30 Things to Purge in Your Home |FREE PRINTABLE CHECKLIST|

Monday, January 7, 2019

Our homes accrue A LOT of stuff, no matter how much we try to cut the clutter so it's only fair to take some time every few months to purge some of the categories that tend to build up A LOT of excess. 


Today I have a FREE Printable checklist for you and I'll also tell you how and why to purge each category!  I mean it's Winter so what else are you going to do on that random Saturday afternoon when it's snowing?



We'll start with the closet.


Shoes
Sometimes we don't even realize how many shoes we have because they're stuffed so far back into the corner of your closet, which is not only a waste of space but a waste of money if you go out to buy a pair of shoes that you already have.  Take out all your shoes and get rid of anything broken or ripped beyond repair.  Try everything on to make sure they still fit before putting them back.

Coats
We tend to collect coats these days and the problem with that is, we also tend to wear the same one or two options so we really are just wasting space with the others.  Take out all of the coats you have in your home or coat closet and try on each one.  Ensure you have one for spring and maybe two for winter.  This is also a great time to wash any that are dirty or take any nice ones to the dry cleaner.

Socks
Ah, socks.  Those bastards. We seem to lose some but keep the other even though it never gets worn.  And for some reason our sock drawer explodes every time we open it.  So take out ALL of your socks.  Separate any that don't have a match.  Pitch any that have a hole in them.  Then nicely fold them and put them back.  Standing them up in the drawer takes up less space by the way!

Jewelry
Jewelry is a tricky one because we tend to hold onto stuff because we think we will wear it but we never do.   You have to let go of that guilt.  If you never wear it or it's not of any value, donate it!  It'll be easier to organize and display your most prized jewelry items if you get rid of what you don't enjoy.  This is also an ideal time to get rid of any that's broken OR have it repaired.

Then move to the bathroom since that tends to accrue a lot of excess!

Towels & Washcloths
These things build up pretty quickly so you need to do a major purge.  Anything torn and worn in should be either transferred to a dust rag or cleaning cloth, donated to a shelter, or throw out.
Ensure you have a spare set of towels for each member of your household and 2 sets for guests. 

Cosmetics & Hair Products
This is the not so fun part because you probably have a ton of makeup and plenty of hair products to keep your hair looking great for about 30 years on a deserted island.  The problem is that some of that stuff may be expired.  Or you haven't used it in years.  If that's the case - get rid of it.  Anything that you don't think you'll wear or use needs trashed or donated. 

Expired Medications
Why the heck do we keep these things if they're expired?! Oh yea, because we don't know they're expired because we rarely check the label! Go through your medicine cabinet in each bathroom and get rid of any over the counter stuff that's expired.  And for any prescriptions, check with your local pharmacy on how to dispose safely of those.

On to the kitchen!

Cooking Utensils
I know you're frustrated when you go to open a drawer and everything is jammed because you have WAYYYYY too many serving spoons than anyone should need.  So empty all of the drawers and places where you keep cooking and serving utensils. Then group them by type.  Anything you have an excessive amount of duplicates of should be reduced.  You don't want to be stressed and flustered when you're using your kitchen so purge well and purge often!

Mugs
Mugs can be so cute but unfortunately SO bulky.  And honestly, do you really need 25 mugs?  If you can't stack them nicely in your cupboard, you  may have too many.  Go through and get rid of any that are too small (which may mean you rarely use them), and any that are old, faded, or just plain ugly.  Keep only what you use and lose.
 
Expired Foods
Stuff tends to get buried and pushed to the back which means you forget foods that you have and you end up buying more when you don't need it.  Always do a weekly check of expiration dates in your refrigerator, freezer, and pantry.  Get rid of anything that's expired, donate anything you don't want, and add anything expiring soon to your meal plan in the next week or two so you can use it instead of letting it go to waste.

Food Storage Containers
Listen, I love storage containers as much as the next girl but sometimes we get too damn many of them and then something that's meant to store and organize food actually becomes complete chaos in the kitchen.  Take out all of your food storage containers and get rid of any that are greatly worn and discolored, missing tops or bottoms, and any that you really never have a use for.  If you still have too many, next time you have guests over, send them home with leftovers and tell them to keep the containers.  It's the gift that keeps on giving.

Now to the office.

Pens & Pencils
It's great to always have a pen or pencil when you need it but it's not great to have 46 billion.  Throw out any that don't work or are too ugly and uncomfortable to use (like those crappy thin pens that look like they're from the 80's.). 

Cords & Chargers
Nothing is more annoying than opening up a drawer to get a charger and everything is tangled together.  Even worse is when you can't even find the cord you need. Gather all of your cords and chargers. For chargers, figure out what each one goes to and group them together by that.  For cords, group them by length or prongs.  Then get rid of any that are broken or you don't ever need.  With what's remaining, wind them up nicely and secure with a twist tie or with the end of the cord.  Use washi tape or a label maker to label what each cord or charger is for.  You'll thank yourself later, I promise!


Notepads & Sticky Notes
While these can be very useful, sometimes we just have too much and we can't even get them organized.  Determine what you want to keep and what you want to donate, especially when it comes to promotional ones that have ugly logos on them. 


Scissors
Did you know the average American has 14 pairs of scissors?  I'm just kidding, but I'm probably right!   Gather all of the scissors from every room in your house.  Get rid of any junky ones that barely work and keep only the best.  Keep them in a CENTRAL PLACE like the office or craft room. 

For the living room...

DVDs
DVDs are kind of becoming a thing of the past.  Everything's available digitally now on Roku or Apple TV or even Amazon and Hulu so do you really need all those DVDs?  I bet you don't even watch most of them.  Donate them and free up some shelf space!

Books
Same with books.... you can get them digitally now so for books that aren't reference or your absolute favs, consider donating them to a local library. 

Magazines & Newspapers
If you've read them, stop holding onto them! Recycle them ASAP!! You'll find you have less paper clutter stacks which looks good to your guests and makes you feel like you have a bigger more spacious home!

That darn linen closet is next.

Sheets & Pillow Cases
You don't need 30 of each so keep an extra pair of sheets for each bed, and do the same with pillow cases. Everything else can go.  If it's old, don't keep it!! Also, give everything a nice wash if it has a stink to it!

Blankets
Blankets are great but they are very bulky and they tend to be a favorite gift idea at the holidays so most people have quite a few that they don't even use.  If you can't use it as a throw blanket for décor, or practically when you get cold, consider donating it.  If they don't all fit in your closet, that's your sign that some have to go.

Cleaning Products
Cleaning products tend to hide in dark corners under the sink or in a closet so take out everything and organize it by category. Then look at how much you have.  Sure you can get through 10 bottles of Windex in your lifetime, but do you have room to store it?  Give the extra away to neighbors!

Extra Towels & Rags
A lot of us have recycled the old bath towels into cleaning towels and rags but even those can start taking up too much space and we tend to only use the same few rags or towels.  Get rid of any that are nearing the end of their life and keep the best of the best.

The garage is next and you're almost done!

Expired Paint
No need to hold on to pain that's expired, duh!

Dirty Rags
Get rid of the dirtiest of the dirty and replenish your stock with the newly discarded rags from your linen closet that we dealt with earlier!

Broken Tools
Why in the heck do we hold onto tools that are broken?  Seriously?!

Lawn & Garden Chemicals
If it's expired, it's got to go!  If it's never going to be used, it's got to go! 

And of course miscellaneous.

Holiday Decorations
Even though they sit in storage 11 months out of the year, they still take up a lot of room and it's stressful to have to dig through unwanted decorations just to get to the good stuff. If you don't use it or don't like it, donate it.  Keep only what you love and what you actually use in your home.

Pet Supplies & Clothing
Go through the grooming supplies, bowls, leashes, collars, medications, toys, and even clothing and get rid of anything your dogs have outgrown or you don't use.  Donate what you can to another pet in need.

Kid's Toys
Kids these days tend to have an insane amount of toys.  If they don't play with it GIVE IT AWAY!!!!! Have them go through their own stuff to discard what they don't want.  Donate it to kids in need.  Get rid of excessive amounts of duplicates of certain toys.  Get rid of any games that are for kids much younger than yours.

Travel Sizes Toiletries
These are great when you need to travel but if you have a HUGE stock of them that you may very well never get through, AND you keep accruing more, you should probably pare down what you have.  Keep only the best of the best and the stuff you know you'll use. 

So are you ready to get started?   Just grab the FREE PRINTABLE checklist below and get to work!





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4 comments:

  1. I so need to go thru my makeup.

    http://www.amysfashionblog.com/blog-home/

    ReplyDelete
  2. This is exactly what I need right now! So much to get rid of!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. So glad you think so!!! It feels so good to only keep the best of the best stuff! PS I'm honored you stopped by. I love your blog!!

      Delete

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