Real Estate Camera
Declutter the room before you take the photo, because clearing it in real life requires no disclosure label and eliminates the risk of editing errors. For any small things you miss, such as a cord or a soap bottle, your phone's built-in eraser will do the job for free. If a room is full of items you can't move, use a photo decluttering app or an editing service, and add a disclosure label to the photo. Never remove damage. Boards such as Stellar MLS prohibit this outright.
This guide is about clutter: the small items that make a room look busy. To declutter rooms full of furniture, see removing furniture from photos.
What should you remove before taking property photos?
Zillow's seller guide says "there's nothing worse in real estate photos than clutter." Its list covers kitchen benchtops, bathroom items, cords and wires, remotes and mail, followed by family photos, fridge magnets, toys, pet gear and festive decorations. Here it is, room by room, with my additions:
| Room | Remove | Keep |
|---|---|---|
| Kitchen | Small appliances, dish rack, sponges, soap, magnets, paper towels, knife block, mail | One bowl of fruit or a plant |
| Bathroom | Toothbrushes, razors, bottles, bath mats, a set of scales, a bin, a plunger | A folded towel, one plant |
| Living room | Remotes, cords, stacks of books and mail, throws piled on the sofa, pet beds | A few cushions, one folded throw |
| Bedrooms | Clothes, laundry baskets, chargers, everything on bedside tables, anything visible under the bed | A made bed, one lamp on each side |
| Kids' rooms | Toys on the floor, names on the wall, school photos | A few toys on a shelf |
| Exterior | Cars, bins, hoses, toys, the agency sign | Potted plants by the door |
The agency sign isn't a style choice on some boards. Realcomp in Michigan doesn't allow agency signs in any listing photo. Check your own MLS before the photoshoot.
Send the seller this list a day in advance. A seller who clears the kitchen benchtops the night before will save you more editing time than any app.
What to do with clutter you can't move
Sometimes the seller is still living there, the garage is full of boxes, or you're shooting at short notice. Three ways to tidy up the photo without Photoshop:
Your phone's built-in eraser
Free, and good for one or two small things in each photo: a cable across the floor, a toothbrush, a rubbish bin. On iPhone, Apple's Clean Up in the Photos app removes distracting objects. Apple's requirements page lists iPhone 16 models, iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max, plus iPads with A17 Pro or M1 and later. Android phones have their own versions in their photo apps.
They struggle with large items and busy backgrounds. Erasing a washing basket in front of a patterned rug often leaves a smudge where the pattern should be. Zoom in before you save.
A professional editing service
BoxBrownie charges $4 for minor item removal and $8 for standard removal, with a 24-hour turnaround, as of September 2026. A person does the work, so tricky floors come out looking cleaner. You'll wait a day.
A listing declutter app
Designed to clear a room rather than a single object. Real Estate Camera (ours) has Declutter at 2 credits a photo, 20 to 60 seconds, about $0.67 to $1.00 depending on the pack. You're automatically refunded for failed edits. It removes furniture and clutter together, so it suits a busy room better than a single stray item. For one cable, the phone eraser is faster and free.
Do you have to disclose decluttered photos?
Often, yes, even though the room looks plainer rather than more stylish.
- California. AB 723 covers images altered "to add, remove, or change elements." Its exemptions are adjustments like lighting, colour, cropping and exposure. Erasing objects isn't among them, so label the photo and link the original.
- Your MLS. CRMLS defines digitally altered images to include removing décor, and wants the original right before or after. Other boards have different requirements. See MLS rules.
- Everywhere else. Including "Some items digitally removed" in the caption costs nothing. Disclosure wording has templates for decluttered photos.
Physically clearing the room avoids all of that. It's one more reason to do the work before you shoot.
What you must never erase
Clutter belongs to the seller. Damage belongs to the house. Stellar MLS bans removing "negative visual elements," with examples: "holes in the wall, exposed wiring, damaged flooring." NC REALTORS says it wouldn't be appropriate to photoshop out defects or "eyesores" inside or outside the home. So leave these alone:
- Stains, cracks, water marks and scuffed floors
- Power lines, poles, the neighbour's house or a busy road
- Anything that conveys with the house: light fixtures, appliances, built-ins
Erasers don't know the difference between a sock and a stain, so check each edit against the original. What's allowed in listing edits covers the line in more detail, and the listing photo mistakes guide covers the small things buyers spot anyway.
For details on how Declutter works in our app, see removing furniture from listing photos.
Try Declutter on the one room the seller couldn't clear. Start free: 1 credit.
Questions
How can I declutter property photos without Photoshop?
Clear the room before you take the photos, as this doesn't require a disclosure label. For small leftovers like a cord or a toothbrush, use your phone's built-in eraser, such as Clean Up on supported iPhones. If the room is full of furniture, use a photo decluttering app or a professional editing service. Add a disclosure label to any photo where you remove something.
What should I remove before taking property photos?
Everything on the kitchen benchtops except for one or two items, plus bathroom toiletries, cords, remotes, mail, fridge magnets, family photos, toys, pet bowls and beds, bins and seasonal decorations. Zillow's seller guide lists most of these.
Do I have to disclose that I removed clutter from a photo?
In California, you probably do: AB 723 covers images altered to remove objects, and only exempts adjustments such as exposure and colour. Some MLSs also require a disclosure label on any digitally altered image. Removing damage, such as a stain or a crack, is strictly prohibited by boards such as Stellar MLS.
How much does it cost to declutter a real estate photo?
As of September 2026, BoxBrownie charges $4 for minor item removal and $8 for standard removal, with a 24-hour turnaround for each. Phone erasers are free. Real Estate Camera's Declutter costs 2 credits, or about $0.67 to $1.00.
