We all have some type of clutter in our lives, but knowing where to start with clearing it out can be downright overwhelming.
Today I wanted to share a quick list of 150 things you can toss out right now, to help you jump start your decluttering journey and live a more organized life!
These are all things you can either throw away or donate, depending on what the item is. If you own things that you no longer use or love, let’s get them out of your home!
I also created a free printable checklist for you with all 150 items to help you have quick and easy access as you go on your decluttering mission throughout your home 🙂 Be sure to fill out the form below to download it for free!
Here are 150 things you can toss out right now:
- Receipts you no longer need
- Spare contact lens cases
- Puzzles with missing pieces
- Old nail files
- Broken jewelry
- Hotel key cards from past vacations
- Dictionaries
- Old potpourri
- Phone books
- Bridesmaid dresses (you can donate to an organization like operationprom.org)
- Cookbooks you’ve never used
- Vacuum cleaner attachments that you don’t even know what purpose they serve
- Wire hangers from the dry cleaner
- Hair ties that are too stretched out to use
- Worn out flip flops
- Old sunglasses that aren’t your style anymore
- Old remote controls that you don’t think control anything in your house anymore
- Prescription eyeglasses that are no longer your prescription (visit lionsclubs.org to learn how to donate)
- Incomplete decks of playing cards
- Allen wrenches from assembling IKEA or other DIY furniture
- Take out menus (these are all online now)
- Free promotional items you’ll never use (tshirts, pens, random knick knacks)
- Unmatched gloves
- Chargers for old electronics
- Old business cards
- Magnets (unless you currently use them)
- Broken Christmas lights
- Chopsticks and sauce packets from take out food
- Clothes that haven’t fit you in years
- Carpet remnants
- Filled coloring books
- Unmatched socks
- Scratched nonstick pans
- Dried up nail polish
- Duplicate or bad photos
- Umbrellas that are bent or broken
- Cosmetic bags you got for free but don’t use
- Disposable cameras (get the photos printed first)
- Old textbooks from school
- Old papers or notebooks from your school days that you won’t need again
- Anything you hate to wear
- Books you’ll never read again (consider donating to a library)
- Musical instruments you no longer play
- Flower vases you never use
- Anything your kids have outgrown that you don’t intend to save for your grand kids
- Junk mail
- Old newspapers
- Promotional matches you never use
- Expired coupons (unless they’re from Bed, Bath, & Beyond…they’ll still accept them 😉 )
- Old computers (wipe the data first)
- Old cell phones and their accessories
- Random knick knacks
- Old party supplies you won’t use again
- Clothing with too many stains or holes to confidently wear
- Old bills or paperwork that you no longer need
- Old makeup
- Expired sunscreen
- Key chains you don’t use
- Old name tags or badges
- Excess pens and pencils (keep a few and then toss the rest)
- Frayed cords for your electronics
- Pieces of chalk that are so small you can barely use them
- Hair products you never use (old hair sprays or products you bought to try once but never liked)
- Old cleaning supplies
- Extra shoe laces
- Paperweights (unless you have a compelling reason why you use these)
- Combination locks that you can’t remember the combo to
- Travel mugs that leak or you never use
- Extra buttons when you don’t even know how to sew
- Extra scissors if you have more than two pairs
- Broken ear buds or headphones
- Ticket stubs from movies or concerts
- Markers that are dried out or no longer have caps
- Old phone covers or screen protectors
- Bookmarks when you have more than one and never read more than one book at a time
- Cookie cutters that you haven’t used in 3+ years
- Extra organizers that you don’t use
- Unexpired food you don’t intend to eat (consider donating non-expired pantry items to your local food pantry)
- CDs you’ll never listen to again (consider donating to your local library)
- Expired medication
- Old sneakers
- Board games with missing pieces that make it impossible to play
- Anything that no longer works
- Unloved stuffed animals
- Worn out underwear and bras
- Old teeth whitening trays or strips
- DVDs you’ll never watch again (consider donating to your local library)
- Curling irons or hair straighteners that you don’t use
- Old lip balm
- Belts that are worn out or no longer fit
- Extra tape measures (you can only use one at a time anyway)
- Plastic cutlery
- Recalled baby items
- Miscellaneous ribbons or strings
- Old hard candy (if you don’t even know where it came from, it probably won’t be that yummy anymore)
- Video games you’ll never play again
- Stretched out bobby pins
- Wall posters you’ll never display again
- Random nails, screws, and anchors in your tool box that you have no idea where they came from
- Old greeting cards (keep or take pictures of the super sentimental ones but recycle the rest)
- Frayed or stained towels and washcloths (consider donating to a local animal shelter)
- Old magazines
- Gift cards with a $0 balance
- Extra cups or mugs when your cabinets are always busting full with them
- Empty boxes (consider offering them to a friend who is moving in the near future)
- Old perfume
- Duplicate kitchen utensils (how many ladles does one need?)
- Wrapping paper scraps that have been sitting with your gift wrapping supplies for years now
- Used candles or new candles that you won’t burn
- Accessories you never wear
- Old stereos or boom boxes
- Old lotions and moisturizers
- Any decorative item you don’t love
- Old notes or journals from high school
- Dead house plants (don’t feel bad, I can never keep them alive either 😉 )
- Store reward cards you don’t use
- Old sheets that are past their prime
- Old blankets that haven’t been removed from your linen closet in 5 years
- Broken hangers
- Hotel soap you brought home from a trip 5 years ago
- Tupperware with lost lids
- Anything that you are keeping because you feel guilty about spending money on it
- Crafting supplies you haven’t used in a year or more
- Old and flattened pillows
- Flashlights that don’t properly work anymore
- Any kind of craft project you’ve never finished (sewing, scrap booking, etc.)
- Memorabilia items that don’t really mean much to you
- Old information packets you no longer need
- Suitcases you haven’t used in 10 years
- Old product boxes (from your computer, phone, etc.)
- Expired food
- Broken or unused kids’ toys
- Candle holders you don’t love or use
- Broken appliances
- Product samples you won’t use
- Exercise equipment you don’t use
- Furniture you never use
- Broken or unused pet toys
- Hats, scarves, or gloves you don’t wear
- Gifts you don’t want or need
- Stockings with runs in them
- Old batteries
- An orphan earring that you can’t find the mate to
- Outdated electronics
- Dried up glue
- Used ink cartridges
- Old calendars and personal planners
- Fabric scraps you haven’t used
- Extra twisty ties in your kitchen drawers
- Anything broken that you don’t intend to fix
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Don’t forget to grab your free checklist!
This list is great. I was ready to read roll my eyes at this thinking you were listing the typical things like junk mail, etc. But you even got specific with things like contact lens cases. I definitely have a ton of those scattered around. Lately, I’ve been adhering to the bring me joy rule. If I don’t need it or it doesn’t bring me joy, it shall be tossed.
Haha thanks so much Terri, glad the list pleasantly surprised you! 🙂
I laughed to myself when I read “sauce packets from take out food” because I used to keep those for so long. There’s something about Chinese take out soy sauce – even though I already have soy sauce and never end up using it.
This is a VERY helpful list to keep around.
My hubby and I used to keep those all the time too Krysta, but also never used them haha. I bet that’s more common than we think!
Hey Christina!
So happy you’re blogging again! I hope your little one is healthy and doing great!
What an amazing list. I sure need to put this list on my fridge and work on it for early January. I really like the specific things you mentioned that I wouldn’t have thought to remove like old suitcases or candle holders.
Thanks so much for putting this list together for us mamas!
Aw thanks so much Elna! My little guy is 3 months old now and we are all doing great! I hope you and your family are as well 🙂
This is great! You may want to add this link next to the broken headphones/ear buds: https://store.thinksound.com/pages/recycling-rewarded
This company will recycle headphones (even broken ones) and send you a 15%off coupon to their recycled/refurbished headphones. Even if you don’t buy from them, it’s a great use of your unwanted items.
Thanks so much for sharing Audrey!!
This list is awesome! I don’t know why but I always hang onto Tupperware containers with lost lids in hopes I will find them again! I love the suggestion about donating old glasses. Thanks for posting this!
Thanks so much Leah!
You can donate old cell phones to women’s shelters, Life Cell or to Cell Phones for Soldiers.
Thanks so much for sharing Loreall!
Hah! Stretched out bobby pins and old magazines! Those are big ones for me! I actually just did a major cleaning out of my apartment and got rid of almost everything on this list! It feels amazing! This is an awesome list for reference! Thanks for sharing 🙂
That’s so awesome to hear Ali!!
This list is really helpful! I did a major decluttering in my home a year ago but it’s time to go through again and get rid of these kinds of things. It’s amazing how much stuff can sneak in 🙂
Thank you Laura, so glad you found it to be helpful!
I HATE throwing things away!! Even if they’re not longer useful to me I always feel they could be for someone. I just donated 2 garbage bags of old towels, sheets, pillow cases, and stuffed animals to a rescue animal shelter. They were so thankful and even came to my house to pick them up so I didn’t have to load and deliver them. I get much more joy from doing something like that than I do just trashing things.
Tossing things out right now ! lol
Oh my goodness this makes me feel like a hoarder! My husband and I just “cleaned” out our house for a garage sale and I thought we had done a fairly thorough job of getting rid of things we’ll never use again.
Looking at this list, however, I quickly realize there are so many little things we missed. I’ve decided we’re doing a declutter part two so we can catch all those little things taking up space in our house. Thanks for such a comprehensive list!
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Thanks Christina for the post. Finally someone came with the great list. I’m definitely going to share it. It would a great tip for some people.
I take exception with a couple things on the list. Everyone should have 2 suitcases, a carry-on and a larger one. They can be nested and filled with out of season clothing if space is an issue. Many people get emergency calls and have to make a quick trip to the airport, the carry-on is especially useful for hospital stays, would you suggest having to use a garbage bag?
It is best to also keep the newest “old” cell phone and charger, at least one per household, as long as it works. All carriers can switch service in a few minutes should a phone break or get lost. My husband and 2 of my grandchildren have had to reactivate old phones, saving hundreds of dollars and taking only a few inches of space.
There’s nothing wrong with keeping a suitcase or two, yes, I agree. However, her suggestion was to get rid of old suitcases that were unused for 10 years. I use an old suitcase to harbor out of season items as well, but for me a box sits better in my closet.
This list will definitely be my top priority Christina!!! The list is definitely one of the best home cleaning checklists for maintaining your home clean and clutter-free. Thanks for sharing.
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The list is definitely one of the best home cleaning checklists for maintaining your home clean and clutter-free. I quickly realize there are so many little things we missed. I’ve decided we’re doing a declutter part two so we can catch all those little things taking up space in our house. Thanks for such a comprehensive list
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I like the list, hope for more posts like this. I always thinking about to take a trip by car to Chicago, this ismy list to do !