Declutter Patio {15 Minute Mission}

Today's mission is to declutter your patio, and depending on how cluttered it is perhaps this isn't a 15 minute project, but several 15 minute sessions.


This mission is designed to be done while working on the Organizing Yard & Garden Storage Areas Challenge here on the site, which is part of the 52 Week Organized Home Challenge.

Tips For Decluttering Your Patio

Decluttering your patio is pretty straight forward, but here's a couple tips that can help you get this mission done quickly, and to focus on the right things to remove from the space.

First, make sure to think about the purpose of your patio. This may seem pretty obvious to you, or perhaps not.

There are many activities people can choose to do on their patios, from relaxing outdoors during the day or evening, eating, a place where the kids to play, and also to grow some plants or otherwise do a little light gardening.

There is no right or wrong answer for what the purpose of your patio is, but deciding for yourself what you'd like to do in the space will help you significantly in identifying what items should stay and what should go from the space.

Things that do not serve the purpose you've decided the space should fulfill should be removed, either completely from your home or at least moved to a new area.

Second, once you've identified the purpose of the space, go ahead and take the time to remove some of the big clutter items first, including furniture or large planter type pots, or whatever else, that seems to be crowding the space but don't serve a useful purpose.

Just removing some of these space hogs can really open up the area and make it seem more pleasant.

Finally, as always when decluttering remove items which are broken, too dirty or worn out to be salvaged or repaired, and items you don't like or use.

But in addition, don't forget in this space to also declutter weeds, dead plants, and other items that are more unique to an outdoor space than you normally think about when taking on indoor declutter projects.

If you find yourself with lots of little things that seem cluttered all sitting out, but that you want to keep and do use regularly, consider getting some storage for your patio, such as patio storage boxes. These are great for holding such things as patio cushions while they are not in use, and lots of odds and ends, such as gardening supplies or even toys for the kids that you want handy but not always visible.

If You've Got Enough Time Clean Up A Bit

A bonus mission that will make this space feel more inviting is to clean up the patio a bit at the same time.

Because the space is outside it can get dirty quickly, and because it is outside we often forget to clean it when working on other areas of our home that are inside.

At a minimum quickly sweep the patio off, but in addition consider power washing the patio floor, and cleaning patio furniture.

Below I've shown some photos from a readers who have done this mission and fixed up their patios to get you inspired to tackle this project for yourself.


Photo courtesy of Field Outdoor Spaces

Photos From Readers Who've Done This Mission

Several readers have sent in their photos showing what they've accomplished when they've done this mission.

The photos above are from Marlo, who said, "Just finished the patio! Bagged up the leaves, told hubby to throw out the leaves and the hose box because it's broken and we don't use it anyway. He says well if I can fix it can we keep it. NO THROW IT AWAY PLEASE! We aren't holding onto to things we don't need, honey it's a good 5+ years old and gave us good service but it's beyond help, please just put it in the dumpster or I'll do it while you're gone lol!"


These photos above were sent in by another reader, Nicole. She said, "I sorted this :) I'm really proud of myself as my soon to be ex husband had promised year after year we would do something with the yard, now that he's been gone a year, I've made a start. Four broken fence panels broken down and replaced, swept, weeded. Still some work to be done but getting there.

I am so proud of both of you guys, your hard work is really paying off! Your backyards and patio areas look great!

We Love Sitting Out On Our Patio

A reader, Stephanie, sent in these photos of her home's patio, and I thought they were just lovely. She said, "We love sitting out here."

That's what I want for each of you too, and decluttering and sprucing up the space, even for just a few minutes, can really help you get closer to that feeling. After all, if you've got a patio you should take time to enjoy it!

Have you done this mission? If so, I'd love to see your results. You can submit your photos here, and the best ones will be featured here on the site!

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!

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Related Pages You May Enjoy

Getting Clutter Free 15 Minutes At A Time Hall Of Fame

How To Declutter Your Front Porch

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