Your home should feel like a calm, comfortable place where you can unwind.
With clutter, however, you may struggle to enjoy your space. It’ll feel crowded, disorganized, and can make you feel overwhelmed or stressed out.
The reason for these negative feelings that arise from clutter is explained in the Journal of Neuroscience. It is explained that your brain can’t handle seeing so many objects at one time. Since this is the case, a cluttered environment can bring on overwhelming or stressful feelings.
With a home that is organized and less cluttered, you’ll feel calmer and happier. You’ll be able to find things easier, and you’ll utilize what you have much more often than you do now.
Whatever the reason, you may struggle to part with some of the items in your house. You need to reassess the reasons that you are keeping everything.
If it is used often, needed, or a sentimental item, you should keep it. Otherwise, consider getting rid of it to make your home a more enjoyable space.
15 Things to Get Rid of In Your Home…Right Now!
Counselors explain how your home can give you anxiety.
1. CDs or DVDs
Think back to the last time you listened to a CD. If you can’t remember, it’s time to get rid of them. The same goes for DVDs.
With many streaming services accessible from televisions, DVD’s are becoming useless technology. If you don’t ever watch them, clear the space for something more useful.
2. Bed Linen with Holes
There’s no reason to hang onto old sheets, pillowcases, or comforters that have holes. You only need a couple of extra, so throw out the old ones that you skip over anyway. This will clear up quite a bit of space in your linen closet.
3. Old Clothes with Missing Buttons
We all have those items in our closet or dresser that are missing a button. There’s always a plan to repair them, yet it never seems to happen. Just get rid of those clothing items and open up some closet space for items you wear.
4. Board Games with Missing Pieces
There is no reason to keep a game that is missing pieces. Living with the idea that you may one day find the pieces is a bit extreme. While you wait for the pieces to appear out of thin air, you’re keeping games that may never be used again.
5. Socks with Holes or Missing Mates
You don’t want your toe poking through a hole, or your barefoot rubbing against the inside of your shoe all day. Get rid of socks with holes, so you have more space for the socks that are in good condition.
You should also get rid of any socks that don’t have a mate. At this point, they’re just taking up space in your sock basket. Face it. The mate is gone forever.
6. Plastic Containers Missing the Lid
We all have food storage containers or other plastic containers that don’t have the lid. These containers take up so much space, you’ll be glad when they’re gone.
On that note, think about any lids you have that are missing the container. There is no way to know for sure how this happens, but it does. Clear those out, too.
Read tips on getting an organized home on a tight budget.
7. Equipment from Hobbies You No Longer Participate In
If you used to scrapbook but don’t anymore, get rid of the supplies. Same with golf clubs that are gathering dust and taking up space.
Think about anything you used to do but haven’t done in a long time and get rid of the equipment that goes along with it. You’ll be happy with the extra space, and you won’t miss the material or equipment that you never used anyway.
8. Unused Cords or Chargers
As adults, we tend to collect every charger or cord we come in contact with. It’s hard to keep track of what they are all for, so it tends to be easier to keep them just in case.
Before you know it, you have a box or drawer full of cords that haven’t been used in years. The worst part is that it seems like when they end up in the box, they never come back out. Dump it all and use that drawer or box for something more useful.
9. Old Receipts
If you are hanging onto a receipt for something that cannot be returned or exchanged, you may not need to. You only need to keep it if it’ll be necessary for your taxes or for a warranty. If taxes are the reason for keeping it, then follow typical rules for length of time to keep it.
If you won’t need to return or exchange, and it doesn’t pertain to your tax returns, get rid of it. These receipts and just interfere with your organization and take up lots of unnecessary space. Keep things under control by minimizing the receipts that you still have.
10. Takeout Menus
You can find most menus on the internet. There’s no need to keep the old take out menus when you can find everything you need online. The best part is that you don’t have to worry about having an out of date menu when you want to place an order.
11. Empty Wine Bottles
There are so many crafts or décor projects that involve using empty wine bottles. Because of this, so many of us save all of our empty bottles. Then suddenly, you have too many piling up and no projects being done.
Just accept the fact that you don’t need the empty wine bottles. They are just taking up space and getting in the way.
12. Clothes That Don’t Fit Anymore
This goes for adult and children’s clothes. If you have boxes of clothes that have outgrown the owner, it is time to get rid of them. Whether it is your clothes that are too big or too small or your children’s, it’s time to get rid of them.
If you are saving something to fit into after you lose some weight, stop saving it. You’ll want new clothes when the time comes, and the old ones may not fit the way you had remembered.
13. Books You Have Already Read
Most don’t reread the same book twice unless it was a favorite. With this being the case, there is no reason to keep every book you read. Think of all the new books you could get if you had more shelf space.
14. Toys That No One Plays with Anymore
Your kids are constantly growing and evolving. This means that they’ll outgrow toys they once loved. Instead of leaving those toys around your house taking up space, donate them or throw them away.
You’ll get over the loss of the toy pretty quickly, despite it being a bittersweet reminder that your child is getting older. Remind yourself that your child likely won’t miss it at all or even notice that it is gone. Plus, it opens up space for toys they’ll be getting for holidays or birthdays.
15. Cookbooks
With recipes being easily available online, that’s where you likely go for your recipes. Cookbooks are hardly used anymore, as it’s just easier to find new ideas on the internet. Unless you use your cookbook collection regularly, you should probably get rid of them.
If you have a few recipes that you reference a cookbook for, photocopy those recipes or rip them out. Then, gather all of your favorite recipes into a simple binder or folder and get rid of the bulky books. Even better, you could create an online gallery of your favorite recipes by scanning them to your computer.
When to Donate, Sell, or Throw Away Unused Home Items
Now, the hard part. It’s hard to decide the things you should throw away, donate, or sell. When you are making the decision, you have to consider several factors for each scenario.
When to Sell
-The item is in great condition
-You’re motivated to sell and have the time
-It will sell for enough to make it worth the hassle
When to Donate
-Item is in good condition
-You know someone in need
-The item would be useful to most people
-The time or energy required to sell isn’t worth the return
When to Throw Away
-The item is broken
-It’s in poor condition
-You don’t have time to get to the donation center
Final Thoughts on the 15 Things to Get Rid of In Your Home Right Now
Everyone struggles to get rid of things sometimes, and there are many different reasons for this struggle. Whatever the reason, however, you have to just get started and get rid of the clutter.
There are plenty of items sitting around your home right now that you could get rid of. By doing so, you’ll be opening space for things you need and regularly use. Plus, as stated before, having a home free of things you don’t need can also improve your mental state.
You can’t keep everything forever, so try not to waste time when choosing to get rid of it. Be picky about what you keep, and get rid of things you don’t use regularly.
