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Need decluttering tips? It’s easy to let “stuff” pile up over the years — no judgement there!
But any super-organized person will tell you that the key to a clutter-free home is CONTINUOUSLY clearing out items. That means immediately dealing with things like mail and packages that arrive, consistently throwing out food items or medicine that expires, and having a “one in, one out” policy with clothes and shoes. Constant vigilance is the only way to keep your stuff manageable — otherwise, it tends to become an overwhelmingly daunting task every few years! And boy, does it feel good when you’re on top of your organization.
Luckily, there are a few super-simple steps you can take RIGHT NOW that won’t take a ton of time or brain power.
Here are 26 things you can get rid of today to make your home less cluttered!
Kitchen
- Expired condiments and food
Who else still has a honey dijon mustard bottle from 2016?! Heyooooo. Gross.
- Mail/paper junk
Paper clutter is the bane of my existence. No matter how much I throw away, there is always some bill, note or magazine plopped on the corner of my kitchen counter.
TIP: We have a rule (I didn’t make this up, but I can’t remember who suggested it to me years ago!) — you have to O-H-I-O mail stuffs. Only Handle It Once. That means when you check the mail, you must either shred and throw it away, recycle, or place in its home (fridge for wedding invites, banking folder for statements, business file cabinet for other bills, etc.). This rule has helped us keep papers off the counter.
A cute tray or mail organizer could be just the thing you need to keep your paper orderly!
- Stadium cups, wedding cups, etc.
I love a good memory. And I understand that paying $16 for a Bud Light at a concert makes you want to keep the cup and get your money’s worth. But the enormous buildup of game day memorabilia and engagement party plastic cups is unnecessary — I never use them, and they don’t fit with the rest of my glass cups and tumblers.
Of course, if one of those big stadium cups is special to you, keep it! But don’t feel like you have to shove it in the “glasses” cabinet. Maybe they live in the craft closet so that you can use them for painting. Maybe they live with your party supplies with the pile of red solo cups.
- Duplicates
Somehow, through hand-me-downs, wedding registries and life in general, we ended up with four sauce pans. Four. In no scenario will I need four saucepans all at once. GET RID OF THE ONES YOU DON’T USE.
This applies to pots, pans, utensils, spatulas, etc. You just don’t need as many as you think. And if you have several really nice pots that you can’t bear to part with, but you rarely use them, just move them from the front drawer or cabinet to the back of the pantry or storage closet.
This way, your kitchen works for YOU. You have all the tools that you use daily readily available without playing the “stack, unstack, restack” game with your cabinet items. And if you host a dinner party and need to fish out that second stew pot, no big deal. It just doesn’t need to be front and center and in your way 95% of your time.
- Tupperware pieces that don’t have a mate.
It happens. Just toss or recycle.
- Expired coupons.
I consistently have a coupon from a Chinese food delivery place in my city. Guess how many times I’ve ever had Chinese food delivered to my house? Zero times. And yet, the coupons pile up with good intentions.
- Excess koozies
Throw the ones you love in a bucket on your screen porch to grab during parties/entertaining or keep a few in a jar on your bar cart. But you do not need to keep koozies from every bank, ballgame, party, and promotional swag bag you’ve ever received. Really. I promise. We just cleared out like 20 and I still have about 20 “meaningful” ones that I will hang on to. I feel lighter already!
Bedroom
- Clothes you haven’t worn in two seasons
I don’t subscribe to the “if you haven’t worn it in the last year, you don’t need it” — because what about that really nice wool blazer my grandmother passed down to me but it wasn’t cold enough to wear last year? What about wedding guest dresses? I can’t wear the same one to two weddings in one year, but would be cool spacing them out a bit.
Those pieces are the exception. In general, though, if you haven’t worn a piece for two full seasons, chances are, you don’t care for the way it looks on you or how it feels for you. Donate it or throw away.
- Torn, ultra-worn or holey clothes
These types of items can make you look really sloppy. That, or they aren’t being worn anyway since they look so bad. Either repair the tear/hole, or get rid of the item. (But, if you haven’t mended it by now, you likely don’t really have the desire.)
It’s time. RIP favorite white t-shirt 🙁
- Clothes that don’t fit
Woof, I am bad about this. I find myself justifying that I will lose 10 pounds or use something when I’m pregnant — like what? No.
(Besides, tell me one woman who doesn’t go buy a victory outfit when they lose 10 pounds, or buy a maternity dress when pregnant! Just no.)
Either tailor the item to fit NOW, or toss. Otherwise, it’s just taking up space.
- Broken or incomplete jewelry
I have so many twinless earrings from over the years. It’s sad. But you won’t be able to see what you CAN wear if it’s all cluttered by old pieces!
TIP: If you’re a crafter, toss your old or broken jewelry in an organizer with your craft supplies. This is what I do when I can’t bear to throw away an old favorite earring or cheap costume jewelry I know I won’t wear again — it may just have a second life on a picture frame or headband!
Try one of these handy organizers:
- Single socks
“Sole mates” belong together.
Keep single socks for a few weeks in the laundry room (just in case they were separated in two different laundry loads) but no need to keep them for years and years.
TIP: If you’re throwing an old sock away, instead use it as a sort of sock puppet and easily clean your window blinds! Stick your hand in the sock and then cup the blind and slide down to clean. You still don’t need to hoard old socks, just stick one or two single socks in with your cleaning supplies to use in the future. Toss when you’re done.
- Plastic hangers
TJ Maxx hangers, dry cleaners hangers, clunky Target hangers … get rid of them. Invest in nice, non-slip velvet-padded hangers or high-quality wooden hangers. This will help keep everything looking uniform and neat!
Quality hangers can help your clothes keep their proper shape and help them last longer — worth the few extra dollars for nicer hangers!
My favorite:
These have wide shoulders, perfect for blazers and men’s suits:
- Threadbare/holey linens
Clean, crisp sheets are my FAVORITE little luxury. Make every day feel like a hotel experience by investing in sheets you love.
Guys … over 7,000 amazing reviews for these sheets — and they are UNDER $40!!! Check them out:
And for all the rest that you’re hanging on to … it’s time to toss ’em! After all, if you’re hanging onto them to use for guests, would you really want them to get your third-tier sheets?
Keep two sets of sheets per bed in your house, and get rid of the rest.
You could keep one old sheet tucked away in the craft closet (which apparently is where all my things go to die?) for painting projects, or in the back of your car for picnics. Otherwise, we donate our old blankets and sheets to the local dog shelter — that way I can create space and keep a pup warm! Win-win.
Bathroom
- Expired medicine
Not only is expired medicine cluttering, but it’s potentially dangerous or ineffective as medicine. Safely dispose of all those old prescriptions and drug bottles.
- Old makeup
OK, OK, talking to myself here. If you’re like me, you have tons of ancient makeup samples, crushed eyeshadow palettes, and expired toner. Yowza. It’s taking up precious bathroom cabinet space!
This year, I made it my mission to either USE or TOSS all of my makeup products before I was allowed to buy new ones … and I’ve held strong so far!
- Goopy nail polish
Crusty, clumpy nail polish doesn’t do anyone any favors and is horrible to work with — so trash it!
TIP: So many people say to store your nail polish in the fridge (many keep it in the butter section of the door), but that weirds me out. But if it keeps your polish like new, you do you!
- Hotel shampoos and conditioners
I’m not hatin’ on you if you actually snag these from hotels and USE them, but it’s silly to accumulate countless shampoos and conditioners if you don’t use them! You should keep 1-2 if you want to have actual travel-sized options ready to grab, but if you have a Holiday Inn stash from 2006, may be time to let that go?
Random/Miscellaneous
- Pens that are out of ink
- Notepads and notebooks with a few pages left
- Dead plants
- Mismatched coasters
- Old packages/boxes
- Super old receipts you don’t need anymore
- Outdated/broken cables, phone chargers, and headphones
- Expired sunscreen
Hopefully, you’ll feel pounds lighter after clearing out your home of unnecessary items. Happy decluttering!
Print off this master list — totally free, no email required! (But don’t forget to ditch it when you’re done so it doesn’t add to your clutter 😉
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