The floors are mopped! The dishes are put away! The house is CLEAN!
But is it decluttered? If it isn’t, your work isn’t done quite yet, I’m sorry to say. Getting rid of the piles of “stuff” invading your physical surroundings is therapeutic and necessary, as it can help increase your productivity and concentration, and – believe it or not – it can have a positive impact on your overall health. Also, things will be easier to find when you don’t have junk everywhere!
Below are 7 categories of items to declutter this season, to help alleviate feelings of stress and anxiety and to ultimately free up more space in your home!
1. Dishes
It’s hard to resist buying new bowls, platters, and other types of dishes, especially around the holidays. Problem is, it’s only a matter of time before you run out of space. Sift through your cupboards and clear out the dishes that are broken or chipped and the sets that have missing pieces or are simply outdated. If you have a hodgepodge of different dishes but not a complete set of either style, it could be beneficial to get rid of the random pieces and invest in a new complete set of dishes that will serve your family (and guests, when the visit) well.
2. Small Appliances
Air fryers, insta pots, deep fryers, espresso machines, panini makers.. So many specialty appliances to use, so little space! If you’ve purchased appliances that you’ve since realized aren’t really your thing, clear them out of your home. They’re just taking up space, so take Marie Kondo’s advice and thank it for the value that it once had in your life, and then tell it “goodbye.” If you realized long ago that bread-making isn’t your thing, gift the bread machine to one of your besties!
3. Beauty & Body Products
It’s time to clean out your stash of hair supplies. Those gels, moisturizers, and holding sprays that you bought on a whim, only to try them and realize you don’t like the smell, texture, or the way it makes your hair feel… put them in a box and give to a friend who might be interested in trying. Same goes for skin care, fragrances, and makeup products. You will complete your beauty routine a lot quicker when you don’t have a hundred products competing for your attention. Keep the best, and get rid of the rest!
4. Household Chemicals & Cleaners
Decide on which products you prefer using for various cleaning jobs around the house, and toss the others. A reliable multipurpose cleaner and a few more powerful products for the bathroom and hard floors are usually all a typical household needs.
5. Clothes & Shoes
It’s too short, too tight, too see-through, the heel is broken but can maybe be patched… You were supposed to buy a bolero to pair with it, , and here we are a year later and it still has the tags on. Donate the old stuff you’re not likely to wear. Don’t forget your lingerie drawer and the kids’ drawers and closets.
6. Puzzles & Board Games
They take up too much space, and those games you purchased on a whim were not as much fun to play anyway. Or maybe they just took too much time to set up, and you don’t really see yourself pulling them out again. If you feel this way about any of your games and puzzles, get rid of it!
7. Medicine Cabinet
Properly dispose of the medicines in your cabinet that are expired, and get rid of the leftover prescription meds that you no longer need.
8. Toys
Recruit your child’s help to go through those toys that haven’t been pulled out in many many months. If your kids are like mine, they have a ridiculous amount of stuffed animals and knick-knacks, and boy do they clutter up a space! Let your child help decide which ones to keep, and quickly gift the rest to a neighbor!
9. Books
Oh no! Surely not books? Yes, books! While it’s hard to get rid of books of any kind, it’s a necessity to clear out clutter and space. Get rid of picture books, magazines, and chapter books your kids have outgrown, novels and cookbooks that you aren’t too fond of, and other titles that you’ll never revisit.
10. Paper
Paper items stack up quickly and can add a lot of clutter to your home. If you have piles of paper throughout your house (on the dresser, the kitchen countertop, your work desk, etc.), take the time to go through the items this season and part with the ones you no longer need. Consider old Christmas cards, warranties for items you no longer own, junk mail, love letters from old boyfriends (haha)… For the papers that you need to keep, consider the possibility of digitizing them. Scan or take photos of each item, then save them store them digitally with your favorite cloud-based file storage program.
11. The Kitchen Pantry
Goodness me - I was about to wrap up this article without even mentioning the pantry! Definitely, don't forget the pantry! If you have sauces, spices, noodles, canned goods, and other ingredients you bought for that one recipe you made 3 years ago, it's time to part ways with it. Go through your pantry (and the fridge and deep freezer too, for that matter), and toss out all the expired foods or the ones you simply will no longer use. (It it's not expired, donate it to someone who can use it). It will be a lot easier to prepare meals when you're not trying to sift through hundreds of items you don't need.
