Clean & Declutter Under Couch & Between Couch Cushions

Today's decluttering mission is to clean and declutter under the couch and in between the couch cushions.


This mission is designed to be done during the week we're working on the Organizing Living Room & Family Room Challenge, which is part of the 52 Week Organized Home Challenge here on the site.

Of course, you can do this mission whenever you feel like it, and definitely I suggest more than once a year! This is just the day I've got it scheduled on the Declutter 365 calendar.

I'm sure you know how quickly little stuff accumulates both under your sofa and also that slips between and under those couch cushions. Today's the day to brave it and get all that stuff out of there.

If you can move the couch (be careful not to hurt yourself) go ahead and do so, remove all the stuff under there and vacuum or sweep.

Then, remove the couch cushions (if you can with your couch) and really clean it out, including removing any stuff you find and vacuuming up crumbs and debris, including in the crevices.

If you've got enough time go ahead and vacuum the actual cushions themselves as well. It removes a lot of dust and can keep your sofa or couch looking better longer.

Now, this is the type of mission that you can't just do once a year, but needs to be an ongoing task.

You'll need to decide how often to do it in your home, based on a lot of factors including how many people sit on the couch, and how prone everyone is to lose things in there.

I would suggest every week to two weeks though as a reasonable time.

Below I've shown some photos from readers who've done this mission, plus listed some of the most typical things you might find under your couch or between the cushions.

I'd also love to hear what you find when doing this mission too, so make sure to tell me in the comments!

Top photo courtesy of Kelly Sikkema

Photos From Readers Who've Done This Mission

Here are some photos sent in by readers who've done this mission.

These photos above were sent in by a reader, Tamara, who needed to not only declutter underneath the couch and between the couch cushions, but actually to get rid of clutter on the couch itself.

If this is similar to you (and I'll be honest and raise my hand, this has been me in my home on many occasions), make sure you clear this clutter today as well.

There's no shame in the couch getting full of stuff from time to time. Sometimes we have laundry we need to fold and put away laying there, or you just put stuff down there when your hands are full. But clean it up now, so you can actually enjoy sitting on your couch!



This photo was sent in by another reader, Chelsea. Make sure when doing the #Declutter365 missions regarding your couch that you vacuum underneath it, and in between and under the couch cushions! It'll make sitting on your couch a lot more pleasant!

What Did You Find In Or Under Your Sofa?

Once you've done this mission I'd love to hear what you found in or under your couch. Sometimes there is some crazy stuff you can find down there!

Based on reader responses from those who've already done this mission in the past here are some typical items that are often found in couch cushions or underneath the couch:

• Food (typically small snacks that missed someone's mouth, like popcorn or cheerios)


• Money (typically coins, like that fall out of pants pockets)


• Trash, such as wrappers, etc.


• Remotes


• Lost socks or other small clothes


• Tissues


• Pens and pencils


• Wallet


• Keys


• Pacifiers


• Cell and smart phones


• Small toys, especially ones with wheels that slide under the couch while kids are playing


• Pet toys; and


• Jewelry

Tell me what you find in the comments!

Want To Do More Decluttering Missions? Get Started With Declutter 365 Today!

Once you declutter one type of item in your home I bet you'll want to declutter some more. After all, decluttering gives you a great reward for even a small investment of time and energy.

The Declutter 365 system is designed to help you declutter, over the course of a year, your entire house, with just 15 minutes of decluttering each day!

Hundreds of thousands of people use this proven system to get rid of their clutter, and bring peace and calm back to their homes.

Declutter 365 works to guide you to clear the clutter without overwhelm, focusing on just one small area at a time, and without making a huge mess in the process, so you see consistent forward progress without all that "messy middle" that makes it even harder to function in your home than before you started.

In addition to building a daily decluttering habit, the Declutter 365 program, along with the accompanying 52 Week Organized Home Challenge, teaches you the skills, habits, routines, and mindsets necessary to maintain the clutter free and organized state of your home from now on, so it'll never be as messy and cluttered as it is right now, ever again.

If you haven't already, make sure to get your copy of this year's Declutter 365 annual calendar here (it's FREE!), find today's date, and do 15 minutes of decluttering on the day's mission. Then, repeat again tomorrow, and again and again. Over the course of the next year, if you do this 15 minutes per day, you'll declutter your whole house!

Get This Common Areas Decluttering Checklist + 32 Other Decluttering Checklists For Your Home

Right now you're decluttering the common areas of your home, meaning those shared by everyone in the household, and there's a lot of stuff to declutter in these spaces.

Get your 1 page common areas decluttering checklist, plus 32 other decluttering checklists, to help you declutter your entire home here.

I've done the hard work of breaking down these tasks into smaller more manageable steps for you, so you don't get overwhelmed or worry you're forgetting a task, and you can go at the pace you want, whether that's fast or slow.

In addition, you can tackle these decluttering tasks in whatever order you want when you use these checklists!

Photo courtesy of MoneyBlogNewz

Related Pages You May Enjoy

Getting Clutter Free 15 Minutes At A Time Hall Of Fame

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