Table of Contents
Quick Summary
- Many people hoard items hoping they’ll be useful someday, but clutter keeps piling up instead.
- Inertia and emotional attachment are major reasons clutter stays in homes for years.
- Overloaded closets, kitchens, offices, and storage areas reduce space and increase stress.
- Regular decluttering prevents homes from turning into dump yards.
- The pandemic highlighted the importance of sharing and donating unused items.
- Kitchens should be cleared of unused plastic containers, expired food, receipts, and unit askers.
- Home offices need decluttering of old papers, magazines, calendars, and unused gadgets.
- Closets benefit from removing worn clothes, shoes, accessories, and linens.
- Bedrooms and living rooms often hide broken, outdated, or unused items.
- Garages and storage areas should be cleared of old supplies, costumes, keys, and broken furniture to restore calm and organisation.
Most of us hold on to things with the hope that we will use them “someday.” Unfortunately, that someday never arrives. What does arrive instead is clutter—piling up in corners, cupboards, and closets until it overwhelms our living space.
Over time, closets overflow with clothes and bags, workspaces turn into stacks of ageing files and books, and storerooms become graveyards of broken electronics and outdated memorabilia. What many fail to realise is that decluttering is not a one-time task, it is a habit that must be practiced regularly to prevent your home from turning into a dumping ground.
As ‘Elizabeth Larkin’ author of “30 Items You Can Get Rid of Right Now” published on thespruce.com, points out that one of the biggest reasons people hold on to clutter is because of inertia: once you bring something home, you forget about it, think you might use it “someday.”
Feels relatable?
Then, this blog is just for you. Here’s how you can begin your journey to get a clutter-free home and feel the magic of living in an uncluttered space.
Things to get rid of in your Kitchen
Our kitchens are often the biggest clutter zones, though we may not realise it. Here is how you unearth and clear the clutter from your kitchen.
01. Plastic Containers : Unless you need to take food with you to your workplace, trash the ones not required. Especially the ones without lids.
02. Receipts and menus–In the world of the 21st century, where you get everything at one click on your smartphones, extra menus and receipts should be trashed to avoid clutter.
03. Unitaskers – One-time use gadgets are a big no.
04. Expired Pantry Items/Medicines – Every item loses its flavour after six months, be it spices or staples. Do not keep medicines that have passed expiry date.
Things to get rid of your Home Office
Here’s to know how to declutter home office:
01. Newspapers/ Magazines–All old newspapers, magazines shall be recycled, or your favourite clipping should be filed. ‘Liz Kane’ says, (an author of the article – How to Get Rid of Stuff around the House. Published on budgetdumpster.com). Almost every family has a stack of old magazines hiding somewhere in their living room. Unless a magazine holds some historical or sentimental value to you or your family, there’s no reason to hang onto it.
02. Pens without inks–Any stationery item which is empty and cannot be used shall be trashed.
03. Old Cell phones – Outdated cell phones shall be donated or trashed.
04. Last Year’s calendar – Recycle the old calendars after noting down the important dates into your new ones.
Things to get rid of your Closet
To know about things to get rid of your closet, we have points below:
01. Mismatched Socks–Keep a small container for mismatched socks in your closets for a month. If the pair is not found, reuse the socks for other purposes or donate it to poor
02. Old Shoes/footwear – The pair of old footwear that are no longer used or do not fit or have lost sheen should be discarded immediately.
03. Accessories you never wear–Organize and store the ones you wear and donate the ones you never wear.
04. Broken Sunglasses/Old Spectacles – You always think that you will buy the kits to fix them but you end up not buying them, so throw them. Similarly, those spectacles which are not according to your current “eye number” have no reason to be there.
05. Old towels and beddings – Old linens can gladly be donated to animal and healthcare centres.
Things to get rid of your Bedroom
Know about how to get rid of things from your bedroom from here:
01. Bedside table junk–Old prescriptions or medicines in your bedside tables are just increasing the clutter.
02. Old clothes–Ill-fitting clothes or torn ones but your favourite ones can be reused for other purposes or donated for better use. Especially the old underwear that is causing your skin allergies shall be thrown away.
03. Broken hangers – There is no good reason to hang on to the hangers that do not hang anymore.
04. Old pillows – The bedroom can end up into a sea of old and deflated pillows that need to be thrown. These can be donated for better use anytime.
Things to get rid of your Living rooms
Here’s to know about things to get rid of your living rooms:
01. VHS tapes and DVDs–Everything these days can be streamed upon your gadgets easily. It is time that you got rid of the old DVDs and disks.
02. Old board games–All the board games with missing pieces are just junk lying there and eating up the space in your house.
03. Remote controls – Chuck out old and unhandy remote controls when you buy new devices for your house.
04. Phone books – It has just become an old directory and an artefact these days. The phone book directories just eat up the space when you can easily look for any contact number on the web.
Things to get rid of your storage areas and garages
Let’s learn about Things to get rid of your storage areas and garages:
01. Crafting Supplies–The supplies from your five years old project is of no use now and shall be trashed without a say.
02. Cards–Greeting cards are outdated these days. People send wishes through social media and digital cards are the trends being followed. Pick the ones that have emotional value attached to it and bid good bye to the rest.
03. Old costumes – Costumes that you wore years back are just lying in the storage units now and creating a mess. Get rid of these.
04. Keys – Any key that does not open a lock serves no purpose. Try recycling the keys instead of throwing them away.
05. Gifts: You may feel guilty discarding some gifts, but these gifts and old souvenirs should go out if you feel it has no meaning anymore.
06. Children’s School Projects: Keep only the best and discard the rest.
07. Broken Heirloom: There is immense sentimental value attached to heirlooms, but if broken beyond repair, then there is no value to it.
Things to Get Rid of in the Bathroom
Your bathroom is one spot where most of the clutter may be hiding. Check this list below and identify which of these items are turning your bathroom into a clutter zone.
1. Expired Toiletries: Sometimes, we stock products and forget to use them. Discard any such product that is past its expiry date.
2. Hotel Shampoos and Soaps: We bring home most of the complimentary hotel toiletries and never use them, allowing them to pile up unnecessarily.
3. Old Toothbrushes and Razors: Replace and throw out old toothbrushes and dull razors.
4. Empty Perfume Bottles: We sometimes stock empty perfume bottles because they look aesthetic. But they are quietly adding to the clutter.
Things to Throw Out ASAP
Are you wondering what more needs to go out of your home to reduce the clutter and make your home truly breathe, here are a few more things.
1. Last Season’s Sunscreen: Sunscreen and most cosmetics degrade over time and should be discarded.
2. Broken furniture – The furniture pieces you have stored for long thinking that you will fix them someday, is never going to get fixed. Reuse them for something else or trash them for good.
3. Donate the books you have finished reading to libraries or schools.
Now that you know how to get rid of unnecessary items in your house, also read:
Tackle Your Basement – How One Weekend Will Get You Organized!
FAQs on Household Things to Get Rid of Immediately
1. Why Is Decluttering Important For A Home?
Decluttering reduces stress, creates more usable space, improves organisation, and makes daily living more peaceful and efficient.
2. How Often Should I Declutter My Home?
Ideally, decluttering should be done every 3–6 months to prevent the buildup of unnecessary items.
3. What Items Should I Get Rid Of First When Decluttering?
Start with expired products, broken items, unused clothes, outdated electronics, and old papers.
4. What Should I Do With Items I No Longer Need?
You can donate usable items, recycle materials, repurpose certain items, or responsibly discard unusable ones.
5. How Does Decluttering Affect Mental Well-Being?
A clutter-free space promotes calmness, reduces anxiety, improves focus, and gives a sense of control and relief.
References
Elizabeth Larkin (2020) 30 items You Can Get Rid of Right Now. [Online] Available from: https://www.thespruce.com/items-you-can-immediately-throw-away-2647975
Liz Kane (2021) How To Get Rid of Stuff Around the House. [Online] Available from: https://www.budgetdumpster.com/blog/how-get-rid-stuff/
Author & Expert Review
Written By: Neha Bhasin | Guest Author
| Neha Bhasin – Neha Bhasin is the Principal architect of Pramana Design Studio, a leading design consultancy firm with a strong design instinct in projects that range from recycling land and master planning to the design of spaces, hospitality, houses, and commercial buildings, thereby engaging diverse issues, multiple constituencies and varying scales from interior design and architecture to urban design and planning. She has a degree in Bachelors in Architecture from Apeejay Institute of Technology, SAP, Greater Noida with a Certification in Housing Planning and Policies focused on Housing and Human Environments from the Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee. Neha has a well-demonstrated history of 7 years, and besides being a prodigious reader, she has assisted many professionals in editing books from an architect’s perspective. |
Verified By Expert: 
Farhan Shaikh – Senior Manager – Architect, SDCPL | Associate Member – IIA
This article has been reviewed for architectural and interior design accuracy by Farhan Shaikh, Senior Manager – Architect at Sthapati Designers & Consultants Pvt. Ltd. As the lead for all architectural and interior projects at SDCPL and an Associate Member of the Indian Institute of Architects (IIA), he brings hands-on experience in architectural planning, interior design, project coordination, and sustainable strategies. His review ensures the content reflects practical design considerations, industry best practices, and real-world applicability across both architecture and interior spaces.
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