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What's All The Clutter?

 LESS STUFFED WITH STUFF

Clutter: it's everywhere. Unless you live an incredibly spartan existence, it is really inescapable. This is why it is so important to take time every once in a while to clear things out of your home.

You need to gather all the items you do not actually need, accumulated over the past few months or years, and get rid of them, whether that means donating, handing down or just plain putting  them into the trash container. 

That’s easier said than done, of course. How do you decide what to keep and what to give or throw away? Do you risk tossing something that might have sentimental value? Will you regret it in the end? Don’t worry — here is the perfect guide for decluttering your home.

Ten things you can dispose of right now to make your house less stuffed with stuff!

1. Books... 

Books are awesome. They look lovely up on your shelf, they have that wonderful scent when you open the pages, and they transport you to other worlds. Likewise, they also take up a lot of space.

It’s time to purge your shelves of all those unwanted books you are probably never going to read again and take them to the library book drop. Let them go and let someone else enjoy the reading experience!

2. Clothes...

Have you ever tried putting away laundry in drawers that are already packed with clothes? It’s nearly impossible. That’s why you need to go through your wardrobe and phase out anything that does not fit or is not even worn anymore.

Donate your clothes, pass them down to others in need, or if they are unsalvageable, just toss them and you will regain loads of space.

3. Movie DVDs and Music CDs...

Whether you are a music fan or a movie buff, it’s easy to get overwhelmed with this stuff. Even though these are smaller packages (remember VHS tapes?) they can still consume too much space and lead to lots of clutter.

Do yourself a favor and transfer them to digital, or at the very least toss out all those plastic cases and consolidate the discs themselves into compact storage folders. You’ll notice just how much room is reclaimed.

4. Expired Canned Goods...

The back of your typical kitchen cabinet or pantry is a wasteland of forgotten canned goods. Peas, carrots, cream of mushroom soup — whatever it is, if it’s been there for months or even years, it’s time to purge the stuff.

You can donate anything that’s not expired so that it can occupy someone else’s cupboard and be used. This will free the space in your cabinet or pantry for the cooking ingredients you use more frequently. 

5. Obsolete Appliances, Electronics, and Gadgets...

Do you have a broken toaster oven in your garage? What about a computer monitor from the 1990s collecting dust in your attic? Perhaps a vacuum cleaner that has seen better days and now lives permanently in your hall closet? It’s time to say goodbye for good to all these broken-down parts and things.

They are cluttering valuable space they most likely will never again do much good, so it’s time to jettison the cargo. Either leave the items at the curb on bulk/brush pick-up day or take them to your local electronics recycling center.

6. Papers...

Sometimes it’s important to keep the paper copies of important documents; insurance policies, product warranties, tax and medical records can all fall into this category.

Everything else though could be tossed. Boxes and boxes of paperwork that occupy too much space you probably do not need.

And to clear up any hint of  misunderstanding, this is not to suggest you toss out everything your children made in kindergarten. But do you really need every homework sheet?

Keep the sentimental things like perhaps their art, and file the rest in the trash basket.

7. Faded or Unknown Photos...

Hold on, not so fast — no suggestion here about ever tossing out precious family memories. But let’s be honest here: old photo paper does not last forever.

You would be better served by transferring these photographs to digital where they can be restored and preserved for generations in a much more sturdy format. Not only that, a USB flash drive takes up a lot less space than stacks of photo albums.

8. Knickknacks and Doodads...

We all go around collecting little souvenirs during the course of our lives. Many of them end up cluttering the desks, shelves, cabinets, and surfaces in our home, and before we know it we’re awash in knickknacks that we really do not enjoy or need.

You do not have to toss every single one of these, but you can certainly sift them down into favorites. You can place a collection of smaller ones in a keepsake box as an alternative. However, if their time has come, you can confidently let go of them.

9. Large Oversized Furniture...

Nothing takes up space like a massive entertainment unit, bookshelf, or armoire that has lost its appeal or use. An old, oversized couch or easy chair can also take up some serious room that you could easily reclaim if you had it hauled away or sent to a consignment shop.  It could then be replaced with something smaller, newer and perhaps more comfortable.

10. Anything Else...

If you do not remember the last time you used something that is currently taking up space in your home, consider disposal. Do you have 10-year-old golf clubs collecting rust in your garage from that one summer you decided to take up the sport?

An old sewing machine you were going to restore but never had the time? A bicycle from a decade before your son or daughter left for college? Dust them off, donate them to someone. And, before you even know it, you will be happy to reclain the clean, new space!