Dumpsters. Facebook Marketplace. The trailer of the local junk hauler. These are all suitable destinations for the items you’ve been holding onto for far too long.
It’s a shocking day when you pause Hoarders, look around your home, and realize that your children would be justified in referring the A&E’s producers to your residence. Even if things haven’t gotten that dire, we could all use some extra space and less crap to worry about.
If you’re struggling with starting the decluttering or de-hoarding process, we’ve identified a few items that many people keep in their possession far beyond usefulness.
1. Condiments
There’s nothing more deflating than whipping up a hot, steaming batch of Nathan’s hot dogs on the backyard grill, then breaking the news to the drooling party guests that your mustard is expired. You’ll go to Wal-Mart for more, but it’s going to take 20 minutes minimum.
Cold hot dogs with mustard are far inferior to hot hot dogs with mustard. As you turn your house of clutter into a home of essential simplicity, don’t forget the fridge door.
2. The Back Row of Your Medicine Cabinet
Some people are unfortunate enough to have ne’er do well grandkids who will clean out their medicine cabinet for them. You’re probably not them.
There are almost certainly old Advil, Gas-X, and antibiotics in your bathroom that would dissolve into dust if you pinched them. Or, more likely, they’re just expired. No item is too small to be ejected during a cleaning binge, so don’t forget about the medicine cabinet.
3. Old Manuals, Warranties, Receipts, and Other Paper Scraps
If you’re like me, you have a drawer reserved for manuals. You never know when you’ll have to take apart your blender and put it back together again, right?
Most of these manuals are for items that long ago crapped out or got replaced. That drawer could be put to far more product use—like being filled with new manuals you’ll never consult! Are you going to say “no” to that kind of excitement?
4. Ancient Spices
Old, petrified spices create a false sense of comfort. If you encounter the rare recipe that calls for caraway seeds, you’ll think (correctly) that you have caraway seeds—you put them in the spice rack seven years ago, after all. You just don’t have edible caraway seeds, as they went rancid three years ago.
Furthermore, it’s probably time to invest in some organic spices. Yours might have lead and other heavy metals in them.
5. Outdated Electronics (Including Cords and Chargers)
Apple and their counterparts have made a cottage industry out of charging ports. With every third version of the iPhone comes some newfangled means of charging the darned thing. From FireWires to the 30-Pin to the Lightning Port, we’ve seen it all (just kidding, there’s endless iterations to come).
The point is, you probably have a stash, or a slew of stashes, of chargers and cords that you couldn’t use if you wanted to. Find them and toss ‘em.
6. Clothes Without Sentimental Value
That novelty T-shirt your brother got you twelve Christmases ago? You told yourself “maybe I’ll wear it around the house,” but you never have. The massive graphic on the front and heavy, scratchy cotton have caused it to rot away in the back of your dresser drawer. Get rid of it.
The T-shirt you purchased at the 1970 Albert Hall Led Zeppelin concert? The last sweater your deceased grandmother gifted you? Those can stay.
7. Expired Non-Perishables (They Perish, Eventually)
When the Apocalypse hits—not if, but when—you don’t want to be tempted by that Campbell’s soup that expired three years ago. Left to your hunger, you’ll probably succumb, and you’ll probably become deathly ill at the time you can least afford to do so.
It’s high time for a pantry raid. If you need to restock your canned goods, do it before World War III kicks off. Just don’t live any longer with a pantry full of expired goods.
8. Old CDs and DVDs
Here’s the caveat: If you’re nostalgic about your DVD or CD collection, do as you see fit. Just know that you have our permission to finally get rid of the eight shelves of movies (including Legally Blonde and the Adam Sandler version of The Longest Yard) that have been collecting dust for years.
Is there some kind of Doomsday scenario where DVDs re-emerge as the sole medium for cinematic entertainment? Anything is possible. But are you willing to bet eight shelves on that possibility?
9. Frayed, Stained, and Chemical-Soaked Rags and Towels
Are you the type to change your own oil in the garage? Do you live in an area where storms are frequent, and a store of raggedy towels often comes in handy for minor cleanup?
Unless I’m missing something, there aren’t many other reasons to be keeping old, greasy, threadbare cloth throughout your home. If you can identify a specific reason for keeping them, that’s your prerogative. If not, feel free to toss.
10. Scratchy and Threadbare Sheets
What is a life lived in discomfort? We’re not saying you have to spring for silk, but your beds should never have the tactile feel of a mental ward. Plus, what would we see if you took a blue light to those linens you’ve hung onto since 1980?
Like everything, bed sheets have a beginning and an end. Think long and hard about whether it’s time to put some of your oldest sheets to rest, once and for all.
11. That Stash of Old Grocery Bags You Never Use
The occasional leftover Publix or Target bag comes in handy, like when you need to deliver a small helping of ribs to the neighbors. Nobody needs 300 of them, though, and your stash of plastic got out of hand long ago.
The hippies might tell you to swap plastic bags for more sustainable tote bags, but I’m not taking that route. All I’m saying is that, if an avalanche of plastic bags falls out everytime you open the laundry room cupboard, you could probably whittle down the supply a bit.
12. The Stack of Magazines from 1994
“What’s this?” the prospective daughter-in-law thinks to herself as she sits on your living room couch for the first time. “A Sports Illustrated Kids from 1993? Now this is the type of family I can spend the rest of my life in!”
Every part of your home should have a purpose. If you want to be the household that has magazines strewn around, at least make sure they’re magazines worth reading. And if you’re that household that has a four-foot stack of assorted magazines in the back closet, re-evaluate everything.
13. Stray Containers and Lids
There is apparently some invisible being that roams households at night, feeding exclusively on Tupperware lids. I can’t see any other valid explanation for why so many Tupperwares are leading a lonely, lid-less existence.
Instead of chucking the Tupperwares into the cluttered drawer like you normally do, conduct an accounting this time. If they don’t have a mate, they must evacuate.
14. Batteries
There’s nothing more scintillating than a loose battery. Could it be dead? Sure. Might it be the item that saves your Netflix binge next time the remote goes dead? We’ll have to see about that, baby.
Quit playing the maybe/maybe not game with your AAs. Whether you have a battery tester or you just use the loose batteries right away to determine if they have juice, get it over with. We can’t take the suspense any longer.
15. The Garage
Rakes that are rusted nearly into dust. Lawn equipment that hasn’t run in 15 years and won’t run today. Some unidentifiable ball that looks like steel wool, but could just as well be lint or a rat’s nest. The garage is, for many, Ground Zero for junk removal.
Sheds are often Priority B for organizers. These areas tend to go neglected, with tall shelves left uninspected for months on end, if not years. You’ll find plenty that you’re eager to part with, just take a closer look.