Decluttering your home can be a challenging task. Deciding what to keep and what to part with isn’t always simple, especially when you’ve got lots of stuff. Fortunately, we’ve got some advice to help you decide what to retain and what to get rid of.
Throw away: anything that’s broken
Old electrical appliances that no longer work are at the very least useless, and at the very worst, dangerous. Throw them away now. Most local authority or community dumps have a section specifically for old electrical items. If it’s just a case of your electrical devices being incompatible or unsuitable to your needs, then consider selling them online or donating them.
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Throw away: anything that’s expired
This doesn’t just apply to the food in your kitchen cabinets that’s past its use-by date, but any expired medicines and old makeup and perfume. Old cosmetics can harbour lots of nasty bacteria that can cause infections, so it’s definitely in your best interests to get rid of it. This also applies to old skincare and haircare products.
Keep: mementos
You don’t have to be completely ruthless when decluttering your home. Just because something is deemed as unessential doesn’t necessarily mean you don’t need it. We all have certain possessions that mean something special to us. The most obvious items that belong to this category are family photographs, but there will be other things that you’ll want to hold onto because they remind you of a happy memory or a lost loved one. It’s a good idea to keep those cherished items as they’re part of your identity and your life. If you’re struggling for storage though, keep your most prized possessions safe in a secure unit from Safestore.
Throw away: clothes that don’t fit
That dress you’ve held onto for years in the hope you might one day fit into it is not only taking up space, it’s depressing to look at. Donate it, give it away, or sell it online. Should you do ever find yourself in the situation where you’re able to fit into that size in the future, you’ll most likely want to buy a new wardrobe anyway.
Throw away: old or stained fabrics
Unless it’s your child’s essential comfort blanket, there’s really no reason to keep anything that’s stained. Old towels and sheets, even if they’re not noticeably dirty, should be thrown out when you replace them with new ones. A lot of animal shelters will take old sheets and towels, so look at donating them to your local pet rescue.
Keep: essential documents
It might sound obvious, but there are certain documents you should never throw away. Keep these documents together in a safe place, so that you know where to find them and you don’t accidentally chuck them out while cleaning up. These include driving licence, birth and death certificates, insurance policies, passports, bank and credit card statements, education certificates, recent receipts and bills, and any other official documents or important correspondences.
Throw away: anything that’s useless
Once you’ve decided what to keep and what to throw away, have another look over all your stuff. There’ll be things that you’ve overlooked because they don’t fall into any of the above categories. If you find something like that, and it doesn’t have any use for you, then you can get rid of that too. Also look at any multiples or duplicates. While it helps to have a few spares of certain items – such as batteries or light bulbs – there are things that you don’t need several of. Do you really need three hairbrushes? Look over all your possessions and discard all the duplicates.
Conclusion
Deciding what to keep and what to throw away when decluttering your home can be taxing. Follow our advice to help you streamline the process.
