Clutter is like the enemy who attacks when you are too unprepared to fight. You won’t even realize the pace at which unwanted and unneeded items add up in your home unless of course you are attacked by it every time you open a cupboard or a drawer. Some of the items of clutter are so unimportant that you’ll find yourself questioning their existence in your home.
You’ll find food items that you forgot you even had because they got overlooked amidst those hundreds of jars and containers in the pantry. Your medicine cabinet is probably hiding several strips of antibiotics and pain killers that are soon to expire or won’t be needed again. There must be several broken toys in the kids’ room, or clothes that they have outgrown. Your bathroom would probably have a lot of makeup and skincare products that are past their prime and need not be kept in your home.
Instant decluttering can be a great way to get rid of stuff that is easy to part with. You won’t find yourself second-guessing your decision of throwing away expired medicines and torn grocery bags because it’s obvious that they are unusable.
Here are a few things that you can declutter right now without thinking too much. These are the items that don’t deserve a place in your house and won’t be missed once gone:
1. Expired food items. Also get rid of food that smells odd or is rotten.
2. Old magazines and newspapers.
3. Old throw pillows on your couch. Also get rid of mismatched pillows and those that are torn or stained.
4. CD’s and DVD’s of movies you don’t watch.
5. Socks with missing pairs and the ones that are worn out or have holes in them.
6. Puzzles with missing pieces.
7. Broken Toys. Also get rid of the ones your kids have outgrown.
8. Old birthday Cards and Invites for events that have occurred in the past.
9. Old Manuals for appliances and gadgets you no longer own.
10. Old receipts that aren’t needed anymore.
11. Junk mail.
12. Expired medicines and empty bottles of cough syrup.
13. Earrings without a match. Also get rid of jewellery that is bent, tarnished or can’t be repaired.
14. Clothes that don’t fit you anymore. Also get rid of items of clothing that are torn or stained or too worn out to be used again.
15. Old and tattered towels. Don’t forget to get rid of the torn bathmats and kitchen towels.
16. Worn out shoes. Also get rid of duplicate footwear if you have any.
17. Worn out, threadbare and moth-eaten blankets.
18. Old, burnt-out candles.
19. Cords and charging cables for gadgets you no longer own. Also get rid of computer equipment that is outdated and not needed anymore.
20. Toys and board games with vital pieces missing.
21. Books that you haven’t touched in ages and have no intention to read in future.
22. Expired skincare and makeup products. Also get rid of worn-out makeup brushes and dried-up bottles of nail polish.
23. Old toothbrushes and empty tubes of toothpaste. Also get rid of empty and expired mouthwash bottles.
24. Bills that have been paid and aren’t required to be kept anymore.
25. Old calendars and planners that aren’t relevant for the current year.
26. Pens and markers that have dried-up or lost their caps.
27. Extra coffee mugs, teacups and glasses in your kitchen. You can do with just a few of them.
28. Duplicate kitchen items – measuring cups and spoons, knives, ladles, serving spoons, peelers, graters and whiskers.
29. Kitchen appliances that you haven’t used in a year.
30. Old batteries.
31. Bakeware that you haven’t used in the last one year.
32. Damaged and ignored stuffed toys.
33. Bedsheets that don’t fit any of the beds that you own. Also get rid of their matching pillowcases because you won’t be using them.
34. Travel-size bottles of shampoo, shower gel and lotion you got from the hotel while on a vacation.
35. Unused or duplicate gardening tools.
36. Holiday décor that isn’t relevant anymore. Also get rid of the seasonal décor and furnishings that you haven’t used in the last one year and don’t plan to use them in future too.
37. Empty bottles of shower gel, shampoo, conditioner and lotion that are lying purposelessly in your bathroom shelf.
38. Broken hair clips and scrunchies. Also get rid of the hair accessories that you don’t like wearing including those that don’t go with any of the clothes you own.
39. Old and outdated electronics like cell phones, cameras, music system, television sets and power banks.
40. Expired perfume bottles. If you have any empty bottles of perfume or mist, get rid of them too.
41. Old Take-out menus that aren’t needed anymore.
42. Old sauce packets and seasoning sachets you got at the restaurant.
43. Old coupons and gift cards lying in the junk drawer of your kitchen.
44. Old cleaning supplies. Also get rid of any broken cleaning brushes and empty bottles of cleaning spray.
45. Excess storage containers and jars. Also get rid of containers that are lidless, broken, stained or mismatched. If there are lids that have lost their containers, get rid of them too.
46. Cleaning rags with holes.
47. Underwear with holes. Also get rid of any duplicate, worn out innerwear.
48. Old ties and scarves. If you have too many ties and scarves of one color, get rid of the duplicates.
49. Torn/damaged handbags and wallets.
50. Old leather belts that are either worn out or don’t fit you anymore.
You don’t have to dig through the cabinets and drawers of your home to point out items of clutter. Sometimes, it’s lying there in front of your eyes without being noticed and is so easy to get rid of. No matter how small or insignificant it might seem, clutter is bad for your home in more ways than you can imagine and needs to be gotten rid of at the soonest.