Most of us have too much clutter, but where do you start? Here are 10 items that most of us don’t need to hang onto. By starting with things you won’t really miss, you can begin the long process of clearing the clutter in your home.
Elsa Was Right
Is it just me, or does anyone else hear Elsa singing “Let It Go” when they look into their closets?
I used to live two blocks from a Salvation Army, which was super convenient when I was downsizing. Eight bags of unwanted clothes? Haul them over in a shopping cart. Done. For furniture, I arranged for their donation truck to pick up a load.
Now that I’ve moved to a small condo, I don’t have room for crud to pile up so I have a spot where I collect things I want to give away. When there are enough discards, I drop them off at the Goodwill Donation Center not far away.
Not everything is donate-able. The staff at these stores tell me that the modern consumer is understandably picky, so if you have a shirt with a big hole or stain, don’t donate it.
Look around you right now. I bet there’s something within view that you’ve stopped using. Get rid of it.
1. Ironing Boards
One of my first apartments had a built-in ironing board that dropped out of the wall, which was great because I worked in a restaurant that required me to have a crisp shirt. Times change. Now, the only things I iron regularly are freshly washed curtains. This is better done on a wide surface such as a table covered in mats or towels.
When was the last time you ironed something?
If you can’t remember, you don’t need an ironing board. Discount cleaners make it affordable for people to have freshly pressed shirts for work and they put crisp pleats in your skirts better than you could. These days, many of us dress more casually in clothes that don’t require starch or pressing.
Once the ironing board is out of the linen closet, it is easier to get to the towels. Keep the iron, though.
2. Old Socks and Underwear
I know guys who buy the same style of socks in bulk so that if they lose a sock, the remaining sock will match any other sock in the drawer. But some of us have socks for different occasions — sports socks, wool socks, fun socks — making it more likely that when the wash is put away, there’s going to be a bachelor sock left.
Instead of stuffing the unmatched socks back into the drawer, tie unmatched socks into a bundle with one of the longer socks. This way, you can pull them out when the next wash turns up a loner. If the bundle becomes too large (say, five socks), throw it out and start a new bunch.
I See London, I See France, I See Ancient Underpants
Men in particular like to hang onto socks and underwear that have lost their shape or worn thin. A friend of mine had a creative solution for old underwear. He put them in his suitcase to save for vacations. Why? Because you can throw them out after wearing them, which makes room in the suitcase for souvenirs. This is called Naked Traveling because when you unpack after your trip, it looks like you went commando. 
Socially Responsible Suggestions
Did you know that homeless shelters receive fewer donations of socks and underwear than other clothes? Consider buying a packet of socks the next time you’re at a big box store and dropping them off at a shelter. I keep warm socks in my car all winter to offer to panhandlers at stop lights. They are always appreciated.
Several organizations distribute used bras to women in need around the world who would be grateful for the support.
3. Clock Radios
If you still wake up to music or news on your radio, keep the clock, but if you wake up to a cell phone alarm and scroll through your news feed while in bed, get rid of the clock. Many hotels have stopped providing clock radios on the nightstands, opting to provide more plugs for device charging instead.
4. Cups and Saucers
A full set of fancy dishes comes with cups and saucers. If your dishes are heirloom quality, keep the set intact. But if you have cups and saucers that never have and never will be used, clear out the cupboard space and give those teacups away. You know you could use the space for those coffee mugs you use all the time. Do they match? No. But they’re practical, sometimes sentimental, and hard to stack. You need the shelf space from those saucers.
While you’re at it, are any of those coffee mugs chipped? If so, they can go.
5. Old Cosmetics
It’s hard to let go of a favorite lipstick, especially if the shade has been discontinued. I’ve been known to dig pretty deep to get another use out of a tube. Right now, I have two lipsticks on my vanity that I’m saying a long goodbye to before I toss them. Farewell, my friends. You made me look good, but now you have to go.
Mascara cakes up pretty quickly. Eyeliner gets hard. All eye makeup harbors germs that increase as the product ages. Skincare products start to smell bad. Toss any cosmetics you haven’t used in a while.
6. Unwanted Toiletries
If you travel a lot for work and bring home toiletries from hotels ask yourself if you really need four different bottles of shampoo on your next vacation. Probably not.
Those little shampoos and bars of soap are perfect for people who by necessity travel light. Homeless shelters can distribute the toiletries and you could use the space in your bathroom. If you have extra feminine hygiene products, add those to your donation box, too.
The big space hog in many bathrooms is half bottles of shampoo that you didn’t like, or body wash that smelled too strong. I’m someone who thinks long and hard about plastic and environmental waste, so I try to use every product up. I’ve never had anyone say to me, “Did you switch shampoos? You look like crap.” 
But. If you can’t risk a bad hair day, toss the ancient ‘poo, and the lotion that smells like your grandmother, and the rusting shaving cream can.
7. Text Books
If you read your science textbooks the first time, you’re unlikely to read them again. They’re not Harry Potter. Last year, I went through all my books and papers and saved a token term paper to remind me of that period of my life. Of the books, I kept only the poetry anthologies from my English Lit classes and ‘A History of the Modern World’ because I was amused by how much the world has changed since it was written.
If you graduated fairly recently, plug the ISBN of any textbook into Chegg Books or TextBook Rush to get a quote. They will pay for shipping. If it’s been a while since you were a student, call local bookstores or donate them.
8. Mangy Dish Towels
When you have people over and someone offers to help clean up, do you do find them digging through your dish towel drawer for a “clean” one? It’s a mystery why so many kitchen towels have white backgrounds. Has the designer ever dried a cast iron skillet?
If your towels have seen better days, turn them into rags (great for the garage). Make your life simpler by buying black dish towels. Seriously. They come out of the laundry looking good as new. 
If you have aprons you never wear, send them to me. Just kidding. If you aren’t an apron wearer, donate clean aprons to Goodwill. I’m likely to buy them.
Take a look at your potholders, too. If they have giant scorch marks, toss them.
9. Desk Drawer Treasures
My junk drawer holds several padlocks because I keep thinking the keys or combination numbers will turn up. By this time, it’s clear that these are useless. The same goes for random keys that fit no known locks, chargers for devices that no longer exist, and business cards for services that I don’t use.
I have a fantastic pen holder a coworker gave me. It’s carved with horses and cranes in an ancient Chinese style. Only “good” pens make it into this holder because it’s frustrating to grab a pen and have to go through four before finding one that still works. As soon as a pen falters, toss it. I know you think that if you store a marker in a different position the ink will seep into the pen tip. It won’t.
Everyone’s junk drawer has gadgets you thought you might need some day. If you haven’t used that treasure in several years, you never will. Clear the clutter.
10. Promotional Items From Work
Every time I go to a big conference, I get a water bottle, a tote, and a t-shirt. The bottles are too big to fit in my purse so they don’t get used and the t-shirts are never flattering. If you like the tote bags and brightly colored promotional backpacks, pick a favorite and donate the others to a shelter.
If you can see the progression of your company’s logo in the freebies you’ve stashed away, it’s time to get rid of them.
But keep the coffee mugs.
Conclusion
Get into the habit of tossing things out as you spot them. Your house eventually will become less cluttered and you’ll be more aware of what you already own. 
