10 Items to Purge from Your House Right Now

As a professional organizer, I get asked all the time, “Where do you even start?” and the answer to that is YOU JUST START. In today’s post I am sharing some really easy areas to start on to really see BIG results in your decluttering journey. Let’s go!

Old Linen

During my recent purge of my linen closet (which I thought was fairly decluttered to begin with) I realized how many sheet sets, blankets and towels I was holding onto for no good reason. I had 2 of my childhood blankets saved but they hadn’t been used in YEARS. I had sheet sets saved for guests but we don’t even have stay over guests that often! I also had tons of towels that I had saved for emergencies like the laundry flooding but decided to finally just let them go and not keep them in fear of needing them one day. I got rid of 3 huge bags just from this one small linen closet and it felt great!

Unused Clothing

It is crazy to think that we probably only really wear 10% of the clothes we own. We hold onto some simply in hopes to fit into them one day or maybe we spent a lot of money of them and feel guilty that we don’t like them anymore. The truth, however, is holding onto those clothes isn’t going to give you that money back anyway! So, you might as well get it out of your closet and let someone who would actually use it, have it.

Expired Food in Fridge and Pantry

Working at different clients’ homes, I have experienced that a lot of people hold onto expired food in the pantry and fridge. That is not to say that they are EATING the expired food. They just have it tucked away in the back and this is all taking up prime real estate in their kitchens. Getting rid of just the expired foods will give you back so space and make the other food more accessible.

Old Makeup

Did you know make-up has expiration dates? I honestly didn’t know for the longest time! I held onto an eyeshadow palette for over 10 years until one day I finally thought, “Hey, why do I still have this?” haha Sometimes we just hold onto things because we always have. It becomes a habit. But remember, just like you don’t want to put expired food into your body, you don’t want to put expired makeup on your beautiful face 😊.

Unused Undergarments

Yes, I HAD to bring up this one! There are so many of us who hold onto old undergarments just for the heck of it. Maybe that bra was really expensive and you can’t bring yourself to toss it. Or maybe you spent tons of money on shapeware that you don’t use anymore. Again, keeping these items isn’t going to give you your money back so you might as well let it go and free yourself of the guilt you feel every time you open your drawers.

Unused Cleaning Products

I recently went through all of my cleaning products and realized I don’t even use most of them. I have my few favorites and stick to them. I finally just got rid of all the products I don’t use, including some mops and a steamer and now I so much extra room in my laundry room! If I have a large amount of cleaning supplies to purge, I usually try to donate them to a cleaning service company. They are always so grateful!

Duplicate Kitchenware

Let’s be honest. There are some items in your kitchen that you just gravitate to and love. I have 3 spatulas but I ALWAYS go for my favorite. I have 4 mixing bowls but I always use my favorite one. I have a few non-stick pans but again, I typically like to use one in particular. So, why keep all the duplicates? Might as well give them away and let someone else make use of them.

Magazines/Books

I used to keep magazines in hopes to be able to follow recipes in them or apply ideas for decorating my home. I’ve come to realize that I am not in the season of life right now to keep up with all the ideas and recipes and keeping all the books and magazines just isn’t practical or worth it. Every time I passed the magazines, I actually felt bad because I wasn’t finding the time to apply all the great ideas. Dawn from the Minimal Mom on YouTube talks about the “silent to-do list” and that definitely applied in this case!

Boxes/Packaging

We used to keep tons of boxes and packaging in our attic for future use. It was taking up so much in our attic until one day we decided to give everything away to someone who was in need of them in our neighborhood. It felt so nice to be able to help someone and get our attic cleared out. Truth is if one day we need lots of boxes, someone would probably love to give us some or we could just buy some from Home Depot or Lowe’s.

Unused Furniture

This is a big one-literally! Sometimes we keep furniture in our home just for the sake of keeping it but truth is furniture takes up so much space and if not being used properly it can really make our home look cluttered. If you have extra cabinets in your home that you aren’t using, sell them! If you have a random couch in your room that you don’t use, sell it! Trust me, you will LOVE all the extra space…and money😊.

Remember, decluttering is a JOURNEY and not a destination. There will be something to declutter everyday but after awhile it honestly becomes so much fun to get things out of your home haha.

I was talking to a friend of mine the other day and she asked me what I do to de-stress and my answer to her was “I get rid of stuff!” haha

It is truly LIBERATING and I want you to experience this for yourself.

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Hello! I'm the owner and one of the professional home organizer at Organizer With Lia LLC. Organizing and writing are what excites me and what I love to do for others. It’s my way of giving back that gives me something greater in return.

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Lia Brady

Professional Organizer

Hello! I’m the owner and one of the professional home organizers at Organize With Lia LLC serving Birmingham, Huntsville, AL

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