The more stuff I donated, the more I was able to breathe. The more trash I threw away, the more weight I felt lifted. The more stuff I took out of our home, the more I was able to see a new life. The more uncluttered I lived, the more joy I found.
Zina Harrington
Decluttering is the first step towards minimalism. Even if we are not aiming towards an extreme minimalist lifestyle, it will do good to both our mental and emotional health.
If we just sit in our personal space and take look around, we will realize that all those material possessions used to be money.
This is the age of consumerism and we tend to accumulate material things willingly or otherwise. Although lifestyles vary greatly in each households, there will be no doubt, some things that take up physical space and are useless at the same time.
Some household possessions are purely for aesthetics, while some things without any utility are kept around for sentimental reasons or because of pure laziness.
Everybody would cherish a neatly organized clean space to live in, but when it comes to decluttering, many people find it hard to let go of certain things and shy away from the decision making process of whether to toss a particular thing or keep it.
Here is a mantra to simplify the process :
If you do not love it or use it, it is Clutter
With that in mind, here is a list of some basic things that can be of help :
1. Wrapping paper scraps
These can be gift wrappers, store-bought product wrappings, and protective wrapping waste from transportation of goods etc. If these cannot be reused readily, they are to be thrown away in the trash so that they do not consume space among your material things unnecessarily.
2. Lights that do not work
Bulbs, Tubelights, broken or damaged Lampshades, decorative Series lights, Mood lighting fittings, Focus Lamps, Outdoor/ Garden lamps etc. come under this category. If they cannot be repaired, re-gifted, recycled or modified, they need to be tossed.
3. Out of date publishing
Old magazines, Newspapers, Pamphlets, Fliers, Tour Guides, old and inaccurate Maps, old Calendars, useless Catalogues, old Business Cards, old Notepads with a few sheets attached to them, used out Textbooks and Notebooks, old and unused Books etc.
Old textbooks and notebooks can be donated to other students. Books can be re-gifted, donated to a library or sold online/ offline. If the rest of the items cannot be reused or recycled, they can be sold in bulk or donated to some paper recycling unit or a collector. Anyway, they need to be cleared from your personal space without doubt.
4. Old receipts
These range from grocery bills to important and confidential tax receipts.
Utility Bills, Monthly Investment/ Retirement Statements, Pay Stubs, Credit Card Bills, Phone Bills, Cable/ Entertainment Bills, Monthly Bank Statements etc. should be thrown away after 1 year.
Statements or Receipts claimed as business expense, Medical Bills etc. should be disposed after 3 years.
Income tax returns and supporting documents should be disposed after 7 years.
Loan Documents, Warranties, Year-end bank, retirement, and Investment account statements, Vehicle titles and Personal Identification and records are to be kept forever.
5. Worn out hair accessories
Throw out any chipped/ overstretched/ damaged/outdated hair accessories such as discolored Bobby Pins, U pins, Clips, Ornamental Hair Pins, Bows etc. and worn out Hair Ties, Scrunchies, Buns, Hair Nets, Poufs etc. They are a waste of storage space and most of them cannot be recycled by ourselves. The metal accessories can be donated or sold to some recycling unit.
6. Unmatched earrings
In the cases where the earring Studs cannot be reused in the place of Paper Clips, Thumbtacks, Nose Pins, as Brooches and Cufflinks; earring Hoops as decorative pieces such as Christmas Tree ornaments , Theme Decoration pieces, or remodeled to other utility items, they need to be disposed. And in cases where the old earrings cannot be repaired, polished or remodeled, they need to be disposed off too.
7. Worn out/ unmatched socks
Worn out and unmatched socks have a wide scope for reuse. They can be used for cleaning surfaces and for dusting shutters and household items. They are multipurpose when it comes to using it as a cleaning cloth and are sustainable that way. But if it is torn or way too worn out to be reused or repurposed, they need to cease to being a waste of space.
8. Old CDs/ DVDs
Old audio and video cassettes need to be rewritten to a PenDrive or a CD or a HardDrive or an SD Card (Mini/ Micro) so that the contents and data are not lost, since Cassette Players and traditional Radios which can play audio cassettes are soon getting outdated and replaced with modern technology and new means of online data storage means such as Cloud Storage. Even the CDs and DVDs need not be hoarded because of the same reason.
Unless these old technology items can be used as Theme Party Decor or recycled to make some other utility item by ourselves, they need to be disposed. The best means is to donate it to someone passionate about collecting these items. Otherwise these things do not have any business occupying physical space in your home.
9. Stretched out, broken or scratched glasses/ lens
Optical industry is a serious contributor to the total mess of clutter generation in a home. These days of increased screen time and booming digital technology, more and more people are developing eye related and vision related issues, and hence the increased purchase and use of vision aiding products such as Spectacles, Contact Lens etc.
Even Sunglasses (and Aviators) and special kind of eye accessories are widely used by people. While it is more sustainable to just change the lens of spectacles and reuse the frame as frequently as needed, it is not that easy when it comes to practical life.
Therefore the old, stretched out, broken, scratched or damaged glasses and contact lens need to be discarded, unless the spectacle frames can be reused as decorative items.
10. Out of date makeup products and brushes
It is never advisable to use anything beyond their expiry date, let alone the make up items which are intimately used over the skin. Old Makeup should strictly not be used over the skin, a delicate organ; especially chemical cosmetics.
The same goes with Makeup Brushes, Sponges and Applicators. After one or two years of reusing the frequently cleaned and reused makeup brushes, they need to be said goodbye to. Since the chemical composition of Makeup changes with time, they need to be tossed after expiry.
11. Out of date toiletries
Toiletries such as Hand washes, Body washes, Shampoos, Conditioners, Soaps, Toothpastes, Mouth washes, Shaving Creams, Aftershave Lotions, Balms, Bath Oils, Scrubs, Bath Salts, Face washes, Intimate Hygiene products etc. have expiry dates, whether they are chemical or organic products, just like the food products stored in our kitchen and need to be disposed off accordingly.
Loofahs, Pumice Stones, Body Brushes, Sponges, Shower Caps, Toothbrushes, Razors, Scalp Massagers, Towels of all kinds etc. need to be tossed away and replaced by new ones as frequently as they develop dirt buildup and odour before it gets saturated.
12. Worn out undergarments
As a general rule, undergarments should not be recycled. Once they are worn out beyond mending, they need to be disposed off- preferably incinerated; since they were intimately worn, they might contain microbes harmful to other living beings and may cause the spread of infections and diseases. Hence the items like Vests, Briefs, Camisoles, Panties, Brassieres, Pantyhose and other kinds of inner wears should not be left lying around.
13. Worn out clothes
Dispose off any piece of clothing that is torn and cannot be repaired, faded and cannot be dyed, worn out and cannot be renewed, old and cannot be resized, restructured or reused for DIY projects or recycled into wiping clothes or other utility items.
They can be handed down as a gift, resold in online platforms, donated to needy people in Orphanages, Shelters and Old Age Homes or put in a bag and sent to The Salvation Army.
14. Expired medications
Medicines are carefully synthesized and manufactured products and prescribed very personally to each individual as per requirement. It is to never be used beyond expiry dates, since their chemical compositions might get altered over a period of time. This applies to edible and external use medications, whether it be Allopathic, Ayurvedic, Homeopathic, Yunani, Naturopathic, Home remedies or any other kind.
15. Old mail
These are Letters and Postcards from family and loved ones, Speed Posts, Insurance, Parcel, Registration, Letter Posts, Promotional Posts etc. While some of the mail can be tossed out after use, some need to be kept safe such as Job appointments, Legal notices, Letters of sentimental value etc. which also can be stored as soft copies and the real mail can be disposed, which will help save physical storage space.
16. Expired coupons and vouchers
These include Dress Coupons, Gift Coupons, Newspaper Coupons, Printable Coupons, Store Coupons, Digital Coupons, Manufacturer Coupons, Promotional Coupons etc. Once they remain unused beyond their validity dates, they need to be thrown away.
17. Gifts you do not use/ want
Sometimes we happen to receive gifts which we do not like or have no purpose or add value to our lives. Such gifts need not be kept around. They can be re-gifted to somebody who can better appreciate it or has a requirement of the same. They can also be donated or sold off. Anyway they have to be disposed off from our homes.
18. Gooey nail polish
It is not worth keeping our dried up or gooey nail polish around. They never give a good finish or cannot be used to paint anything else. Same goes with other nail products and manicure accessories; they should not be used beyond expiry dates and hence they need to be tossed.
19. Outdated electronics
All the Electrical and Electronic devices discarded (also known as e-waste) contains toxic components that are dangerous to human health. Hence they should not be left lying around in our home space.
Old and unused Mobile Phones, Monitors, Computers, Calculators, Batteries, Wires, Cables, Cords, Electrical appliances, Video Game kits etc. should be discarded. Unless they can be recycled or re-gifted, they need to be moved to an e-waste collecting and recycling unit.
20. Tarnished jewelry
Earrings, Bracelets, Necklaces, Chains, Rings, Anklets, Toe Rings, Hip Chains, Bangles, Piercing Studs, Body Chains, Pins, Brooches etc. which we do not use anymore need to be considered to be disposed off; if they cannot be redesigned, polished, repaired or recycled. They can be donated or re-gifted or sold off or just tossed in the trash depending on its value.
21. Shopping bags you never use
While some Shopping Bags can be reused or recycled, the damaged ones need to be thrown away. The best way to dispose off good quality shopping bags, especially the the ones from big brands, is they can be sold in certain online sites; hence they could cease to occupy valuable physical space in our homes.
22. Worn out wash clothes/ towels
The Towels, Sponges, Scrubbers, Wash Clothes and Rags used in and around the house for dusting, wiping and all sorts of cleaning tend to collect harmful toxins, odors, dirt, micro debris and breed microbes over a duration of time and hence should be incinerated and replaced with new ones.
23. Old school books
Once all the information in them is no longer needed and they cannot be reused anymore, they need to be tossed or donated to someone in need or sold to a paper recycling unit so that they will not take up storage space in our homes unnecessarily.
24. Clothes that do not fit
Throw away, donate, re-gift, recycle or sell off any piece of clothing that does not suit you, fit right on you or the ones you have not worn in over a year. Hence they can be cleared out from your wardrobe and make space for new pieces of clothing.
25. Accessories you do not wear
Scarves, Belts, Watches, Key Chains, Handbags, Pouches, Purses, Sunglasses, Patches, Wallets, Hats, Caps, Phone Cases etc. that are no longer in use or damaged can be disposed off. Selling, recycling, re-gifting, donation, and trash bin are some of the ways in which you can be rid of them.
26. Old bags
These include Travel Bags, Office Bags, Suitcases, Briefcases, Storage Bags, Handbags, Backpacks, Shoulder Bags etc. If they are damaged and cannot be renewed or repaired, old and cannot be recycled, reused, re-gifted or donated, they need to be disposed off by selling or throwing in the trash.
27. Old stationery
If you happen to have Quills, fancy old Pens, antique ornamental stationery such as Scissors, Paper Knife, Pen Holders, Wax Seals etc. and you no longer use them, they can be sold or donated to an antique collector. If you happen to have calligraphy items that are unused, they can be sold off or re-gifted.
Other kinds of stationery which are unused in our homes such as Paper clips, Tapes, extra Folders, old Binders, Geometric measurement items, Sticky Pads, rusted Stapler sets and Thumbtacks, Labels, Rubber Stamps, Embossers etc. can be thrown away or donated.
Old and crusty Paint Brushes, Coloring Sets, Sketch Pens, Markers, Pencils and Pens that do not work need to be tossed.
28.Worn out footwear
Sandals, Flip flops, Shoes, Sneakers, High heeled footwear, Loafers, Ballet shoes, Boots, Gladiators, Moccasins, all kinds of Sports Footwear etc. which are damaged or not needed in the closet are to be reused, recycled, sold or donated. If they are too damaged, they need to be thrown away.
29. Packaging boxes
All those Cardboard Boxes, Fabric Boxes and Plastic Container Boxes which are stuffed up in the garage, overhead cupboards, attic, warehouse and storage room, which are not being actively used or are old or damaged or cannot be reused need to be tossed. They need not continue to take up physical space in the household.
30. Broken toys and kids accessories
Most of the toys that are not being used can be donated or handed down, donated or sold. This is applicable for Soft toys, Puzzle Kits, Figurine toys, Building Blocks, Dolls, Theme Sets, Toy Vehicles etc. The toys which are broken or damaged or of poor quality need to be thrown away. Some toys can be reused for creative DIY projects or as decorative pieces.
Decluttering can sometimes get mentally exhausting for some of us who have a hard time making decisions or emotionally detaching from certain possessions.
But remember that once the extra things with no meaningful use leave our lives, we gain some new physical and mental space to be creative with.
Also, the lesser physical things remain in our vicinity, the lesser information is to be processed by our brains at a time and hence will be helpful to relax better.
Staying organized is proven to make a person feel more in control, have higher self-esteem, have an improved lifestyle, lesser risk of allergies and hence better relationships and improved mental health.
And the first step towards achieving that would be decluttering. So we can all try and make some time to actually execute the deed for a better life and a better future.
