131+ Items I Recently Decluttered This Year
Photo by Imani Clovis on Unsplash
Like most people, I was inspired this year to declutter by watching Marie Kondo. But I didn’t actually start cleaning everything until I started to entertain the idea of moving this year. I realized I had a lot of extra stuff I could live without and I didn’t want to move it all with me. Not only that, but it helps that I’m the kind of person who if she doesn’t see something right in front of her, she’ll probably forget it existed.
Part of this was learning more about living a sustainable lifestyle and trying to go low waste. Along with low-waste, I ran into minimalism. Although I like the idea of living a minimalist lifestyle, I’m not sure I could ever call myself a minimalist
Although maybe in the kitchen I could because I hate kitchen clutter, extra cooking devices that cost hundreds of dollars only to be used a couple of times, and I don’t make a lot of fancy recipes.
But, I was inspired by all the nice photos on Pinterest to clean out some extra stuff I don’t need. And realized some things I thought I needed, but I really don’t. The only thing I regret getting rid of right now is some of my National Geographic History magazines because I recently wanted to get back into making collages. But I can always get magazines from other people. So I’ll live.
So anyways, I started on a mission to clean out at least half of my bedroom. I wanted to make extra space. Especially in my closet where I ended up donating three trash bags of clothes and accessories. When I move eventually, I’ll have to get a moving van because I have a lot of furniture than when I moved in.
I’ve written out a list of all the items I could remember donating or throwing away. Hopefully this will inspire you to think of items you could donate or give away if you are looking to clean out areas of your house.
Old clothes
Hats
Mismatched socks
Bras that no longer fit
Ruined undergarments
Ruined pantyhose
Most of my college shirts
Teddy bears
Necklaces I rarely wore
Worn out shoes
Shoes that no longer fit or were comfortable
Pjs that didn’t fit
Pants that didn’t fit
Clothes from middle school or really dated
Extra winter scarves, hats, and thin gloves
Earrings missing their buddy
Old and broken bracelets
Bangles
Broken bags or wallets
Magazines (I never read them again but I kinda regret this since I want to make collages again but I guess I will have to get some from other people)
Extra make up (I love buying make up but I had a bunch of products I tried and didn’t like laying around)
Mascara (I dislike the feeling of it so I won’t be buying any again)
Foundation (my skin is nice enough I feel I don't need to cake it on anymore)
Nail polish (got rid of old ones I didn’t wear and some I weren’t sure what chemicals were in them)
Old and expired eye shadows
Eye shadows Without color payoff
Lipstick I didn’t like
Extra makeup brushes
Body lotions (hate them)
Old razors
Hair bands (used to wear them all the time in college but now I never do with my glasses)
Cheap hair ties (I use scrunchies now. I love the look and feel).
Broken or hair accessories that didn't fit my hair type
My hair dryer (I’ve been air drying my hair for years now)
My curling iron (my roommate showed me show to curl with my straightener)
Manicure sets
Nail stickers
Disposable pads (I use reusable)
Disposable face wipes/cotton rounds (I use reusable)
Skin care products that didn't work for me
Free cups
Extra mugs
Flimsy plastic bowls
Extra water bottles
Plastic measuring cups (I got metal ones with the measurements engraved)
Tupperware without lids
Gross Tupperware
Takeout menus
Old cookbooks
Ruined cooking utensils (melted things mostly)
Broken coffee maker (I was supposed to be sent a replacement by the company but it never arrived)
Fake flowers and plants
Dead plants
Purged my rock collection
Old swimsuits
Old electronics I didn’t want
A tablet that no longer worked on my computer
A go-pro
Broken earphones
Portfolio pieces I didn’t want to include any more (graphic design major)
Old textbooks
Expired or unused medicine (dropped off at my local police station drop box)
Fiction books I never read again
College catalogs (for grad school I will probably never go to)
Throw pillows
Wire hangers (returned to local dry cleaner)
Wall art I no longer liked
Extra business cards I never needed or looked at
Extra unused notebooks and journals
Used up pens
Pens I hated
Stickers
Extra astrological tools
Old planners
Extra Bibles (I honestly only need two. My mini travel version and my confirmation version)
Decorative crosses
Knicknacks I no longer felt attached to
Extra old phone cases
Extra eye glass cases
Old pairs of glasses
DvDs (I can always watch things online)
Greeting and holiday cards
Catalogs
Junk mail
Coupons
Old Paperwork
Bills that were taken care of
Folders I no longer needed
Extra file boxes
Broken pencils that never sharpened correctly
Receipts from last year
Papers from college
Unused membership cards
Games with too many missing pieces
Wax melts I didn’t like or use
Candles I never liked
Thin wire baskets that only held big items
Rubber bands
Extra envelopes Missing their cards
Manuals I never looked at
Extra buttons
Extra boxes from shipping
Unfinished craft projects
Dried up glue bottles
Broken or matted paintbrushes
Screen printing materials
Fancy scissors and paper things
Extra sets of color pencils
Oil crayons
Extra sketchbooks
Used sketchbooks
Paint I never used
Paper scraps
Washi tape
Perfume I was never going to finish
Promotional products
Broken purses
Holiday decor
Gift wrap
Gift bags
Old Christmas lights
Tiny vases
Old towels
Dead batteries
Bookmarks
Bouncy balls
Extra lanyards
Stale food
Expired food
Condiment packets
Plastic silverware
Food we never finished
My recipe book (digitized)
What are some items you’ve recently gotten rid of?