Clutter is the #1 decorative problem with homes today.
So many people are one step away from being a hoarder.
Here is a list of items many people are still holding onto but need to get rid of.
If you decide to get rid of any of these items, please consider repurposing, recycling, or donating them instead of just throwing them in the trash.
photo courtesy of Living Rooms London flickr.com/photos/living-rooms/10836220986/Expired Medication
Medication that is expired can be hazardous to consume.
Go through your medicine cabinet and get rid of any medication past the expiration date.
Do not flush the medication down the toilet as it can pollute the water.
Look online for places in your area that take expired medication.
Clothes
Clothes are expensive, so they are often hard to part with.
Turn all of your clothing hangers to hook backwards on your closet rod and only turn them back the right way after you have worn the clothing item.
After a year, donate any clothing that is still hung on the rod backwards.
Also donate anything that has holes or that you have never really loved.
That piece of clothing you have been meaning to fix - either fix it now or donate it.
Packing Material
Boxes, bubble wrap, and other packing materials take up a lot of space.
Unless you are planning on moving within a year, donate those materials to someone else who is moving to reduce the clutter in your home.
Duplicates
You lost your ice cream scoop so you bought another one, only to find the lost one later.
Now you have 2.
You don't need 2 ice cream scoops.
Donate the extra one to make more room in your kitchen.
Look around your home to find other duplicates that can be donated.
Rags
Rags are good to have around the house for cleaning up dirty things, however you don't need to keep every stained or slightly damaged piece of cloth.
Find one small container to hold all of your rags and get rid of the others.
Old Electronics
Computers, computer accessories, stereo equipment, and other electronics were very expensive to purchase, however are now taking up space in your home.
Remove these relics from your home to reduce your clutter.
Phone Duplicates
Your phone can do many things.
It can be an alarm clock.
It can be a kitchen timer.
It can be an appointment book.
It can be a phone book.
Let your phone handle everything and get rid of items that can only do one task.
Dry Cleaning Hangers
Most people I know do not hang their clothes on the thin metal hangers that dry cleaners use.
The next time you are at the dry cleaners, give them all of your dry clean hangers to free up space in your home.
Dated Reading Material
Newspapers, magazines, and other reading material that is dated is typically only read when it is current.
Unless you are using them for decorative purposes, donate your dated reading material to someone else.
Consider changing your subscription to be digital instead of paper.
Instruction Manuals
Almost every instruction manual is available online, so they are not necessary in paper.
Either keep your most important instruction manuals well organized in one place or recycle them all.
Paperwork
Most paperwork is only necessary to keep for 7 years.
After 7 years, it is just taking up valuable space in your home.
You can scan into your computer some items you feel are important and dispose of the rest.
If it is sensitive information, shred it or burn it.
Old Toys
If you have kids, then you have toys.
Donate the toys your kids have outgrown.
Instead of your kids receiving so many toys as gifts, consider giving them experiences instead, such as movie passes.
Kid Art
Whether it is a painting, a drawing, a sculpture, or other paper craft, kids like to make art.
You don't need to keep it all.
Display the best kid art, put the other masterpieces in storage, and recycle the rest.
Old Textbooks
Textbooks are expensive.
After graduating, you might think you will reference those books, however that rarely happens.
Donate those books to a library to reduce clutter.
Things You Don't Love
If you received something as a gift but don't use, bought something because it was on sale but don't love, or have something that worked in your last home but not this one, then donate it and free up space in your home.
