, check the pantry for masalas and flours past their date before you stock up on Diwali snacks.
From the Arrange It All Instagram: pantry staples in matching, labelled jars, so you can see at a glance what’s running low.
https://www.instagram.com/p/DanORlxzRVD/?hl=en
4. Old bills, papers and documents
We’ve all been there. You need one document urgently, and suddenly you’re checking every drawer, cupboard and old file in the house. Paper is the clutter that hurts most when you can’t find it.
Before you sort anything, list your categories. For most homes these are insurance, tax, property, personal documents (Aadhaar, PAN, passports), medical records and certificates. Give each its own clearly labelled folder.
From the Arrange It All Instagram: list your document categories before you start filing.
Then go through the pile. Old bills you’ve already paid, expired warranties, appliance manuals you can find online and duplicate printouts can go. Shred anything with your address, account numbers or ID details before it leaves the house. Old newspapers and magazines can go to the raddiwala.
One habit that can make a big difference: give new papers a temporary home like a single tray or folder near the door, until you’re ready to file them. Even 15 minutes of filing once a month keeps the pile from coming back.
5. Broken diyas, dead lights and tired decorations
When you bring out the Diwali box of adornments, open it and look properly. Cracked diyas, serial lights with half the bulbs dead, faded torans, rangoli colours that have gone lumpy, and candles burnt down to the base should be discarded. Test every string of lights now, not on the evening of Lakshmi Puja.
Let go of what’s broken, and when Diwali is over, pack everything back into one labelled box. Next year, you’ll thank yourself.
6. Old chargers, cables and gadgets
Cables are the clutter that sneaks up on you. Tangled in a drawer, lost behind the desk, mixed up in your bag. Most homes we visit have a full drawer of chargers for phones they no longer own.
From the Arrange It All Instagram: wrap each cable neatly around its own adapter before it goes into the drawer.
Match each cable to a device you still use. Coil the ones you keep around their own adapter, as in the photo, and keep them together in one pouch or drawer section, labelled if that helps. Old phones, broken earphones and dead gadgets are e-waste, so don’t put them in the dustbin. Wipe your data, then hand them to an authorised e-waste collection point or a brand take-back programme.
7. Furniture and bulky things that just take up space
The extra plastic chair, the side table nobody uses, the shelf with a broken leg propped up against the wall. Big things make a room feel smaller than it is, and Diwali is when you need floor space for guests, rangoli and card parties.
Ask honestly whether each piece earns its place. If it’s in good shape, sell it or donate it. If it’s broken, arrange for it to be collected and disposed of properly.
8. Whatever is hiding under the bed and up in the loft/attic
The loft or attic is where things go to be forgotten. Same with the space under the bed and the back of the storeroom: old suitcases, spare mattresses, empty boxes, bags of “I’ll sort this later”.
Take on one hidden space at a time. Empty it completely, sort what’s inside, and put back only what you’ll actually need. Store the keepers in labelled boxes, so next year’s cleaning is a ten-minute job instead of a full day.
9. Gift boxes, mithai boxes and delivery cartons
Festive season means boxes. Online orders, gift hampers, sweet boxes that are too pretty to throw away. Before you know it, there’s a stack of cartons behind the door “in case we need them”.
Keep only what you have a real use for, like a couple of boxes for returns or for storing decorations. Flatten the rest and send them for recycling. Do this again the week after Diwali, when the second wave of boxes arrives.
10. Toys, books and hobby supplies
Do this one with the family, especially the children, and do it before Diwali gifts come in. Look at the toys, books, board games and craft supplies together, and let everyone decide what they still use.
Toys and books in good condition can go to a school, a library corner or another family. Keep the favourites on low, easy-to-reach shelves, and give sentimental pieces one special spot instead of letting them spread across the house.
How to declutter your home before Diwali without burning out
The biggest mistake we see is trying to do the whole house in one weekend. People start strong on Saturday morning and by Sunday afternoon every room is half-done and twice as messy. Here’s the approach that works:
- Make a list of areas, not rooms. “The kitchen” is overwhelming. “The drawer next to the stove” is a 20-minute job.
- Work in short sessions. Set a timer for 20 to 30 minutes and finish that one spot completely before moving on.
- Use four boxes every time: keep, donate, recycle and discard. Decide as you go, not later.
- Get it out of the house within 48 hours. A donation bag sitting in the car boot for a month is still clutter.
- Don’t buy organisers first. Use the baskets and containers you already have. Once you know what you’re keeping, you’ll know what storage you need.
- Clean after you sort. Wipe the empty shelf or drawer before you put things back.
- Involve everyone who uses the space. A system only works if it makes sense for how your family actually lives. If you have to think about where something belongs, nobody will keep it up.
For a room-by-room plan, see our Diwali declutter checklist.
When should you call in decluttering services?
It’s worth getting professional help when:
- Your wardrobes, cupboards or storeroom are full all year, no matter how often you clear them.
- You don’t know where to start, or you start and keep getting stuck.
- You’re moving house, renovating or hosting a big family function.
- Diwali is days away and there simply isn’t time.
Hiring a professional organizer can feel like a big decision, especially if you’re not sure what the process looks like. In reality it’s very personal and very practical. Our team spends time understanding your space and your routine first, then does the heavy lifting with you, and leaves you with a system that’s easy to keep up. We can take a lot of the work off your plate.
If you’ve been searching for decluttering services near me, we work across Chennai, Bangalore and Hyderabad, and the first consultation is free. Get in touch or read more about our home reorganising service.
Your Diwali cleaning checklist
Tick these off as you go, and save this for next year.
- Clothes that don’t fit or haven’t been worn in a year
- Expired medicines, skincare and toiletries
- Takeaway containers, odd lids and extra utensils
- Expired masalas and pantry items
- Old bills, manuals and papers (shred the sensitive ones)
- Broken diyas, dead lights and faded decorations
- Old chargers, cables and gadgets (to e-waste)
- Unused furniture and bulky items
- Under the bed, the loft and the storeroom
- Gift boxes, mithai boxes and delivery cartons
- Toys, books and hobby supplies
Frequently asked questions
How do I declutter my home before Diwali?
Work one area at a time rather than one room at a time. Start with the wardrobe, kitchen drawers, bathroom cabinet and storage spaces. Sort everything into keep, donate, recycle and discard, get the outgoing items out of the house within two days, and only then clean and decorate.
What should be on my Diwali cleaning checklist?
Clothes, expired medicines and toiletries, kitchen containers and utensils, old paperwork, decorations and lights, cables and gadgets, bulky furniture, the loft and under-bed storage, packaging, and toys and books. The checklist above covers all of them.
What’s the best way to declutter your home without feeling overwhelmed?
Keep sessions short. Set a timer for 20 to 30 minutes, finish one drawer or shelf completely, and stop. Small finished areas build momentum; a whole house half-done just builds stress.
Should I clean first or declutter first?
Declutter first. Cleaning and decluttering go together, but there’s no point dusting things you’re about to give away. Clearing out first means fewer things to clean and more empty surfaces to clean easily.
When should I start Diwali cleaning?
Two to three weeks before Diwali is ideal. Spend the first week decluttering wardrobes, cupboards and storage, then move on to deep cleaning, and keep the last few days for decorating.
How do I find decluttering services near me?
Look for professional organisers who serve your city, then check their before-and-after work, client reviews and how they approach a project. Ask what they charge, how long a home your size usually takes, and whether the first consultation is free. At Arrange It All, it is.
How do I keep my home clutter-free after Diwali?
Put things back in their place after every use, deal with packaging the day it arrives, and follow one in, one out for clothes and kitchenware. A quick 15-minute reset once a week keeps the clutter from building back up.
