Happy New Year! To kick off 2022, here are 22 physical things to think about getting rid of to start the year with a clean home. This article is 100% inspired by one of Shea Whitney’s recent YouTube videos. I’ve kept some of her ideas and added some of my own. I also included how I would dispose of these items, but do what works best for you.
1. Old sheets, towels, and blankets. Donate – see if you have a local animal shelter that will take these.
2. Clothing and shoes that you didn’t wear this year, don’t fit you/your style anymore, or are stained/ruined. Donate clothing in good condition or see if a friend/family member wants them.
3. Accessories (bags, hats, jewelry, belts, etc.) that you don’t wear, aren’t your style anymore, or are broken/ruined. Donate items in good condition or see if a friend/family member wants them.
4. Masks that don’t fit you or have gotten dirty/worn out. Donate masks in good condition and trash the gross ones.
5. Holiday decorations that don’t fit your style anymore. Donate or see if a friend/family member wants them.
6. General decorations that don’t fit your style anymore. Donate or see if a friend/family member wants them.
7. Appliances and kitchenware. This includes mismatched containers, items that don’t fit your style, random kitchen gadgets, and chipped or broken dishes that you don’t use. Donate ones in good condition or see if a friend/family member wants them.
8. Electronics and cords you have multiples of, are broken, or you don’t use. Donate items in good condition and recycle electronics. Here is information on recycling electronics in Boulder.
9. Books and magazines you won’t read or don’t like. Donate books or see if a friend/family member wants them and recycle magazines.
10. Office supplies that you don’t use. Donate supplies that you can, otherwise trash them.
11. Furniture that is taking up space. Donate or see if a friend/family member wants them.
12. Gifts and impulse purchases. These are items that you received or bought and don’t really like or use. Donate if they’re in good condition, otherwise, trash them.
13. Last year’s calendar. Recycle the pages and trash the binding if there is one.
14. Makeup, skincare, and haircare products that are expired or you genuinely don’t use. Clean them out and use a recycling service to send your empties. Ilia Beauty has a great program that I like to use.
15. Menus and instructions that can be found online. Recycle these!
16. Empty candle jars and essential oils. Clean them out and recycle them if you can, otherwise, trash them.
17. Plants that aren’t thriving. Compost them if you have one, otherwise, trash them.
18. Expired food. Compost if you have one, otherwise trash them.
19. Expired medicines. Trash them!
20. Excess craft supplies. This includes dried paints, markers, glue, brushes that are ruined, and supplies that you know you won’t use. See if a friend or family member would use supplies in good condition, otherwise, trash the rest!
21. Junk drawer. Clean it out, put things in their place if they have one, and trash items that aren’t being used or are actually trash.
22. Broken items that you think you’ll fix but know you won’t or can’t. It sucks, especially if they have sentimental value. If you can get them fixed, do it ASAP, otherwise trash them.
Getting rid of things can be extremely difficult, especially if you think you might want them for the future. If this process seems stressful, start with one or two list items. You don’t have to do this all in one day, but I recommend trying to get this done in a week so it doesn’t drag on. Good luck!