When it comes to decluttering your home, you will understand the principle of the discard pile. These are the items that are, quite frankly, surplus to your requirements, either because they are no longer fit for purpose, or because they are needlessly filling up space in your home.

If you are trying to work out what to keep and what to discard, you can safely add the following to that pile of items in you no longer need to have cluttering up your home.

Old clothes. If there is anything in your wardrobe that you no longer intend to wear, perhaps because they have gone out of fashion or because you can no longer fit into them, then send them to a charity shop. If you, like many of us, seem to have a surplus of odd socks in your drawers, recycle them or put them to better use. And if you have more shoes than you know what to do with, send your least favorite pair to charity, or throw out any that have become overly worn and tattered.

Old furniture. Dining tables with broken legs. Mattresses that have long since ceased to become comfortable. Sofas that have lost their lumbar support. Furniture fabrics that are stained with goodness knows what. If you have items of furniture that have long since past their best days, get rid of them. Contact a haulage company to take them away for recycling purposes. And if you have any furniture that you just don’t like anymore, for whatever reason, donate them to charity or sell them online. Then treat yourself to something new, such as oak furniture for your dining room, a new sofa in your living room, and a more comfortable mattress than what you may have been used to.

Duplicate items. For whatever reason, our homes often have duplicate items filling up our living space. We might have stored more Tupperware boxes than we need, just in case we might need the extra storage one day. We might have films on both VHS and DVD. We might have bought ourselves something ‘new,’ forgetting that we already have the same item hidden away in our homes. And family and friends may have gifted us with the same items, and so as not to hurt their feelings, we have kept them in their homes, despite the added clutter. But let’s face it. Do we need more of the same item? More often than not, no! Therefore, reduce your clutter by saying farewell to those surplus items, either by donating them elsewhere, recycling them, or selling them online.

And there’s more. There are plenty of items you don’t need to keep in your home, but if you’re a bit of a hoarder, you might well have done so. Consider the following. Expired food, old medications, empty bottles, old phone chargers, cables from old (and removed) electronic items, bills from accounts that are no longer open, toys that your kids are too old to play with. These are the things you don’t need, so add them to your discard pile, and create more room in your home for anything you might instead need in the future.

So, what about you? Have you related to anything in this article? Are you holding onto things that you don’t add actually need? If so, you know what to do. Throw, donate, recycle, or sell. Both you and your home will benefit if you do!

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