In every room of your house, you’ll probably find things that are several years old. However, the question is how many of these items are useful, and how many of them are not? Until you actually ask yourself if you really need something that hasn’t been used or touched in years, you tend to leave it where it is and allow it to add to the clutter in your home.
Caroline Nucifora, professional cleaner at Simply Maid says “If you were to face facts, the truth is that a lot of us keep useless things because they hold sentimental value. Other homeowners, on the other hand, believe that some of these useless things are valuable or may come in handy down the line and hence, refuse to part with them.”
Well, it’s time to reconsider what you’ve been holding on to if you’re tired of living amongst the clutter that has taken over your home! With that said, here are 6 types of useless items found in almost every home!
Worn Out Clothes and Shoes
If you cleaned out your closet and opened up those shoeboxes under your bed, you’ll find plenty of worn out cloths and shoes that you wouldn’t dare to wear again. So why leave them there to take up space and clutter up your room? Get rid of them today and while you’re at it, donate other clothing items and shoes that no longer fit you or just aren’t your style anymore. You’ll be amazed at how many unwanted clothes and pairs of footwear you’ve been holding onto for no apparent reason!
Broken or Unused Electronics/Appliances
Remember those good ol’ flip phones we used before touch screens took over? You’ve probably got one stored away in a drawer filled with other broken or unused electronics such as MP3 players, Discmans, facial hair trimmers, etc. Similarly, non-working appliances like toasters, irons and hair appliances may also be taking up storage space because you believe that someday you’ll take the time out to get them repaired. Well, if you haven’t done that in the last year or so, chances you never will! Unused electronics, on the other hand, can also be donated or given to someone who’d be more than happy to make use of them.
Reading Material
From books and magazines, to newspapers and newsletters; most of us can agree that 90% of our reading material at home is just cluttering up our bookshelves and coffee tables. Where books are concerned, you may have a few favorites that you don’t want to part with which is fair enough; however, you need to reconsider the rest of your reading material and donate it to a library. Hold on to a bunch of newspaper, though; you’ll be amazed at how many household uses there are for old newspaper.
Containers with Missing or Broken Lids
What happens when the lid of one of your favorite air-tight containers gets lost or breaks? Do you keep the container believing that you’ll use it for something or the other, sometime or the other? Well, chances are you haven’t found any use for it or the dozen others that are stacked up in your storage cabinets. Similarly, you may own cracked containers with the lids in perfect condition but sadly, they can’t be used. So, if they’re useless to you, do away with them!
Old or Broken Toys
Getting rid of old or even broken toys is hard; not just for your kids, but for you as well! Many parents get sentimentally attached to certain toys that their kids are fond of and hence, hold on to them as reminders of those golden memories. While it’s okay to keep one or two of these old toys in your kids’ bedrooms, the broken ones need to go! Similarly, other old toys can be donated to orphanages where they can put a smile on another child’s face that will happily make new memories with them.
“Disliked” Gifts
Unfortunately, there are occasions when we are gifted something we don’t like but pretend that we do so that the giver’s feelings aren’t hurt! We then hold on to them even though we know they’re never going to be used (by us). Re-gifting them isn’t the best idea but donating them to welfare homes is. The gift giver never has to know and you’ll feel better knowing that someone is going to make use of those brand new items.
Elizabeth Plumb has written the article. She is a food lover and social media enthusiast. She writes about parenting, DIY, crafts, home décor, traveling, activities and recipes on her blog http://thehomemakersjournal.com/. She is also a passionate green-enthusiast, love gardening.
