It’s your home, and useless household items don’t have to take up space. You know you should throw out that collection of vinyl records that you have when you realize you don’t own a record player anymore. But some items aren’t as obvious, or hold sentimental value. So here’s our take on what household items you should get rid of today.
”Don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good. Lower the bar. Actually spending ten minutes clearing off one shelf is better than fantasizing about spending a weekend cleaning out the basement.” - Gretchen Rubin
What Any Home Can Stand to Get Rid Of
There are some usual suspects dwelling in any ...well, dwelling. And you can probably find these items somewhere in your home. So without further ado, here are some of the most useless household items you should remove from your home.
- Old baby stuff
- Wire hangers
- Books you won’t read
- Nearly everything in your junk drawer
- Old medications
- VHS/CD’s (and floppy disks!)
- Rags
- Extra mugs
- Old makeup
- Old nail polish
- Old magazines
- Old mattresses
- Old phones
- Cheap/meaningless jewelry
- Novelty items
- Melted candles
Dull Silverware/Broken Plateware
Time to pay attention to the kitchen. That specialty baking pan that was used once and then never again? Throw it away. That China that has a chip in it? Get rid of it. The fancy glass with a crack down the middle? It’s useless and never going to be used again. So what if it completed the set? These things are useless items taking up space in your home and unless they’re sentimental, they’re garbage.
Lidless Tupperware
When are you ever going to use a container with no lid? Unless you’re repurposing that tupperware into a storage unit in the garage, it’s just taking up space in your kitchen. Here’s how to get rid of clutter fast: do a full sweep of the tupperware drawer. If anything doesn’t match a top to a bottom, toss it. It’s just taking up room for more useful containers.
Broken Items
Usually things only stay broken in a home for one of three reasons. 1. There isn’t enough money to fix it now. 2. You can fix it, but don’t have the parts/tools/time. Or 3. It means something to you and you can’t bare to part with it. If this is the case then you may be wondering, “how to get rid of things with sentimental value?” Well, there’s no easy answer to that, but you can toss anything from the first two groups without remorse. If anything in your home is broken (and not a major appliance) it’s pretty much just taking up space.
Raid the fridge
When in doubt, throw it out. If it looks suspicious, it usually is. Make sure your fridge is cleared out of anything non-identifiable and that strange things aren’t growing in the back. On that note, make sure the doors of your fridge aren’t lined with expired sauces and marinades that you used on a handful of occasions back when you had time to cook. You should view them as useless items in you kitchen and toss them out like the lidless tupperware.
Get rid of:
- Old condiments
- Old fruit
- Old veggies
- Open cans
- The box of baking soda in the back
- Loose ketchup packets
- Old leftovers
- Unmarked “mystery” containers
- Holiday food gifts
- Unfrozen meat from a while back
When getting rid of the excess in your home, it doesn’t hurt to ask for help. Did you know the cost for cleaning services changes based on where you live? For example, in Georgetown, DE the average cost for cleaning service is slightly lower than in Hartford, CT. Want to get a more accurate estimate for free? Get in touch with a homeyou pro near you!
Raid the Closet
Finally, turn to your closet. You knew this one was coming. Anything that doesn’t fit or has seen better days can be either thrown out or donated. The space in your closet will be well worth the pain of letting go, because getting rid of stuff feels good and makes the space much more comfortable.
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