Every home has clutter, whether you’re conscious of it or not. Some things are so small or insignificant that they get overlooked when you’re on your tidying up spree. These are the things that are the most insidious, seeming to multiply when you turn your back. Read on to find out several items you should throw out right now, without even stopping to think about it.
Expired items
Whether you’re talking about old antibiotic you didn’t finish or the spices in the back of the kitchen cupboard, expired items are everywhere and can harm you if you use them.
- Food items: Check your pantry for old spices, dry goods, canned goods, or any packaged food. When done, take a minute to go through your refrigerator and ditch the expired condiments like ketchup, mayo, hot sauce, or salad dressing.
- Spices: Don’t forget to sort through your seasoning packets as well as the boxes and bottles of seasoning.
- Medication: Prescription medication can be especially harmful, but over the counter things expire as well. Contact your pharmacy for instructions on how to dispose of items correctly for the safety of pets and small children in your care.
- Make-up: A lot of bacteria lives in old make-up. So even if it’s something that hasn’t expired, if you’ve used for several months, it might be time to toss it.
Writing instruments
Toss out non-functional pens, dried out markers, broken mechanical pencils or those well-chewed pencils populating your desk drawers.
Socks
Whether they’re missing a match or have a hole in the toe or heel, it’s time to let them go. No, you’re not going to fix them, and its mate is probably long gone (No. No one knows where it went).
Grocery Bags
While reusing plastic grocery bags is a great idea, just how many do you need? Keep a reasonable number for reuse and recycle the rest.
Old Reading Material
Cull the magazines and release any books you’ve finished reading and are not likely to read again. A lot of places love donations of these items, such as shelters, jails, and nursing homes. Share the love of a good book with others rather than keeping your space cluttered.
By paying attention to the little things around us, it’s easy to find a lot of clutter that you might sweep under the radar. A quick toss of these items will free up more space than you think and leaves your world much tidier.
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