When you’ve been stuck inside your house all winter, it can make you realize how much junk and clutter you have.
Even when we're still holding onto items that no longer serve us, it can still be hard to let go. Identifying what needs to get tossed is one of the most critical parts of decluttering, so it’s time to pinpoint the excess in your home and say goodbye.
1. Instruction Manuals
When you get something new, it’s normal to want to hold onto the instructions, manual, or box for a while. What if you want to return it? What if it doesn’t work? What if you can't figure it out? These concerns are valid, but you probably don’t need the manual and box after a few months.
2. Broken or Old Electronics
If you've recently bought a new laptop, tossing your old one in the garbage can feel too wasteful. We understand that throwing away something so expensive feels unwise, but if you’re not going to use it or sell it, it doesn’t need to be in your house. Take a deep breath, and remove the box TV from 1995.
3. Expired Cosmetics
Sadly, many cosmetics expire after six months to a year, including lotions, shampoos, lipstick, eyeshadow, mascara, toothpaste, and more. If your cosmetics are unopened, they’re likely okay to use, but opened products must go. Sealed products should go if you don’t open them after a year.
4. Old Linens
When you buy nice new sheets or towels, you probably put the old ones in storage in case you need them. This is fine for a month or two, but if you don’t use the old linens for several months, you’ll probably never use them again, so it’s best to trash or donate them.
5. Unwanted Clothing
Many people have bags or boxes in their basem*nts filled with clothes they plan to donate or sell. While the idea is excellent, the execution is effortful and time-consuming. Either take the plunge and go to the donation center, sell them online, or toss the clothes in the trash.
6. Bags and Luggage
Keeping extra bags and suitcases around seems wise, but it’s often unnecessary. Don’t hold onto reusable bags, old backpacks, and outdated luggage if you don’t use them. Most people don’t need 50 reusable bags and five suitcases, so only keep what you genuinely need.
7. Extra Furniture
There are many reasons to hang onto old furniture, but some can get flimsy with age. Whether you think you might use that wardrobe again, donate it, sell it, give it to a neighbor, send it to your grandchildren, or discover a wintry world hidden inside, you’ll probably do none of the above.
8. Textbooks and Notebooks
Throwing old college textbooks away, knowing the exorbitant amount you spent on them, might give you an unpleasant gut feeling. You put so much effort into taking notes that tossing them feels wrong. We know it’s tough, but if you already did the learning, there’s no reason to hang onto them.
9. Extra Clothing Hangers
If you have ten extra wooden hangers, we think it’s okay to hold onto those. However, if an entire bin is dedicated to twisted wire hangers you “might” need one day, we say get rid of them. Those hangers are cheap to replace and probably abusive toward your clothes anyway.
10. Unused Exercise Equipment
The treadmill isn’t for everyone, and that’s okay. Rather than let your unused gym equipment haunt you or make you feel guilty every time you see it, sell or donate it. This may sting initially, but you’ll be glad you moved on when you have all that extra space.
11. Home Renovation Leftovers
Home improvement projects can be expensive, so we understand if you held onto the extra paint, nails, and drywall plaster. But after a few months, it’s best to offload items that hog valuable storage space. If you’re hesitant, consider throwing away most of it and keeping a small container of paint or plaster, just in case.
12. Duplicate Items
A person only needs so many mugs and coat racks. If you have duplicate items or extensive collections like cups, pens, paintbrushes, extension cords, tools, buttons, or anything else, choose the ones you like best and move the rest on. They’re just in your way, and you’ll likely never use them.
13. Incomplete Games
Sometimes, we lose a crucial piece in a board game, but we put the game away, hoping to find the piece one day. We have bad news – you’ll likely never find that piece, so the game should go in the trash. Plus, if you played the game often enough, you would’ve replaced the piece by now.
14. Expired Pantry Items
While canned goods can last long, many pantry items have expiration dates. Check all your pantry items, including spices, oils, flour, baking soda, peanut butter, rice, broth, extracts, and vinegar, for their expiration dates, and throw things away accordingly. Expired items probably won’t taste right anyway.
15. “Important” Paperwork
Along with the instructions for the microwave you’ve had for five years, you should also sift through paperwork and get rid of anything you don’t need. For example, you probably don’t need your college admission letter, tax refund check from 2010, or W2 from the job you had in high school.
16. Empty Storage Containers
While storage containers can help you organize, they can also unnecessarily take up space. If you have containers, whether a spice jar or an extra-large bin, that’s been sitting empty for months, you probably won’t find anything to store in it, so you can donate it or throw it out while decluttering.
17. Unwanted Gifts
We know tossing something that a loved one gifted to you can feel cruel, but you shouldn’t feel guilty. When decluttering early in the year, consider all the holiday gifts you received and whether they’ll benefit you and get used. You can be grateful without keeping the item!
18. Keepsakes You Never See
Those of us who are sentimental struggle to toss keepsakes, whether a lovely vacation souvenir or a letter from our mom when we were at summer camp. However, you can hold onto these beautiful and meaningful memories while letting go of the items cluttering your space.
19. Broken Holiday Decorations
Trust us, you’re never going to replace that bulb on the broken string of lights, and you’re not going to take that cracked ornament to a repair shop. Most holiday decorations are replaceable, so don’t crowd your space with damaged or faulty items that don’t bring cheer around the holidays.
20. Half-Done Projects
Many people start hobbies or projects, and then their interest fizzles out. When this happens, you may keep the half-done project for a few weeks, but it will probably never happen if you aren’t compelled to finish it. Whether you were into pottery for a week or started a 2,000-piece puzzle, move on and free up some space in your home.
21. Unloved Toys
People often hold onto dog or kids’ toys in case someone wants to use them again one day, but they go untouched for years. Toys can be sentimental, but if no one is ever going to play with them again, they’re just collecting dust and adding clutter.
22. Costumes and Event-Specific Clothes
There is no reason to hold onto old Halloween costumes, kids’ play costumes, or bachelorette party custom T-shirts if you never wear them. While some of these items may be sentimental, they also waste space. Some people think they'll re-wear a Halloween costume or the ugly Christmas sweater from that one themed party they went to, but it's unlikely.
23. Unworn Clothing and Jewelry
Listen, we’ve all been there. You bought sparkling jewelry or flashy shirts and never actually wore them. Many people feel they can’t get rid of unworn or unused things because it’s admitting defeat, but letting them go is okay. After a year of going unworn or unused, it’s time to get rid of it.
24. Other People's Belongings
If you’re a kind friend or family member, you may store items for people with less space than you. While this is a nice thing to do, it’s not fair for you to keep these items indefinitely. Contact the owner and give them a reasonable deadline to pick their things up or put them in the trash.
