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60+ Easy Items to Toss out NOW– How to Declutter
You need to make a few changes and they need to be as painless as possible. Sometimes we overthink what we need to do. Deciding what to get rid of is one of the toughest parts of decluttering. It’s natural to develop a certain attachment to your possessions, and it can seem wasteful to give away something you’ve hardly used. Believe it or not, there are some things that really aren’t that difficult to part with. We often ask ourselves where to start and how to declutter. It’s easy: grab a garbage can, a few bags for donations and your recycle bin and start with this list of 60+ easy items to toss on your decluttering blitz. Before you know it, you’ll soon be paring down like a pro.
Get rid of stuff from the kitchen:
- Chipped dishware or cookware
- Mismatched cutlery
- Excess or mismatched glassware
- Cooking utensils you haven’t used in 1 year
- Kitchen gadgets you don’t use (sandwich press, ice cream maker, etc).
- Scraped frying pans
- Unused serving dishes or roasting pans
- Frozen food past their used by date
- Unused or old spices
- Non-perishable food items you haven’t eaten and are past their expiry date
- Excess shopping bags
Get rid of stuff from the family or playroom:
- Old calendars because you like the pictures
- Old magazines
- Picture frames you no longer use
- Books you’ve read once or will likely never read
- Electronics chargers without a device
- Games with missing pieces
- Toys from fast-food children’s meals
- Videos you no longer watch (anything VHS not a collector’s item)
- Scraps of or faded wrapping paper
Get rid of stuff from the closet
- Swimwear with snags
- Broken or ugly jewellery or earrings without a mate
- Nearly empty perfume bottles
- Purses long out of style
- The junk at the bottom of your purse that you keep moving around
- Socks with holes in them
- Belts that are broken
- Scarves you don’t wear anymore
- Clothes your kids have outgrown
- Pantyhose or tights with runs
- The clutter at the bottom of your purse
- Stretched out underwear and bras
- Shoes that are not comfortable or don’t fit
- Duplicates of:T-shirts, pants, sweaters and PJs (read my Bananas in Pyjamas post)
Get rid of things in the Bathroom
- Expired medicines
- Travel size shampoo bottles that you picked up at a hotel
- Hair accessories (elastic bands, scrunchies, headbands, clips)
- Beauty products (cleansers, face cream, masks)
- Old makeup
- Ratty towels, sheets or linen
- Old blankets, bed skirts, duvet covers (from linen closet)
Get rid of things in your office or workspace
- Junk mail
- Business cards of people you no longer work with
- Broken pens, pencils, calculators, erasers
- Boxes from electronics or cell phones
- Unnecessary receipts
- Broken laptops or devices you’ve been meaning to fix
- Swag you got from a conference (note pads, pens, stress balls)
- Old printer paper and toner cartridges
- Lamps, lights or monitors you no longer use
Get rid of things in your junk drawer or cupboard
- Home decor that no longer fits your personality
- Throw out keys that you don’t know have a door, lock or car to unlock
- Extra pieces of paper (keep a small pad of post-it notes)
- Old trophies or memorabilia you no longer value
- That collection of buttons you never sewed back on
- Instruction manuals for things you no longer own
- Craft supplies for projects never begun or completed or items for hobbies you no longer pursue
- Gifts you never liked in the first place or forget you ever had
- Duplicates of anything
- Out-dated holiday ornaments
- Vacation souvenirs you never look at
- Stuff that’s been in your junk drawer forever
You can easily fill up a bag full of donations and be done with it. Clutter does not help you feel better, it just creates a weight around your neck that you do not need. This is a fairly simple and obvious list but I encourage you to get rid of more things. You will feel better when you declutter your home and get rid of things that you don’t want or need anymore.
🏡 Where to Stay: Top Accommodations
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Want to read more in this series? Stay tuned for more reasons why decluttering helps you simplify your life!
🥾 Explore: Tours & Experiences
🏡 Where to Stay: Top Accommodations
🚙 Hit the Road: Car Rental Deals
🛫 Get Away: Find Flight Deals
🎒 Shop: Travel Essentials
Margarita Ibbott is a travel and lifestyle blogger. She blogs about travel in Canada, the United States and Europe giving practical advice through restaurant, hotel and attraction reviews. She writes for DownshiftingPRO.com and other online media outlets.
Great advice, Margarita. I think it will give people those “Aha!” moments they need and insight to think — “OK, today all the hole-ridden socks can be trashed.”
The only area where I disagree is #59. I’m a big believer in duplicates of *certain* things to enhance productivity. For example, scissors in the home office, in the kitchen, and in the bedroom or sewing means no cross-contamination and no chance of someone absconding with what you need.
I agree 100%. I think is more that you have duplicates in the kitchen or 15 white blouses and 25 pairs of black shoes (true client examples).
Nice list. A fresh perspective helps us re-think what we no longer need. Does anyone want a bag of buttons? 🙂
Perfect for craft projects😉
I was working with a client on clothes, and we found many items that had worn-out elastic. We would stretch the elastic and if we heard that “crunching” sound, out it went. We came to nickname this the “tell-tale” sound, and it had us laughing by the end. Decluttering can be fun, right?
It.is.so.much.fun!
I love that you listed specific items with specific flaws that happen, like “Swimwear with snags.” I find that being more specific on the used items to give away help people take action quicker. Thanks for sharing.
Sometimes we need to be very specific with suggestions. So are they shoes that you are comfortable wearing? Are they still in style (different heel or foisted or rounded toes).
Just a nudge to encourage our clients.
What a great list! I need to pin this and save for later this summer! So relevant to everybody. Chipped dish wear and mismatched dishes got to go..
Let me at it Paula… just let me at it. I’ll be happy to help clear the clutter!!!
Fantastic list! Definitely going to use this for reference as I slowly declutter our home. Lots of great ideas here. Thanks Margarita!
Keep at it. Chip away. Pick one area one day and another area the next. Thanks for dropping by!