Decluttering by Zones with Fly Lady
The Fly Lady method divides your home into five zones—entryway, kitchen, bathroom, bedroom, and living room—focusing on one each week with just 15 minutes a day. Each zone has specific decluttering targets, from expired spices to unworn clothes, creating a sustainable monthly cycle that maintains order without overwhelming effort.
How the Five-Zone System Works
The Fly Lady method divides your home into five main zones, and each week of the month you focus on one of them. This keeps you from spreading yourself too thin or trying to tackle the entire house over a weekend. Instead, you gradually bring order to one zone after another, just 15 minutes a day.
The first zone is typically the entryway and entrance area. The second is the kitchen. The third is the bathroom and toilet. The fourth is the bedroom and closet. The fifth is the living room and common spaces. Each month the cycle repeats, and your home stays organized without heroic efforts.
Zone 1: Entryway—Your Home's First Impression
Start with what you see first when you come home. This is where things with "nowhere to go" pile up: old umbrellas, broken bags, shoes no one wears.
What to look for:
- Shoes you haven't worn in over a year—donate or discard them
- Bags and backpacks with holes or broken zippers
- Umbrellas that won't open
- Keys to unknown locks
- Old scarves and mismatched gloves
The LadyFly app will remind you to declutter during the right week, so you won't forget about this zone.
Zone 2: Kitchen—The Heart of the Home
The kitchen attracts clutter like a magnet: broken containers, cracked mugs, expired spices. Here it's important to be honest with yourself.
What to toss without regret:
- Dishes with chips and cracks
- Containers without lids or with warped sides
- Expired food and spices older than two years
- Kitchen gadgets you haven't used in six months
- Bags of bags (keep 10–15, recycle the rest)
Tackle one cabinet or drawer at a time. Don't try to do everything at once—that's the path to burnout.
Zone 3: Bathroom—Your Self-Care Space
Bathrooms often store cosmetics and products we haven't used in ages but keep "just in case." It's time to let go of that guilt.
Sort like this:
- Expired cosmetics—straight to the trash without hesitation
- Samples and travel sizes sitting around for over a year
- Towels with stains or musty smells
- Old loofahs and sponges
- Expired medications (take them to a pharmacy for proper disposal)
When your bathroom is clean and organized, self-care becomes a pleasant ritual rather than a chore.
Zone 4: Bedroom—Your Personal Oasis
Your bedroom should be a place of rest, but it often turns into a storage space for clothes "for later." The Fly Lady method teaches you to free up this space.
Pay attention to:
- Clothes that haven't fit for over a year
- Items with stains that wouldn't come out
- Old bedding with pilling
- Books and magazines you definitely won't reread
- Souvenirs that don't spark warm feelings
With LadyFly, you'll return to this zone every month, maintaining order without stress.
Zone 5: Living Room—Space for the Family
Common areas accumulate everyone's belongings. Here it's important to agree with your household that everyone takes their own things.
What to remove from the living room:
- Broken toys and board games with missing pieces
- Old magazines and newspapers
- Décor you no longer like
- Cables and chargers from old devices
- DVDs and discs no one watches
When you cycle through all five zones each month, decluttering becomes a natural part of life. You stop accumulating excess and start valuing open space and ease.
