If you have ever opened a drawer, sighed, and shut it again, this one is for you. The professional organizer behind @ddh.home put together a fast, no-nonsense list of 20 things to get rid of right now, and nearly everything on it is the kind of small clutter that hides in every home. The promise in the caption is simple: “20 Things To Get Rid Of And You Won’t Regret It.”
The video moves quickly, showing item after item. There is no long speech about minimalism or a big lecture about letting go. Just a rapid-fire tour of the stuff most of us keep without thinking.
Among the items on the list:
- Clothes the kids have grown out of
- Things from restaurants that you never use
- An old dog toy
- Scratched sunglasses
- Finished glue
- A single-use kitchen item that never gets used
- A single earring
- A broken magnet
- A travel guidebook
- Empty perfume bottles
- Dried-out nail polish
- Scissors that don’t cut
- A leftover piece of wrapping paper
- An old water bottle
- A beaten-up old backpack
- A lid with no pot
The video closes with a question many people can relate to: “Is decluttering a struggle for you?”
@ddh.home
Why Small Clutter Adds Up
None of these things takes up much room alone. That is exactly the problem. A single earring here, a dried bottle of nail polish there, three lids with no matching pots in the cabinet, and suddenly drawers will not close and you cannot find what you need.
Small clutter also hides in plain sight. We stop noticing it because we see it every day. A quick list like this one works because it gives you permission to toss things you probably already knew were useless.
How to Handle Each Item the Right Way
Getting rid of things does not always mean the trash can. Here is how to handle many items on the list responsibly.
Outgrown kids’ clothes. Pass them along to family or friends with younger children, donate them to a thrift store, or sell nicer pieces at a consignment shop. Many churches and shelters accept children’s clothing too.
Restaurant extras. Those packets of soy sauce, ketchup, plastic forks and stacks of napkins pile up fast. Keep a small handful if you use them, and toss the rest. Next time, ask the restaurant to leave them out of the bag.
Scratched sunglasses. Scratches can strain your eyes and blur your vision, especially while driving. Toss them, or check whether a local eye clinic or Lions Club collects old eyewear for donation.
Finished glue and dried nail polish. Nail polish is considered household hazardous waste in many areas, so check your city or county’s rules before throwing out a large collection. A single dried bottle is generally fine in the regular trash in most places, but rules vary.
Single earrings. Give the lost mate one last search. If it does not turn up, gold or silver pieces can be sold for scrap, and costume jewelry can go to a craft group or a crafty grandchild.
Empty perfume bottles. Glass bottles are often recyclable once empty, but many have plastic or metal spray tops that need to be removed first. Check your local recycling guidelines.
Dull scissors. If they are a quality pair, a sharpening service might bring them back. If not, wrap the blades before throwing them out to protect sanitation workers.
Old water bottles. Most homes have far more than they need. Keep a couple you actually love, and recycle or donate the rest.
Lids with no pots. Unless a lid fits another pan in your kitchen, it is just taking up space. Some thrift stores accept them, or you can recycle metal ones as scrap.
Travel guidebooks. Prices, hours and attractions change, and most of that information is now easy to look up. Donate newer guidebooks to the library sale and recycle outdated ones.
Make Decluttering a Quick Daily Habit
A list like this is ideal for people who feel overwhelmed by big decluttering projects. Instead of tackling an entire room, try one of these approaches:
Pick five a day. Choose five items from the list and find them in your home today. In four days, you will have worked through all 20.
Keep a donation bag open. Keep a bag or box in a closet. When you come across something that no longer serves you, drop it in right away. When it is full, drop it off.
Use a timer. Set a timer for ten minutes and clear out one drawer, one cabinet or one shelf. Ten minutes is short enough that it does not feel like a chore.
Start in the kitchen. Many items on this list, such as restaurant extras, lone lids, old water bottles and unused gadgets, live in the kitchen. Clearing that room often gives you the biggest boost because you use it every day.
Do not overthink it. Scratched sunglasses and broken magnets do not need a family meeting. The whole point of a list like this is that the decisions are easy.
By the end of the week, your drawers will close, your cabinets will make sense and you will likely not miss a single thing. As the caption promises, you won’t regret it.
More From Decluttering Mom
- Mom Shares Three Things She Wishes She Had Known Before Becoming a Mother Including Why Toddlers Are Harder Than Newborns and Sleep Progressions Feel Like a Scam
- Woman’s One Hundred Year Old Mother Clears Out Her Things Almost Every Week and Hands Them Over and This Week the Pile Held a Sewing Kit She Has Wanted Since Childhood
- Dresser Flipper Who Has Restored Over Three Hundred of Them Takes Fifty Dollars to a Thrift Store and Shows Why He Walked Past the Dresser With Metal Drawer Bottoms
