Things You Can Get Rid of Right Now

 
 

Did you know the average American household contains 300,000 items? If that statistic makes you cringe, you may be inspired to immediately start the decluttering process of the items in your own household.

But at the onset, the decluttering process may feel daunting — especially if you’ve never done it before. Thankfully, there are several items you can dispose of (in various thoughtful ways!) right this very second, without much thought or planning. If you’re new to this, it may sound harsh, but trust me — you don’t need these things as much as you might think you do. Plus, think of the newfound space you’ll find just by removing a handful of things from your closets, drawers, cabinets and shelves. And who knows? After you’ve tackled this preliminary layer of clutter, you might be inspired to take it a step further.

If possible, donate as much as you can and recycle anything that can be recycled, like cardboard, plastic or paper products.

And by the way, some of the items below are my personal preference (DVDs and cassette tapes have got to go, in my opinion — but that’s mostly because we don’t have a way to play them) or things you might consider to be harsh (handwritten cards that aren’t long and thoughtful) or even risky (user manuals — but you can Google anything these days!). Do whatever suits you! But I would still challenge you to go out on a limb for the sake of creating space.

This should be a quick, “no brainer” activity, where you simply scan your house for obvious things you’ve been holding onto for no particular reason. In this case, the key to decluttering these items is not overthinking it. When in doubt, throw it out!

Things You Can Get Rid of Right Now:

  • Old receipts

  • Shoeboxes

  • Promotional materials from purchased items

  • Unneeded business cards (add info to your phone)

  • Old insurance cards

  • Almost-empty containers of products (combine them, if possible)

  • Expired coupons

  • Plastic grocery bags (some grocery stores accept them to be recycled)

  • Checks that have been deposited

  • Old magazines

  • Condiment packets

  • Tupperware missing a lid or bottom

  • Cards from people (unless they are long/thoughtful/worth keeping)

  • Expired food

  • Beauty products you don’t use

  • Pens out of ink

  • VHS and cassette tapes

  • Mismatched/loner socks

  • Jewelry or accessories you never wear

  • Books you won’t read again

  • Expired medication

  • Extra cables/chargers from old electronics

  • DVDs (unless you actively use a player or even have one)

  • Outdated electronics

  • Product boxes (from a laptop, phone, etc.)

  • Old makeup

  • Dried nail polish

  • Unused, chipped or mismatched mugs, cups, bowls, etc.

  • Duplicate kitchen utensils or tools

  • Damaged or tattered sheets, blankets or towels

  • Unused hangers

  • User manuals


Don’t Stop Now!

If you’ve gained momentum and want to further declutter your home, use my 5 Tips for Starting the Decluttering Process for some motivation and ideas!

What would you add to this list? I know there are so many more things that can go!

Holly RagsdaleComment