Corral your clutter and lighten your load.
House Beautiful magazine recently posted an article about clutter. I have a high tolerance for certain types of clutter, and at some point, if I am able to find space for everything, I stop seeing it. Having moved several years ago, I have become tougher and more discriminating about what I will allow into my home. There are categories of clutter that many of us allow to accumulate, when we really should take a hard look and clean the situation up. Here are some items that are notorious clutter creators.
Vases that come from the florist. I like many of these vases, and do reuse a few. The remaining 27 florist vases should be culled from the herd.
What to do about it: Florists will take back unwanted vases. I love an easy upcycle solution.
Kitchen gadget and appliance drawers and cabinets. I love kitchen gadgets and if I want to write about one for A Sharp Eye that I haven’t actually used, I order it. My husband says the best thing that ever happened for UPS’s bottom line was when Ginny and I founded ASE.
What to do about it. Many used kitchen gadgets and appliances should not be foisted on anyone else and should be discarded, which adds to our landfill crisis. If items are in good condition or unused, they should be donated to a needy nonprofit, or your local public library if they have an appliance lending program.
Take out menus. I have a drawer full and they are not only outdated, but are hardcopy we no longer need to keep because it’s so easy to go on line to order take out.
What to do about it. Throw them all away.
Plastic food containers that jump out at me from overstuffed cabinets. I think it’s so wasteful to throw them away and a few do serve as great leftover food storage.
What to do about it. Definitely throw out the ones that have permanent marinara sauce stains. Choose two containers of each size with lids, and recycle the rest.
Gift wrap supplies are on the list of clutter creators, but not in my house. I have way too much gift wrapping but I love it all, and will use it up someday.
What to do about it. Keep using it and then buy more!
Jane Mount – Ideal Bookshelf at Etsy
Shelves of cookbooks. I love cookbooks but I find these days the internet has become my source for recipes.
What to do about it. Keep three or four that you use and love. Pass the rest along to friends who might want specific ones or donate to your library or used book sales.
Linen closets are sneaky clutter centers. I keep pillows, blankets and sheets that I never use because I just can’t bear to get rid of them. Pillows can have dust mites so should never be stored.
What to do about it. Usable linens can be donated to women’s shelters or animal shelters and clinics. Old sheets make great cleaning and polishing rags if you don’t mind ripping them up.
Beauty products, especially nearly empty ones seem to accumulate in the bathrooms of my home. I’m not sure why the nearly empty or finished products cannot make it into the trash can. Expired make-up is not safe to be used.
What to do about it. Throw out empty and finished beauty products. Throw out expired make-up. Mascara should be replaced every three months, foundation and concealer replaced every year, and lipstick and eyeshadow should be replaced every two years.
Appliance manuals and instructions. I have boxes of instruction manuals that I rarely consult.
What to do about it. Take a photo of the page with your appliance’s model number. That’s all the information you need to keep. Everything else you might want to know about the appliance you will find on You Tube.
