Lighten Your Load: 100 Things to Get Rid of Today
Clutter is one of the biggest culprits for stress in the home. Being surrounded by excess stuff makes it hard to relax and enjoy the sanctuary that your home should be, so this list of 100 things to get rid of will help you declutter your home quickly and help you on your journey towards a simpler life!
Clutter And Your Mental Health
So how exactly can a cluttered home impact your mental health and overall well-being? It can actually impact your life in many ways.
Firstly, feeling overwhelmed and stressed at home means that we don’t get the chance to recharge in the space that should be our safe space. So much clutter can give us a mild state of anxiety and can be paralysing at times, when not knowing where to start.
It can also be a huge time waster, trying to find misplaced items or having to clean around the excess clutter in our homes. This is time we could be spending doing the things that make us happy instead!
A cluttered home can also be a breeding ground for germs and dust, making it detrimental to your health in its extreme too. And of course, there’s the impact of stress on your sleep patterns too.
100 Things To Get Rid Of Today
Decluttering your home can be a mega daunting task. That’s why I love quick wins.
This decluttering list is your quick win list – 100 ideas of things you can throw away today to quickly clear some of the clutter and regain control over your space again.
Grab your trash bag or some empty boxes. Even your washing basket will do. And start working your way around the rooms of your home.
Note: While this is a list of items to declutter, it doesn’t mean you need to throw everything away. There may be items on this list or items you are ready to part with that are still in good condition and useful for someone else. In these cases, donating is a great way of paying it forward and helping lighten your load at home too!
Here is a list of 100 things to get rid of from your home that can help you simplify your home and your life:
Clothes & Wardrobe
- Clothes that no longer fit you
- Clothes that are damaged beyond repair
- Clothes that you haven’t worn in the past year
- Shoes that are uncomfortable or no longer fit you
- Sneakers with worn support
- Socks with holes or missing pairs
- Old underwear or bras
- Accessories that you no longer wear, such as hats, scarves, and gloves
- Broken jewellery
- Uniforms you no longer need
Kitchen
11. Expired food
12. Kitchen gadgets that you never use
13. Mismatched or chipped serving dishes
14. Plastic containers without lids or lids without containers
15. Old spices
16. Cookbooks that you never use
17. Extra coffee mugs
18. Excess water bottles
19. Odd cutlery
20. Utensils you never use
Bathroom
21. Expired medications
22. Old makeup
23. Empty or almost empty shampoo bottles
24. Expired sunscreen
25. Old toothbrushes
26. Tattered towels
27. Old skincare and hair products
28. Excess toiletry bags
29. Rusty shower hangers
30. Old hairbrushes or any you don’t use
Bedrooms
31. Bedside table clutter
32. Ornaments and decor you dislike
33. Extra pillows
34. Extra blankets
35. Old sheets
36. Worn out bedding
37. Mix-matched pillowcases
38. Broken or old electronics
39. Throw cushions that always end up on the floor
Living Room
40. DVDs or Blu-Rays that you no longer watch
41. CDs that you no longer listen to
42. Old video gaming consoles
43. Old board games
45. Extra throw pillows
46. Decorations that no longer match your style
47. Old VHS tapes
48. Games for consoles you no longer own
49. Broken consoles
50. Unwanted side tables
Office & Hobby Spaces
51. Old paperwork that you no longer need
52. Old calendars
53. Broken office supplies
54. Old textbooks
55. Used notebooks
56. Outdated technology
57. Cables for electronics you no longer have
58. Old computers & laptops
59. Past year planners
60. Pens that don’t work
Garage & Garden Shed
61. Unused sports equipment
62. Tools that you no longer use
63. Old paint cans
64. Rusty bicycles
65. Old car parts
66. Unused lawn equipment
67. Broken outdoor toys
68. Unused garden tools
69. Expired chemicals (do this safely – you may need to dispose at a specific location so check your local council site for details)
70. Leftover building materials
Baby and Kids Stuff
71. Broken toys
72. Outgrown furniture
73. Old bottles
74. Outgrown clothing
75. Expired baby products such as formula or skincare
Miscellaneous Things To Declutter
76. Old greeting cards
77. Unwanted holiday decorations
78. Extra phone cases
79. Unused purses or bags
80. Worn wallets
81. Excess hangers
82. Books that you no longer read
83. Old magazines
84. Junk mail & catalogues
85. Old batteries
86. Cardboard boxes
87. Unknown items that have sat in your junk drawer for years
88. Incomplete board games
89. Incomplete puzzles
90. Newspapers
91. Expired coupons
92. Dried paints
93. Near-finished art supplies
94. Payslips
95. Bank statements
96. Outdated travel maps
97. Broken or damaged glasses
98. Instruction manuals for items you no longer own
99. Outdated mobile devices (see if there is a recycling scheme in your local area)
100. Expired vitamins or supplements
What To Do With Your Clutter
Getting clutter out of your house quickly is the key to effective decluttering! If you go through the process of finding things to get rid of, then leave them stacked in boxes in your home, it’s essentially like doing half the job! That’s why quick action is important.
If it’s broken or not worth anything to anyone else, throw it away straight away. Right in the trash! Don’t wait, just get it out of your house and where it belongs.
If it is stuff worth donating, make a plan before you start with what you will do with the stuff you are getting rid of. Where will you donate it? When? Make a plan to drop it off or get it picked up within 48 hours. Sooner if you can.
Canned foods within expiration date can be taken to a local food bank, clothing to charity or domestic violence centres, hobby supplies to nursing homes or daycares.
Got high-value stuff? If it’s worth a significant amount and you know there is demand, you might like to try and sell some of your unwanted items. But do this wisely. Make sure the time and effort is worth the return. This option is better suited to collectable and high value items.
You’re done with this stuff now so it’s time to let it go and give yourself freedom from the unwanted stuff taking up space in your home and life!
This list of things to declutter will help you get rid of the unnecessary items taking up space in your home so you can enjoy your space, save time and save money too. After all, your home isn’t a storage space! It’s a living space. I hope this declutter checklist helps you start as small as you need to because even the little changes can make a big difference! You’ve got this!
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