20 Things to Get Rid of When Decluttering Your Home

In addition to spending more time with family, if there’s one good thing to come out of having to stay home, it’s the ability to tackle overdue projects around the house. If decluttering has been on your radar for some time, we have a “few” ideas to help get you started.

Stray Socks

As you purge the one-offs, consider getting rid of the holey ones, too.

Bygone Books 

Reclaim your shelf space by getting rid of books you’ve already read (and don’t intend to read again), old cookbooks, diet books and magazines.

Surplus Water Bottles

While it’s good to keep hydrated, a water bottle for every room may be a bit excessive. Not to mention, they tend to deteriorate with age.

Mismatched Linens 

Sheets, pillows and towels wear out over time. Get rid of any mismatched or threadbare items.

Incomplete Projects 

Dispose of or donate odds and ends from leftover crafts as well as supplies you aren’t using – this includes that lingering bag of yarn from your knitting phase or the old furniture you’ve been planning on refinishing circa 2010. 

Lidless Containers

Like socks, container lids also love to vanish into thin air. Where do they all go, anyway?

Mounds of Papers 

Reduce paper clutter by first opting to go paperless, then by digitizing only the documents you need to hold on to. Everything else is fit for recycling.

Scratched Teflon Pans 

Wear and tear on Teflon pans can lead to chipping and scratching – ultimately causing this non-stick substance to wind up in your food.

Cords to Nowhere 

Time to tackle that mass of tangled cords. If you don’t know what they are or to what they belong, there’s no sense keeping them.

Expired Foods

Throw away any expired condiments in your fridge (including that scary box of baking soda in the back) as well as any outdated canned items and dried goods (spices, too).

Takeout Odds and Ends

Old takeout menus, chopsticks, condiment packets, plastic utensils and wet wipes should be thrown in the recycle bin or trash.

Old Prescription Glasses

If you’re holding on to glasses with an outdated prescription, donate them to someone in need.

Stuff You Never Wear 

In addition to clothing, the one-year rule can apply to accessories, costume jewelry, old makeup and other beauty/hygiene products.

Expired Medicine 

Clear out any unused or expired medications, taking care to dispose of them properly.

Old Cards 

Instead of holding on to every card you receive, keep physical copies only of those that mean the most. You can digitize the rest by taking a photo/ scanning and uploading them to an online scrapbook.

Miscellaneous Movies

Thanks to Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and the wide variety of other streaming services now available, holding on to physical copies of movies has become redundant. Consider keeping only your favourites.

Note: The same can be said for your CD collection 

Dried Out Pens and Markers 

After all, what’s the point of holding on to writing utensils if they don’t write?

Duplicate Items 

Household tools, gadgets and kitchen items are great examples. Now that you’ve gone paperless, do you really need two staplers?

Old Cell Phones 

That early 2000’s Nokia will do you no good now (unless it’s a paperweight). We recommend recycling, donating or selling your old phones, though you may want to power them on and check them first. Who knows? You may find the charge cord in your miscellaneous cord box.

Your PVR

Well, ok. This won’t clear out physical space in your home, but getting rid of previously watched or unwanted programs can be a great stress reliever. Not to mention, you’ll have more room to record more of what you enjoy.

To our valued clients, please note that the Terry Paranych Real Estate Group is still open for business. While we will be adhering to social distancing recommendations in order to ensure your health and safety, we would be happy to meet virtually or on the phone to answer any questions you may have regarding buying or selling your home.

Stay safe, happy and healthy, Edmonton!

The Terry Paranych Real Estate Group

Photo credits: Shutterstock.com

Categorised in: Lifestyle

This post was written by Terry Paranych Real Estate Group