It’s not really a disease, but all of us admit to having hoarding tendencies. It may not seem like a lot in the beginning – it’s always just a bunch of old pictures taken at work, or a few cardboard boxes from when you moved in, or a stack of paper napkins from your last takeout. Until one fine day, you wake up to find your whole house bursting with so much clutter that it makes you want to hide under the blankets till it all magically disappears.
Unfortunately, it’s never going to magically disappear. So you may as well get out of bed and start cleaning your house out. Yes, we know it seems horribly overwhelming, which is why we’ve come up with a list of things that you need to focus on getting rid of first. Eliminating all these items first will bring down a lot of the clutter almost instantly and make spring cleaning seem a lot more manageable.
Here goes.
3 Things To Get Rid Of From The Bedroom
- That lonely looking chair: You know which one we’re talking about, don’t you. That one chair that found a place for itself in your bedroom because there was no room for it in the living room? You probably put it there thinking it would be a good change to sit up straight in the bedroom for once, rather than flopping down onto your bed, but in reality, it’s just another dumping ground for all your clothes. Move it to a place where it can serve its original purpose. If you can’t think of where to put it, donate it or sell it.
- Broken, mismatched hangers: Technically, these are supposed to hang in your cupboard, but somehow, they manage to find their way onto your dressing table, behind the bedroom door, or under the bed. Collect these strays and toss them into a garbage bag, ready for disposal and invest in some new matching hangers that may even serve as motivation to keep your cupboard neat and tidy.
- The television: We’re all Netflix addicts, and it’s always hard to resist watching ‘just another episode’ even though we know it’s taking away another hour from your beauty sleep. If the television wasn’t in your bedroom, it would be a lot easier to handle the temptation. Do yourself a favor and take the television out. Leave it in the living room, where it’s really supposed to be.
3 Things To Get Rid Of From The Bathroom
- Excess packaging: Toiletries come in bulky packages. These fancy boxes with flamboyant lettering may make your bathroom counter and cabinet look glamorous. But once the novelty of these products runs out, it will only make your bathroom look like a mess. Take those bottles and jars out of those boxes and plastic casings and line them up neatly in your bathroom cabinet. Trash all that packaging material, and wait. We’re not done here yet.
- Unnecessary toiletries: You’re done stacking all your tubes of lotions and jars of creams and now they look like an army of obedient soldiers. Now look at them and pick out the stuff you don’t use. Start with those half-used bottles and tubes – samples that you scavenged from beauty stores. Do you still have that new brand of shampoo that left your hair feeling so greasy you decided you never want to even look at it again? Or maybe a bottle of body wash that caused you such horrendous skin allergies you almost gave up on anything that lathers up? Great. Time to either trash or recycle them.
- Old toothbrushes: Why are we so weirdly attached to our old toothbrushes? Throw these old bristled sticks away – you only need one toothbrush at a time!
3 Things To Get Rid Of From The Living Room
- Newspapers and old magazines: It’s okay to hang onto newspapers and magazines for the coupons and interesting bits of information, but why do you want to keep last month’s magazines? If you haven’t found the time to read them in a month’s time, you’re not going to be reading them anytime soon. Similarly, newspapers that are more than two days old should also be taken out from your living space. Pile everything up neatly and take them to be recycled the next time you head out.
- Last year’s calendar: You probably hung onto this, thinking you’d find the time to transfer important marked dates onto your new calendar. But honestly, you had time till the end of January to do this. If you still haven’t, recycle it.
- Pens with no ink: You’ve bought a whole lot of ballpoint pens over time and now they’ve found a permanent home in that pen stand. Their ink has run dry, and you’re certainly not going to take the time to refill them. Toss them away this instant. Simple.
3 Things To Get Rid Of From The Kitchen
- Expired pantry items: What’s that? A tiny container of cinnamon powder you bought four years ago to make cinnamon rolls? It’s not going to smell or taste the same anymore. The flavor of spices die over time, and other staples like sugar and flour won’t make your food taste any better if they’ve been left lying around for so long. Throw these out. It’s time to stock up on fresh ingredients, and this time, you may want to be more mindful of the stuff you put on your grocery list.
- Mismatched food storage containers: If you think the matching lid of that container is going to find its way back to your shelves again, you’re wrong. Recycle, recycle, recycle.
- Plastic spoons and forks: Every time you order a takeout and you’re done eating, you throw the empty food cartons out but hang onto those packets of plastic spoons, forks, and napkins. You’re never going to be using them unless you throw get-togethers on a regular basis or are constantly eating on the go. Since you already have proper cutlery at home, why not take these to your office and stash them in your desk for use during lunchtime? It’s either that or the recycle station. Take your pick.