I’m starting this year with a quick little post with a list of things you can declutter this year. Although I say, “toss it” and “throw it in the trash,” I don’t want you to send everything to the landfill. Please take the time to dispose of your items responsibly. Most municipalities have many options for selling, consigning, donating, gifting, recycling, and more. Our Where to Buy, Sell, or Donate webpage has a comprehensive list of resources if you are in British Columbia’s Lower Mainland. Many professional organizing colleagues list similar resources in their local areas.

1. Beauty Products: Donate or give away soaps, shampoos, lotions, etc. (including all those hotel and sample-size products.) For cosmetics, check the expiry dates at Check Cosmetics or Check Fresh. Expired products should go in the trash.
2. Personal Hygiene Items: Rusty tweezers, broken nail clippers, and over-stretched hair elastics should go in the trash. You can often donate unopened packages (e.g., toothbrushes, menstrual products, etc.) and clean, good-quality cosmetics bags. Decide on a minimum number to keep and let go of the rest.
3. Medications and Vitamins: Return expired or unused portions to a pharmacy for safe disposal. Never throw them in the trash or flush them down the toilet.
4. Hangers: Get rid of broken and bent hangers or ones too slippery to hold clothing properly. Return wire hangers to the dry cleaners.
5. Clothes, Shoes, and Accessories: Donate items that don’t fit your body or lifestyle. That includes out-of-date wedding and bridesmaid dresses and shoes. If they are beyond repair, take them to Vancouver’s Zero Waste Centre for recycling.
6. Jewelry: Sell or donate items that you don’t wear. If they are family heirlooms, offer them to someone else in the family first.
7. Hobby and Craft Supplies: How many projects did you complete last year? Assume you’ll do the same amount this year. Let go of all the supplies you won’t use. If you made a New Year’s Resolution to spend more time on your crafts, keep your supplies for three more months, then re-evaluate. Donate your paraphernalia if you are working slower than you thought.
8. Sporting Goods: If it’s damaged or worn out, send it to the trash bin. If it doesn’t fit but is still in good shape, you can donate it or give it away. If you haven’t participated in the sport for two seasons or more, declutter this year and give everything away. However, if the lack of involvement was due to health reasons or other family obligations (e.g., pregnancy, caring for an aging parent), keep the items and re-evaluate next year.
9. Books: Give away books you won’t ever read. If they are in good shape, let them bring joy to someone else. Toss damaged musty smelly books.
10. Hardware: Keep a small collection of various-sized nails and screws and let go of the rusty, bent ones. No one needs dozens of IKEA Allen keys, either. Keep one of each size and dump the rest.
11. Toys, Games, and Puzzles: Whether they belong to children or adults, it’s time to say goodbye to broken toys and games or those missing pieces. If they are in good shape but unused, pass them along to family, friends, or community centres.
12. Mugs, Glasses, and Sport Bottles: Most cupboards are full of wine glasses, plastic sports bottles, travel mugs, and more. Keep the ones that are easy to clean and toss or donate the rest.
13. Disposable Plates and Food Storage Containers: Keep the best; toss the rest.
14. Unused Appliances and Cookware: The roasting pan, crockpot, ice cream machine, or pasta maker – if they’re broken, let them go. If they are in good shape, donate them.
15. Fridge Magnets: Declutter your fridge door and let go of those magnets. Keep just enough to hang your children’s artwork and move the rest to a whiteboard in the toy room or toss them out or donate them.
16. Office Supplies: Toss pens that don’t work, dried-up markers, broken staplers, and most of that pile of dried elastics and rusty paperclips.
17. Videos: If you have VHS tapes and DVDs but no machine to play them, or you have a machine with no DVDs or VHS tapes, it’s time to wave goodbye to your stuff. Donate what you can. Recycle the broken equipment as e-waste.
18. Cables and Power Adapters: Keep two cables (one and a spare) for each device you own. If everyone in the family uses the same cable to charge their device, keep one cable per person and create one charging station in each room.
19. Houseplants: If you have dead plants, toss them. If you don’t want to care for your live plants, give them to a friend or neighbour. If you aren’t regularly cleaning (2-3 times per year) your artificial plants, consider parting company.
20. Holiday Decorations: If it’s too much work to put up your decorations, you probably don’t need to keep them. If they are family heirlooms, offer them to family members before you sell or donate them.
21. Gifts: You can keep something if it was a gift, but you don’t have to keep it because it was a gift. If it doesn’t suit you or your lifestyle, let it go. It’s the thought that counts.
22. Items You Borrowed. Return items to their rightful owner. Ensure it is in the same condition in which it was loaned. If not, repair or replace it. Remember to say thank you.
23. Stuff That Doesn’t Belong to You. If people can look after their own stuff, let them look after their own stuff. Of course, there are exceptions (as many parents know), but generally speaking, don’t let people use your home as their storage unit.

If you want to declutter this year, contact the Out of Chaos team. We’d be happy to help.

Image by Ake on rawpixel.