24 Things You Should Toss Right Away For A Neater, More Streamlined Home
July 17, 2019
source: The Cutest Blog
You don’t need me to tell you how easy it is to accumulate a ton of stuff. In the blink of an eye, it can feel like clutter has enveloped certain rooms in your home. Although we don’t need to throw everything away in order to have a neater, more organized home, there are definitely items that you can do without. Here are 24 of them!
1. Expired Makeup And Medication
You’d be surprised at how many of your makeup products and medication bottles are actually past their best-before dates. Check those expiration dates and throw out anything that’s no longer good!
2. Old Textbooks
Yes, your college textbooks were quite important to you at one point. But if you no longer need them, there’s no point in hanging on to them. You can try selling them online or back to your college bookstore, or you can simply donate them.
3. Lonely Socks
If you can’t find a sock’s match after a certain amount of time, chances are that you’re never going to. Toss them and free up some space in your sock drawer!
4. Old Or Broken Cellphones
If you’re not using your old cellphones stashed in a drawer somewhere, you probably never will. Don’t hang on to useless junk, just toss it!
5. Take-Out Condiments
Although it seems like a good idea at the time to hang on to take-out condiments, unless you’re actually using them (which you probably aren’t), just throw them out.
6. Old Magazines And Calendars
Once you’ve read a magazine or used a calendar for an entire year, it’s time to recycle them. Storing items like these leads to unnecessary piles and crowded shelves.
7. Anything Broken
Most of us tend to hang on to broken items with the thought that we’ll fix them sooner or later. If you’ve let a broken item sit around, chances are you won’t miss it if you throw it out.
8. Clothing You Don’t Wear
One of the most common things we hold on to that we really shouldn’t is clothing. Unless you wear it often and it fits you, there is no sense in storing it in your closet. Donate clothing you don’t wear instead.
9. Phone Books
Let’s be serious — does anyone use a phone book in this day and age? They take up a lot of space, so it’s better to just recycle them.
10. Cookbooks
If you use a cookbook regularly, then of course, hold on to it. However, if a cookbook is no longer relevant to your lifestyle or you haven’t opened it in ages, it’s probably best to donate it.
11. Old Towels And Linens
If you have a sheet set you haven’t used in years or towels that you’ve replaced ages ago, consider donating or repurposing them. You’ll free up valuable space in your linen closet.
12. Old Holiday And Greeting Cards
It’s nice to display holiday, birthday, and greeting cards for a short period of time after you get them, but keeping them only generates clutter. Display them for up to a week, then toss them in the recycling.
13. Miscellaneous Plastic Dishes
If your kitchen cupboards are stuffed with random plastic dishes that don’t match, toss them in the recycling. Your cupboards will be much more organized without them.
14. Old Bills And Receipts
Unless it’s absolutely pertinent that you keep a specific receipt or bill, there is no sense in storing them. That’s why paper shredders were invented!
15. Outgrown Toys
If your children (or grandchildren) have buckets of toys lying around that they no longer play with, donate them. Toys are one of the biggest sources of clutter out there!
16. Excessive Holiday Decorations
Buying seasonal decorations can become addicting, but there are only so many that you can actually display around your home without making it look cluttered. If you have an overload of holiday decorations, consider donating some of them.
17. Unused Exercise Equipment
If you have bulky exercise equipment that you never use taking up precious floor space, why not sell it? Your rooms will look so much neater and bigger when it’s not lying around collecting dust.
18. Tupperware Without Lids
It’s super difficult to keep tupperware drawers organized, especially if they don’t have lids. Recycle any tupperware that doesn’t have its match to free up some room in your drawers and cupboards.
19. An Accumulation Of Products
Do you have a stockpile of lotions, soaps, and other similar products that you never use, or don’t particularly like the smell of? If so, give them to someone who will actually use them, or simply dump the product and recycle the packaging.
20. Family Keepsakes
If your basement is crowded with furniture, artwork, and other items you don’t care for that are from family members, you don’t need to feel like you should keep them. Offer them up to another family member, or simply donate them.
21. Unidentified Cords
Most of us have a bin of unidentified cables and charging cords lying around. Chances are that if you haven’t needed one yet, you aren’t going to need one in the future.
22. Chipped Or Cracked Dishes
If your set of dishes has seen better days, it might be time for some new ones. Toss any damaged cups, bowls, and plates, and replace them with a new, matching set.
23. Old DVDs And VHS Tapes
If it’s been multiple years since you watched a DVD or VHS tape, it’s probably best to donate them. Home videos are obviously worth keeping, but random movies that you never watch are not.
24. Unwanted Gifts
We all have gifts given to us that we don’t like and would never choose to display in our homes. Especially if you never see the person who gave you the gift or have a distant relationship, it’s best to let these items find new homes.