I’ve been on pretty big minimizing and decluttering kick lately and I wanted to share some of my tips of items to declutter today!
I’ve always tried to be intentional about what I bring into my home, but lately I’ve been more ruthless about what gets to stay in my home. I would consider myself an aspiring minimalist, and I’m constantly trying to get rid of the things that don’t bring me joy or don’t get used in my home.
I wanted to share 50 things that you can declutter in your home and you won’t even miss! This is part 1, because I felt like doing all 50 things in one video would be way too long! So here are the first 25 things that you can declutter today!
Unused/half used candles that you don’t really love
Personally I stay away from using candles in my home because they are full of toxic ingredients. But I haven’t always been like that and I used to have half used candles that I didn’t really love but held onto for “some day”. Just get rid of these and you’ll be doing your health and your home a favour!
Extra blankets
I don’t know about you but over the years we’ve accumulated a lot of blankets. I like to have a few extra for guests, or 1 extra to switch up seasonally…but having 10 extra blankets isn’t necessary so get rid of the ones you don’t use anymore!
Extra sets of sheets or towels
This is similar to blankets, but there’s a good chance you have more sheets and towels than you need. We have 1 extra set of sheets, a few extra pillow cases and just a few good quality towels. If you can, get rid of the old, ripped towels that you don’t use anymore and just keep a few nice ones!
Unused appliances
If you have a toaster, a toaster oven, a microwave, a crockpot, instant pot, a rice cooker, an air-fryer, and all the things…Go through them and think about which ones you use the most, and if any of them aren’t necessary. If you only cook rice once a month, you can probably just do it on the stove. Small appliances actually take up so much space, plus you might be able to get a decent amount of money if you sell them!
Unused kitchen gadgets
Did you get 100 random kitchen gadgets when you got married? Maybe you have an ice cream scoop that you never use, or you have 3 can openers that you’ve been holding onto in case one breaks. Just get rid of the rest!
Duplicate cooking utensils
When we got married we received something like 15 spatulas. For some reason everyone added a spatula in with their wedding gift. I held onto them for too long because it felt wasteful to get rid of them. Eventually I chose a few favourites in a few different sizes and donated the rest!
Old water bottles/travel mugs
Water bottles and reusable coffee mugs seem to accumulate because they are common free items if you go to different events, or win a prize. But there’s a good chance you have 1 favourite and never use the rest. So just be honest with yourself and get rid of the travel mugs that you NEVER use.
Extra pots and pans
You probably don’t need 3 frying pans, or 5 different sizes of pots. It’s totally reasonable to have more than 1 pot, but be realistic and think about how many you ever use at one time. The only frying pan I kept is my cast-iron because I never used any of my others. And then I have a few different pots that I use on a regular basis.
Extra tupperware
We only have glass tupperware and we don’t have a ton. When I put them away, I put the container with it’s lid, so we don’t have the infamous problem of never finding a match to a container. Go through your tupperware and get rid of EVERYTHING that doesn’t have a match, or just extras that you don’t use.
Coffee mugs that aren’t your favourite
Mugs are another thing that tend to accumulate because they’re common as gifts. There’s probably 1-2 mugs you use on a regular basis. I keep several extra mugs for guests, but you likely don’t need 20 mugs so just pick out your favourites and donate the rest!
Food you didn’t like
Maybe you bought a new type of pasta, or a baking ingredient to try and just didn’t really like it. Consider giving it to a friend who will use it, or just get rid of it. Yes, it’s wasteful, but otherwise it’s just taking up space in your pantry until it expires.
Decor that you don’t really love
I think this is a hard one for some people. Maybe you have a word sign hanging up, or a few trinkets displayed. You don’t hate them, but you don’t smile every time you look at them. Honestly, just get rid of things like that and make your home clutter-free saving space for only the things you REALLY love!
Cleaning supplies
Do you have a whole bunch of bottles of half empty cleaners? Or maybe you want to swap your household cleaners for green cleaning products. Try to use them up before buying anything new, or just get rid of the product if you’ll never use it. You don’t need 20 different cleaners…I clean my whole house with 1 bottle of cleaner!
Wires and cables
A lot of people have an entire drawer full of mystery wires, cable and cords. Obviously don’t throw away an important cord, but if you have cords that you really don’t know what they belong to, just get rid of them. Don’t hold onto broken phone chargers, or especially cords for old phones, cameras that you don’t even own anymore!
Craft supplies that you haven’t used in a year
Ok so maybe you bought supplies for a craft that you intended to make, but never got around to it. Or maybe you did get around to it, but have leftover paint, string, or whatever supply you used.
Expired medication
Last time I cleaned out our medication I found stuff that had expired 3-4 years ago. We basically never use medication, so I wasn’t super surprised…but there’s no point keeping expired medication that you can’t use anymore! Another easy thing to declutter today!
Hair and makeup products you didn’t love
This one can be hard because makeup and hair products are often expensive. But the reality is that if you bought a foundation that breaks you out, or a shampoo that leaves your hair oily…you aren’t going to use it. Maybe you can find a friend who will use and love the product, but otherwise just accept the loss and get rid of it.
Hair tools
Do you have several curling irons, or a hair straightener that you NEVER use. You might even be able to sell these and make a few dollars!
Nail polishes
In college I was a nail polish junky. I held onto them for sooo many years because I had spent money on them. Finally I was sick of storing them, so I Just saved a handful of my favourites and was able to sell the rest!
Single socks
Do I even need to explain this one? Just get rid of them! Such an easy thing to declutter today.
DVDs
I kept my very favourite in case they are ever removed from Netflix, but you don’t need to keep 50 DVDs to movies you don’t even really love!
Books
Same as DVDs, there’s nothing wrong with holding onto your favourite books that you know you’ll reread…but if you have books that have been sitting on your bookshelf for 5 years and you still haven’t read them. It’s time to just donate them and give someone else the opportunity to read them.
Pens that don’t work
Or just extra pens in general. I’m an accidental pen thief and have somehow ended up with 1000 pens from our church. Either return them back to their owner, or just donate them and keep a handful that actually work. I promise, you’re never going to need 50 pens!
Anything broken
Don’t hold onto broken things because you think you’ll fix them eventually. Either go fix it right now, or get rid of it!
Shelves or dressers that you don’t need anymore (because you’ve decluttered things ?)
When we did our last big clothing purge, we were able to get rid of an entire huge dresser! There’s a good chance you’ll even be able to sell some of your furniture for a decent amount of money!
If this helped you think of ideas of items to declutter today, be sure to pin it for later or to share with a friend!
