Where to Start With Your Clutter Clear Out
If you want to streamline your home life, downsize or just get rid of some excess, here are 10 types of clutter you can get rid of first
Getting started clearing clutter from your home can be really hard. Instead of waiting for the perfect opportunity, the important thing is to just get started – and the simplest way to do this is by getting rid of some of the items you probably already know need to go.
Read through this list and see if any of these 10 items are hiding out in your home, and commit to getting rid of them right away.
Read through this list and see if any of these 10 items are hiding out in your home, and commit to getting rid of them right away.
2. Books you read and didn’t like
Unless you read a book and loved it, and want to keep it to refer to or lend to a friend, it doesn’t deserve a permanent place on your shelf. This includes those books you started to read but just couldn’t get into and put back on the shelf. If you couldn’t get into it the first time, chances are low that you will ever read it.
Unless you read a book and loved it, and want to keep it to refer to or lend to a friend, it doesn’t deserve a permanent place on your shelf. This includes those books you started to read but just couldn’t get into and put back on the shelf. If you couldn’t get into it the first time, chances are low that you will ever read it.
3. Broken or unused small appliances
While clearing clutter in preparation to sell our house, I discovered a broken coffeepot, broken coffee grinder and broken blender all hiding out in the back of a cupboard. If you have kitchen items that no longer work, be honest about whether you plan to fix them, and get rid of them if not – save your precious storage space for items you actually use. Likewise, if you have small appliances you thought you would use more but rarely do (panini press?), donate or sell them.
While clearing clutter in preparation to sell our house, I discovered a broken coffeepot, broken coffee grinder and broken blender all hiding out in the back of a cupboard. If you have kitchen items that no longer work, be honest about whether you plan to fix them, and get rid of them if not – save your precious storage space for items you actually use. Likewise, if you have small appliances you thought you would use more but rarely do (panini press?), donate or sell them.
4. Plastic containers without lids
Match up your reusable containers with their lids, and recycle the extras (many are recyclable, but check the specifics in your area). Also consider getting rid of surplus sets if you have a large number. One neat set – nesting sets are especially handy and take up little space – is probably all you need.
In fact, unless you bring food to work and need an unbreakable container, you may be better off with a set of glass bowls with lids, as these can do double duty for mixing and food storage.
Kitchen storage tips for domestic bliss
Match up your reusable containers with their lids, and recycle the extras (many are recyclable, but check the specifics in your area). Also consider getting rid of surplus sets if you have a large number. One neat set – nesting sets are especially handy and take up little space – is probably all you need.
In fact, unless you bring food to work and need an unbreakable container, you may be better off with a set of glass bowls with lids, as these can do double duty for mixing and food storage.
Kitchen storage tips for domestic bliss
5. Old spices
Are there jars of spices gathering dust in the back of your pantry that you can’t even remember buying? Chances are, many of them need to go. The shelf life of most spices is one to two years; after that they lose flavour. If you have any doubt about whether a spice is still fresh (and you can’t find a date on the bottle), open it up and take a whiff – if the scent is very faint, it’s probably too old to use.
Are there jars of spices gathering dust in the back of your pantry that you can’t even remember buying? Chances are, many of them need to go. The shelf life of most spices is one to two years; after that they lose flavour. If you have any doubt about whether a spice is still fresh (and you can’t find a date on the bottle), open it up and take a whiff – if the scent is very faint, it’s probably too old to use.
6. Unloved toiletries
From the bubble bath that irritated your child’s skin to the hair products that didn’t live up to their promise, bathroom cupboards are often filled with remnants of purchasing mistakes. Don’t let these unloved items get in the way of a streamlined morning routine – dump the products, recycle the containers and move on.
10 home habits worth breaking
From the bubble bath that irritated your child’s skin to the hair products that didn’t live up to their promise, bathroom cupboards are often filled with remnants of purchasing mistakes. Don’t let these unloved items get in the way of a streamlined morning routine – dump the products, recycle the containers and move on.
10 home habits worth breaking
7. Out-of-date tech
If you’ve been holding on to your old mobile phones and chargers, along with other miscellaneous tech devices, simply because you don’t know what to do with them, take a moment today to find out – try searching for a recycling collection point near you.
If you’ve been holding on to your old mobile phones and chargers, along with other miscellaneous tech devices, simply because you don’t know what to do with them, take a moment today to find out – try searching for a recycling collection point near you.
8. Old cots and car seats
Since safety standards are always evolving, that cot or car seat you’ve been holding on to with the intention of using it for your next child may no longer be considered safe. Car seats usually have an expiration date listed on the back; for cots, you can check with the manufacturer to find out if your model meets current standards. If you find that you have some baby gear that is not up to current safety standards, you cannot sell or give it away – take it to the dump or a specialty recycling centre instead.
Since safety standards are always evolving, that cot or car seat you’ve been holding on to with the intention of using it for your next child may no longer be considered safe. Car seats usually have an expiration date listed on the back; for cots, you can check with the manufacturer to find out if your model meets current standards. If you find that you have some baby gear that is not up to current safety standards, you cannot sell or give it away – take it to the dump or a specialty recycling centre instead.
9. VHS movies
If you have a collection of VHS movies but no longer own or use a VHS player, it’s time to give these away. If you’ve been holding on to your old VHS player because you have old home movies on that format, consider having these transferred to a longer-lasting digital format – and then give away the player and the old tapes.
10. CDs of music you already uploaded to your computer
It’s common to listen to music primarily on a computer, tablet or phone – yet many of us still hold on to large collections of CDs. If you have already uploaded your music to your device, consider giving away the physical CDs.
TELL US
How many of these easy-clear clutter items do you have lying around at home? Unload about your excess in the Comments below.
MORE
Clutter Busters: How to Accumulate Less
Clearance vs Clutter: Is Your Stuff Making You Unhappy?
The Clutter Conundrum: Why Is It So Hard to Let Go?
If you have a collection of VHS movies but no longer own or use a VHS player, it’s time to give these away. If you’ve been holding on to your old VHS player because you have old home movies on that format, consider having these transferred to a longer-lasting digital format – and then give away the player and the old tapes.
10. CDs of music you already uploaded to your computer
It’s common to listen to music primarily on a computer, tablet or phone – yet many of us still hold on to large collections of CDs. If you have already uploaded your music to your device, consider giving away the physical CDs.
TELL US
How many of these easy-clear clutter items do you have lying around at home? Unload about your excess in the Comments below.
MORE
Clutter Busters: How to Accumulate Less
Clearance vs Clutter: Is Your Stuff Making You Unhappy?
The Clutter Conundrum: Why Is It So Hard to Let Go?
Do you have piles of stuff by the door (or stashed somewhere out of sight) that you’ve been meaning to return?
Library books, items borrowed from friends and things you intend to return to a store are some of the most common ones – get these things where they belong, so they can stop tripping you up.
How to handle unwanted hand-me-downs