I’m a decluttering expert – there are 8 things to get rid of right now to be clutter-free
WITH spring upon us, cleaning has become a ritual in almost all households.
However, the issue most people have is deciding on what to keep versus what should be tossed.
Lucky for you, an organizing expert revealed eight things you should dispose of to remain clutter-free:
OLD DOCUMENTS
Tamar Prager revealed to that the first step to take towards decluttering any household is tossing old documents.
"In an age where almost all the information we want is accessible on the internet, we don't need to hold onto papers and documents year after year," shared Tamar."
She recommended disposing of any expired warranties, old tax documents, and your child's schoolwork.
As for financial documents, this includes any old bank, credit card, and mortgage statements that can be found online.
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More importantly, she suggested shredding any documents with personal information such as medical papers.
For those hard-to-toss items, Tamar advised scanning the items and keeping them on "a cloud-based service like Dropbox, Google Drive, or Microsoft's SharePoint."
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DAMAGED OR IDENTICAL KITCHENWARE
It's best to keep the kitchen space as open as possible. Therefore, Tamar kept it simple.
She proposed: "Keeping items that are used often or have a specific sentimental value; everything else can be discarded or donated."
As for plastic containers, business owner Malaika Lubega suggested throwing out any container that is stained or missing a lid.
Other items to consider donating is any duplicate of cooking utensils, knives, and serving ware.
EXPIRED FOOD
A good inspection of your fridge and pantry items is needed from time to time.
This means tossing out any old tuna cans stuck in the back of the pantry, stale condiments you may have, or moldy produce.
Founder of Clean My Space, Melissa Maker, advised even researching what "best before" dates really mean before throwing any food out.
EXPIRED BEAUTY AND BATHROOM PRODUCTS
Combing through your makeup and skincare products is also necessary.
For these products, Melissa advised searching for the small logo on the product that seemed to look like a lid with a jar open.
She said: "It will have a number and that number tells you how long a product is good for after you've opened it."
Along with makeup products, experts revealed shampoo and conditioner bottles with one or two pumps left in them can be tossed.
CLOTHES NO LONGER USED
Although this can be harder for some more than others, downsizing your closet is for the best.
Founder of NEAT Method, Marissa Hagmeyer, reported this included donating any piece of clothing that is unwanted, rarely used, worn-out, frequently overlooked, doesn't fit, or gifted, but never used.
STAINED TOWELS AND LINENS
The linen closet is no exception.
Instead of simply getting rid of these items, the owner of Huza Home Concepts, Malaika Lubega, suggested donating the worn-out blankets and towels to animal shelters.
And at the same time, you can get rid of any extra bedding you have around the house and check what needs to be replaced.
JUNK DRAWER ITEMS
Most homes possess the one drawer that gets stuffed with a variety of random items.
To avoid this, Melissa recommends giving this drawer an intentional purpose.
Therefore, toss all the ink-less pens, dead batteries, empty tape dispensers, broken phone chargers, and other unusable items.
OLD OR BROKEN TOYS
Many fellow parents can relate to their child's overflowing toy box, especially after the holidays.
This now makes it a great time to go through the toys and set a pile for those that can be donated or given away.
And discarding any damaged stuffed animals.
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And while decluttering is important whether you live in a house or an apartment, another lifestyle expert shared the three things she doesn't own to save space.
Since this woman lives in a tiny New York City studio apartment, she decided it was best to live without a dresser, dining table, or television.
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