Here is a challenge for your next free hour. A professional organizer who goes by @thedeclutterdarlinguk has put together a list of 20 things she thinks you should throw out today, and she says she can almost guarantee there is at least one item on it that you completely disagree with her about.
Her list is full of the small, ordinary things that sneak into every house. Some of them will make you nod, and a few may make you wince. Here is the whole list, with some thoughts on each one.
@thedeclutterdarlinguk
Bedroom and Bathroom Items
1. Old pillows. She means the ones that are flat, stained or permanently lumpy. You do not need to keep them as spares. A pillow that no longer supports your head is not helping anyone, and animal shelters will sometimes take clean old pillows, so it is worth a call.
5. Tatty towels. She says they do not all need to become cleaning cloths, and asks how many cleaning cloths you really need. Keep a small stack of rags and send the rest on their way.
8. Expired sunscreen. Look for the little symbol on the bottle that shows how long it lasts once opened. If it is out of date, dispose of it. Sunscreen that is past its date may not protect your skin the way it should.
13. Bedding you never put on your bed. Her test is simple. If you actively avoid using a set when you change your sheets, that is your answer.
6. Empty perfume or aftershave bottles. Unless you are collecting them, let them go. As she put it, the perfume is not coming back into that bottle.
7. Old makeup bags. Somehow we collect about ten when we only use one, maybe two.
Kitchen and Cleaning Cupboard
2. Chipped mugs and plates. She asks a fair question: if you always reach for something else, why is the chipped one still in the cupboard? Chips can also harbor germs and may cut a lip, so there is a safety reason too.
12. Reusable water bottles nobody chooses. Everyone has a favorite, she says, and then there is a surplus shoved at the back of a cupboard. Keep the ones you use.
14. Cleaning products you do not like. If it streaks or smells strange, do not keep it just because it cost a few pounds. You are never going to use it again. Check the label before you toss, because some cleaning products should not be poured down the drain, and your local waste service can advise.
15. Takeaway condiments. That drawer full of tomato sauce and soy sauce packets is not a fast food emergency drawer. You will never use them.
9. Packaging for things you already own. You do not need the box your hair dryer came in nine years ago.
Desk, Drawer and Garden Shed
3. Dried up pens. She wonders why we put a pen back in the drawer even after discovering it does not work. Test them on a scrap of paper and toss the ones that fail.
4. Old prescription glasses. Keep your current pair and maybe a spare, but do you need every pair going back to 2007? Many opticians and charities collect old glasses for reuse, so ask around before you throw them in the bin.
10. Dead batteries. Recycle them properly, and stop putting them back in with the new ones, which only causes confusion. Many stores have a collection box near the entrance.
11. Old plant pots. Keep a few, she says, but do you really need a tower of 37 stacked in your shed?
16. Old phone cases. This is especially true if you no longer have the phone that fits it.
17. Broken clothes hangers. They are the ones that make your clothes fall on the floor. Get rid of them.
18. Candles you do not like the smell of. You are not suddenly going to fall in love with festive Christmas pine this year if you did not last year.
19. Mystery spare parts. If you have kept a screw for nine years in case something falls apart, she says, we are safe now.
The Last One Is the Most Important
20. Anything sitting in your home waiting to be thrown away. She means the broken toaster, the ripped bag and the cardboard box beside the back door. If you have already decided it is rubbish, finish the job. As she says, decluttering does not count if you are just moving the clutter from the hallway to the front door. Get it out of your life.
This final item may be the most useful of all, because it targets the stage where many people get stuck. Deciding is only half the work. A pile by the door is still clutter, and it is still taking up space and energy, so schedule the drop-off or the trash day and follow through.
Which Item Will You Refuse to Part With?
She says she can almost guarantee you will disagree with at least one of these, and she invited followers to tell her which one. That is the fun of a list like this. Maybe you adore your stack of spare pillows, or you really do use that mystery screw. Take a moment to notice which item sparks the biggest reaction in you. That reaction can tell you something about what you have attached meaning to.
You do not have to agree with every point. The aim is to look around your home with fresh eyes. Even if you clear just ten of the twenty, you will have more room, fewer things to dust and a bit more peace of mind.
A Simple Way to Use the List
Print or write the list and walk through your home with a bag. Start in the bathroom and bedroom, move to the kitchen, then finish with the desk and the shed or garage. Put anything usable in a donation box and the rest in the bin or recycling. Aim to finish in a single afternoon, and take the bags out of the house as soon as you are done.