During the hustle and bustle of everyday life, it’s natural for your home to fill up with things you no longer need or use. While holding onto these items may seem harmless, over time, they can make it difficult to find the things you do have use for. If you’re not sure what you should part with and what should hang around for another season, we’re sharing a few common household items experts say it’s time to get rid of or donate.
Old Documents
Although it may feel disconcerting to discard tax information or medical records, eliminating documents you no longer have use for is a necessary step towards giving your home a refresh. “In an age where almost all the information we want is accessible on the internet, we don’t need to hold onto papers and documents year after year,” says organizing expert Tamar Prager, founder of tamarprager.com and host of the podcast The Paper Weight.
Discard anything that’s expired or can easily be found online—think old warranties, tax documents dated seven years, and bank, credit card, and mortgage statements. Shred any documents with personal information. Miscellaneous items like old takeout menus, junk mail, your child’s schoolwork, flyers, and coupons can also be tossed. “If you wish to hold onto anything, you can always scan items and store them on a cloud-based service,” Prager says.
Damaged or Duplicate Kitchenware
Liudmila Chernetska / GETTY IMAGES
Since most kitchens have relatively limited storage space, try not to be too precious about the items you choose to keep. “The simple path to opening up space in your kitchen is to set a very high bar for what gets to stay,” says Prager. Keep items that are used often or have a specific sentimental value; everything else can be discarded, donated, or downsized.
Candidates to part with include duplicates or items that essentially serve the same purpose. Donate extra cooking utensils, knives, and servingware you never reach for. Any broken or damaged pieces can be tossed. “Just because they were used and enjoyed in the past, doesn’t mean they need to stay in your home now that they’ve lost their value,” Prager says. The same rule applies to any items missing their counterparts—like the food storage container you can never seem to find the lid for.
Expired Food and Pantry Items
Conduct a thorough inspection of your pantry and kitchen cabinets to reveal expired or stale products. Next, comb through your refrigerator and look for any moldy or limp produce, condiments that have expired, and anything else that appears less than ideal for consumption.
Expired Beauty and Bathroom Products
Your bathroom is a hub for half-filled, expired, and rarely used items. To streamline this area, discard anything that smells or looks off, including products that have separated or changed in color. “Look for the small logo on your product that looks like a lid with a jar open—it will have a number and that number tells you how long a product is good for after you’ve opened it,” says Melissa Maker, founder of Clean My Space. Items you love and use regularly can be kept, everything else should go.
Clothes You No Longer Wear
Downsizing your wardrobe can feel challenging, but it’s a necessary step when trying to make room in your closet. Start by taking inventory of your clothes and accessories. Consider parting with any worn items that have holes or stains and donating clothes you never wear or no longer fit.
Worn Towels and Linens
Don’t neglect your linen closet when streamlining your space. Old blankets and towels can be donated to animal shelters instead of being thrown away. While you’re at it, go through any extra bedding you have and see what’s damaged or has missing components, like a lost pillowcase or fitted sheet.
Junk Drawer Junk
Most houses have a designated drawer filled with miscellaneous items, ranging from old cell phones to stray pens and pencils. “Usually, this is the space where everything without a home ends up,” Prager says. “Sometimes, they include useful items such as flashlights and batteries, and often they house items that we never touch but can’t seem to part with.”
Rebrand this space in your home as the place where items with utility live so you avoid the notion that any old “junk” can go inside. “It has a deliberate purpose,” Maker says. Make it beautiful like the drawer above, and you’ll want to keep it organized. Discard inkless pens, dead batteries, empty tape dispensers, broken phone chargers, and other unusable items. Additionally, consider downsizing multiples of certain items, like paper clips and rubber bands.
Old or Broken Toys
If your child’s toy box is overflowing, now is a great time to go through it and pick out any damaged or outgrown play-things. Consider donating or giving away the old ones to friends and family. Toys and stuffed animals that have been lovingly destroyed over the past year can be discarded. Of course, keep the most treasured ones—you can even memorialize them by having them refurbished or upcycled into a memento.
