Life is too short to spend time browsing through 50 mismatched socks in the hope of finding at least one complete pair. Donate or throw away these things and declutter your life. We promise, you won’t miss them!
The said mismatched socks
We all have them in our sock drawers! Was it your cunning washing machine (why do they never give back as many socks as were loaded!) or a family pet who stole them – it doesn’t really matter? What matters is the only thing you can use them now for is to get crafty and create something new. Not your best skill? Get rid of unmatched socks entirely!
Lidless Containers
Seriously, where do lids always go? We have a theory that they are being sucked into the same black hole as the socks! Recycle any containers without lids to make your life more organised.
Disposable cutlery
Had too much takeaway food lately? Check if you still have those plastic or bamboo forks and knifes in your kitchen! We doubt you’ll ever use them again.
Takeaway sauces
Since you have takeaway cutlery at home you most probably also have a small sad packet of soy sauce from your favourite sushi place or McDonald’s ketchup waiting for their chance to be noticed in the fridge. The thing is, if you don’t use them immediately, you most probably won’t ever. So it’s better to throw everything away before they expire or there is an unfortunate leak.
Open bottles
Did you know you can only drink red wine for two weeks after opening the bottle and white lasts for only three days? Knowing that now, you might want to restock your cabinet.
Baby clothes
Well, this one is tough! There are so many amazing memories connected with these small pieces of clothing. But we all know, there is no way your grown-up kids can fit into tiny overalls any more. Donating old baby clothes will help families in need!
Excess Hair Ties
They somehow always get magically lost two minutes after being bought. But don’t be too excited to find your favourite pink one under the bed. Your hair deserves better than something that was on the floor for God only knows how long.
Old Medication
It’s a good idea to check the expiration date of your pills every now and then. Practice shows that we think we get sick way more often than we really do, so there might be quite a few outdated cough syrups sitting in your drawer right now.
Worn sheets
They’ve been used for so long, they’ve basically became translucent? Many animal shelters will be happy to accept old sheets and towels to keep their pets warm and cosy.
Promotional T-shirts
Unless it’s your ‘relax, I’m home’ style, you probably never wear those free T-shirts you got from a charity organisation you were volunteering for or for participating in a marathon. So why keep them in a closet when you can donate?
VHS tapes
Seriously, why do you still have those? Everything is streamed online these days. You’ll be glad to know that VHS tapes can often be recycled with e-waste.
Skincare and makeup products
You might be hanging on to that ancient mascara because it was really expensive but using old makeup can lead to a really nasty eye infection. Best you wave good bye to your all time favourites!
Plastic hangers
Grabbing a hanger with a new T-shirt or trousers in a store always makes us secretly excited. You can’t have too many hangers, right? But for some reason we end up never really using them. Get rid of hangers that are too small, too big or too ugly.
Dead batteries
While binning old batteries might sound scary, recycling them is actually way easier than you thought and is, of course, way better for the environment. So instead of trying to find a single working one among hundreds of dead batteries, recycle them and start fresh!
Jewellery
We’re not talking about family jewels or valuable gems, of course. But there are always some sneaky cheap pieces that we’ve only worn once. They most probably don’t even look good anymore! If you don’t wear it – send it off to a donation pile!
Dated magazines
You have our permission to keep the focus collection. The rest of the stack can easily be recycled! If some of your copies are turning 20 or more this year, you might want to put them up on eBay – they would be considered vintage and could bring you in some money!
Painful shoes
Ok, even the idea of getting rid of shoes sounds painful! They are so cool, on-trend and absolutely adorable! But let’s be honest, if you can hardly walk out the door in that pair, you probably don’t need it. Organise a clothing swap or a garage sale – lot’s of fun and you can really make a Cinderella out there happy!
Candles
Let’s be honest, even the biggest fans of scented candles can never burn all of them all the way down to the bottom! Throw away old ones that you’ve had enough of and donate or share with friends the new ones that don’t happen to have the scent you like.
Old phones
Are we in a museum of outdated technology? You’ve already updated your gadget so there is no need to keep the old ones. You can trade in, donate, or recycle your devices — usually right at the store.