Holiday season is around the corner! I assume you are already on a decluttering spree, discarding every unwanted item from your home. You must also have gotten used to detaching yourself from things that don’t serve you a purpose and you feel beyond proud about it.
But here’s the truth bomb!
No matter how efficiently you’ve been sorting through your closets and drawers and clearing off those flat surfaces, there are some areas in your home that are always being left out when it comes to decluttering. There can be many reasons why these particular areas get overlooked. Maybe you are too busy to move beyond the zones that are obvious clutter-catchers, or you just don’t find these areas important enough to stay clutter-free.
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Let me tell you something. Even if you believe that you’ve done everything in your power to purge your home of every unnecessary item, there are still certain areas that you are forgetting to declutter. And these are not just some random zones or corners without any stuff to be dealt with.
These areas, no matter how insignificant they seem to be, actually give way to a lot of clutter. So, make sure that you don’t forget to look through them when you’re decluttering your home next time:
1. Handbags And Wallets
If you’re someone like me, your handbag would probably lay untidy for days on a go because you never think that it’s important enough a thing to declutter. You just keep living in the belief that your handbag is only full of things that you actually need while going out and there’s no need to declutter it. But that’s not at all true.
Your handbags and wallets are full of things you don’t need at all.
Remember the bills and receipts you tossed in your handbag in the last one month? Does your handbag has a lip balm that is contaminated because it lost its lid? Have you been carrying a dried-up pen in your handbag for the last 3 years or so?
Do yourself a favour by decluttering your handbags and wallets today.
2. Medicine Cabinet
It’s common for people to forget decluttering the medicine cabinet because they believe that it only has items of importance. You never know what medicine you may need in future. But let me tell you that your medicine cabinet is full of items that you will never be using in the future. So go through your medicine cabinet right now and get rid of those expired medicines, empty syrup bottles and medical supplies that are probably contaminated because of being stored improperly.
3. Under The Bed
The underbed area is often used as a place to hide clutter but it’s always likely to get overlooked while decluttering. If you have been using your underbed area to store things, maybe it’s time to look at what’s lying in there. Go through the storage bins and bags sitting under the bed, and get rid of anything that you haven’t used in the last one year. This will not only help clear the clutter but will make it easy for you to clean the space under the bed.
4. Holiday Décor
I hate getting rid of the old holiday decorations because I tend to believe that they can be used again next year. I always end up holding on to the décor for years only to realize that most of these items are broken or not in working order.
I recently got rid of the fairy lights that I haven’t used in the last 10 years because I have switched to the trendier ones. Usually, I just pack away the décor items immediately after the festival season gets over and forget to even look at them until the next season.
So this is your reminder to sort through your seasonal decorations and get rid of anything that you don’t use or love.
5. Paint Cabinet
If you have a paint cabinet that is stuffed with leftover paint and related supplies, it’s time to look through it and get rid of anything that’s unfit for use. If it’s been a while since you got your home painted with the colours whose leftovers have been lying up there in the cabinet, chances are that most of these are contaminated by now and need to be dropped at a waste disposal centre.
6. Spice Cabinet
You might have found yourself bitten by the baking bug some 5 or 10 years ago and ended up piling on a lot of baking supplies. Or you just came across a recipe on pinterest and bought loads of spices to try it out. But the thing is that most of the spices that you bought on a whim years ago are probably lying unused in your spice cabinet since then.
It’s always hard to get rid of spices that are yet to expire because you believe that you’ll be able to use them someday. But you need to be honest with yourself while trying to declutter your spice cabinet. If you see yourself using some of these old spices in the next one week, plan your meals accordingly. If not, let go of them. Get rid of the ones that are past expiry.
7. The Garden Or Balcony Area
It’s easy to overlook outdoor spaces when decluttering your home. Who would think that a balcony or a garden can have anything useless or unwanted? But the fact is that these places too are likely to get cluttered with things like pet toys, kids’ toys, gardening supplies or sports equipment. Return items to their rightful home and trash away the things that are either broken or unwanted.
So, there you have it! Now that you know about the areas that are very likely to get overlooked, it would be easier for you to remember to declutter them.
Is there any other area or zone in your home that you think can be added to the list? I would love to make this a two-way conversation, so feel free to drop a comment below or write me at hello@theaestheticabode.com.