You never know how much stuff you truly have until you have to pack up and move it all. Over the years it’s easy to accumulate things faster than you get rid of them. A free T-shirt here and a hand-me-down kitchen appliance there… in no time stuff can pile up — and it often goes unnoticed. That’s why it’s important to be a mindful consumer. Before you buy something, ask yourself if you really want to take the object with you into your future.
Now think about everything you own. Everything in your drawers, cupboards, and closets. All the tools in your garage and all your electronic gadgets. Your furniture, bedding, and towels. Even family heirlooms, keepsakes, and collectable items. How much do you think all of that stuff’s worth?
If you ever need to take a home inventory, you’ll need to have a clear record of everything in your house and know exactly how much it’s all worth so that you can be reimbursed in case anything unfortunate happens — because it’s always best to expect the best but be prepared for the worst.
If all of this planning and organization sounds pretty daunting, we get it. Without the right tools at your disposal, keeping track of your stuff is a messy affair. Thankfully, this is 2019 and there are dozens of apps to help you stay organized — whether you’re moving or simply tidying up.
We combed through them all and found the top 15 apps to declutter and digitize your stuff based on popularity and positive reviews. All of the apps below have at least a 4-star rating and can help you take inventory, declutter, and digitize paper documents.
Pro tip: Easily create PDF and Excel reports with one tap for insurance purposes, estate planning, relocation, or decorating.
Download for iOS | Download for Android
2. Memento Database - Store your stuff with a visually appealing user interface. Sync lists to Google Sheets to edit your inventory outside of your phone.
Pro tip: Step up your data analysis with aggregation, charting, sorting, grouping, and filtering entries by any field.
Download for Android
3. MyStuff - Organize your collections, movies, books, jewelry, appliances, or anything else with this easy to use but powerful database and inventory app.
Pro tip: Store up to 40 images for each item so you’ll have a clear picture of the condition of your valuables from every angle.
Download for iOS
4. Nest Egg - Keep tabs on everything you own by taking photos and scanning barcodes while the app automatically fills in product information.
Pro tip: Enter serial and warranty information for your items to ensure you’ll be covered if something is damaged or broken.
Download for iOS
5. Sortly - Create a visual inventory of your items with photos, tags, notes, price, QR labels, barcode scanner, lending info, and more.
Pro tip: Sync your inventory across three devices so that you’ll always be able to access your important information.
Download for iOS | Download for Android
Pro tip: Automatically separate scanned documents from photo images using the in-ap AI called Adobe Sensei.
Download for iOS | Download for Android
7. Evernote Scannable - scan paper documents and send them via email or text, or export them to Evernote and other apps.
Pro tip: Connect to LinkedIn and the app will automatically pull a contact’s information when you scan their business card.
Download for iOS
8. Genius Scan - Quickly scan your documents on the go and export them as fully-optimized JPEG images or multi-page PDF files.
Pro tip: Batch scanning lets you quickly scan pages in a row while the app detects the pages and crops them.
Download for iOS | Download for Android
9. PhotoScan - This app from Google lets you scan and save your favorite printed photos using your phone’s camera so you can ditch the shoeboxes.
Pro tip: Back up your scans with the Google Photos app to keep them safe, searchable and organized.
Download for iOS | Download for Android
10. Smart Receipts - Turn your phone into a receipt scanner, mileage tracker, and expense report generator. Create professional PDF, CSV, and ZIP reports.
Pro tip: Create expense report “folders” to categorize your receipts for easy reference when it’s budgeting time.
Download for iOS | Download for Android
Pro tip: You don’t have to bother with auctions or haggling with other users — Decluttr purchases your items directly from you.
Download for iOS | Download for Android
12. Google Keep - Create notes and to-do lists and color-code them for easy organization. Collab with friends to get things done faster.
Pro tip: Use “OK Google” voice commands to add a to-do list.
Download for iOS | Download for Android
13. Handy - Book home cleaners and handymen by telling them what you need done and then pay them right from your phone.
Pro tip: Track the progress of your session — from when your help is on the way to when they are just finishing up.
Download for iOS | Download for Android
14. Letgo - Locally buy and sell products like clothes, antique furniture, used books and games, electronics and even cars.
Pro tip: Don’t miss messages from buyers or sellers — use the texting feature for effortless communication.
Download for iOS | Download for Android
15. Tody - Make decluttering a team effort by managing household tasks and syncing with friends and family.
Pro tip: Create cleaning tasks and to-do lists by frequency and the app will tell you when a chore is due or overdue.
Download for iOS
Now that you’re equipped with the best technology for taking inventory and decluttering, here are some tips for taking a detailed and thorough home inventory:
Read next: Top 10 Most Downloaded iPhone Apps That Every Apple User Must Know
Now think about everything you own. Everything in your drawers, cupboards, and closets. All the tools in your garage and all your electronic gadgets. Your furniture, bedding, and towels. Even family heirlooms, keepsakes, and collectable items. How much do you think all of that stuff’s worth?
If you ever need to take a home inventory, you’ll need to have a clear record of everything in your house and know exactly how much it’s all worth so that you can be reimbursed in case anything unfortunate happens — because it’s always best to expect the best but be prepared for the worst.
If all of this planning and organization sounds pretty daunting, we get it. Without the right tools at your disposal, keeping track of your stuff is a messy affair. Thankfully, this is 2019 and there are dozens of apps to help you stay organized — whether you’re moving or simply tidying up.
We combed through them all and found the top 15 apps to declutter and digitize your stuff based on popularity and positive reviews. All of the apps below have at least a 4-star rating and can help you take inventory, declutter, and digitize paper documents.
Home inventory apps
1. Encircle - In an hour or less, create a complete picture inventory of a property and generate detailed reports that can be accessed on any device.Pro tip: Easily create PDF and Excel reports with one tap for insurance purposes, estate planning, relocation, or decorating.
Download for iOS | Download for Android
2. Memento Database - Store your stuff with a visually appealing user interface. Sync lists to Google Sheets to edit your inventory outside of your phone.
Pro tip: Step up your data analysis with aggregation, charting, sorting, grouping, and filtering entries by any field.
Download for Android
3. MyStuff - Organize your collections, movies, books, jewelry, appliances, or anything else with this easy to use but powerful database and inventory app.
Pro tip: Store up to 40 images for each item so you’ll have a clear picture of the condition of your valuables from every angle.
Download for iOS
4. Nest Egg - Keep tabs on everything you own by taking photos and scanning barcodes while the app automatically fills in product information.
Pro tip: Enter serial and warranty information for your items to ensure you’ll be covered if something is damaged or broken.
Download for iOS
5. Sortly - Create a visual inventory of your items with photos, tags, notes, price, QR labels, barcode scanner, lending info, and more.
Pro tip: Sync your inventory across three devices so that you’ll always be able to access your important information.
Download for iOS | Download for Android
Document scanning apps
6. Adobe Scan - Scan receipts, notes, documents, photos, business cards and whiteboards, and then turn them into PDFS with automatically-recognized text.Pro tip: Automatically separate scanned documents from photo images using the in-ap AI called Adobe Sensei.
Download for iOS | Download for Android
7. Evernote Scannable - scan paper documents and send them via email or text, or export them to Evernote and other apps.
Pro tip: Connect to LinkedIn and the app will automatically pull a contact’s information when you scan their business card.
Download for iOS
8. Genius Scan - Quickly scan your documents on the go and export them as fully-optimized JPEG images or multi-page PDF files.
Pro tip: Batch scanning lets you quickly scan pages in a row while the app detects the pages and crops them.
Download for iOS | Download for Android
9. PhotoScan - This app from Google lets you scan and save your favorite printed photos using your phone’s camera so you can ditch the shoeboxes.
Pro tip: Back up your scans with the Google Photos app to keep them safe, searchable and organized.
Download for iOS | Download for Android
- Also read: Digital Minimalism - Tips to Help You Declutter Your 'Always Connected' Life (infographic)
10. Smart Receipts - Turn your phone into a receipt scanner, mileage tracker, and expense report generator. Create professional PDF, CSV, and ZIP reports.
Pro tip: Create expense report “folders” to categorize your receipts for easy reference when it’s budgeting time.
Download for iOS | Download for Android
Decluttering apps
11. Decluttr - Sell your CDs, DVDs, games, books and tech by scanning their barcodes and getting an instant offer price.Pro tip: You don’t have to bother with auctions or haggling with other users — Decluttr purchases your items directly from you.
Download for iOS | Download for Android
12. Google Keep - Create notes and to-do lists and color-code them for easy organization. Collab with friends to get things done faster.
Pro tip: Use “OK Google” voice commands to add a to-do list.
Download for iOS | Download for Android
13. Handy - Book home cleaners and handymen by telling them what you need done and then pay them right from your phone.
Pro tip: Track the progress of your session — from when your help is on the way to when they are just finishing up.
Download for iOS | Download for Android
14. Letgo - Locally buy and sell products like clothes, antique furniture, used books and games, electronics and even cars.
Pro tip: Don’t miss messages from buyers or sellers — use the texting feature for effortless communication.
Download for iOS | Download for Android
15. Tody - Make decluttering a team effort by managing household tasks and syncing with friends and family.
Pro tip: Create cleaning tasks and to-do lists by frequency and the app will tell you when a chore is due or overdue.
Download for iOS
Now that you’re equipped with the best technology for taking inventory and decluttering, here are some tips for taking a detailed and thorough home inventory:
- Scour your house to make sure you’ve looked everywhere for anything important. The top shelf in your closet, the corner of your attic, and the racks in your garage are all great places to start.
- Always have a backup copy of your inventory. Look for an app that backs up your inventory list in a cloud system so that if anything happens to your phone or computer, you’re still covered.
- Keep a record of serial numbers for expensive items and note exactly how much you paid for them. This way, you’ll be able to ensure the right coverage.
Read next: Top 10 Most Downloaded iPhone Apps That Every Apple User Must Know