Best 24 things to declutter in 2024 for a minimalist home
The 24 best things to declutter in the new year for a clutter-free home
1. Declutter craft supplies you’re not using
Have you ever walked into Michaels or another craft store and thought “Ooooh, I love this fancy bobble, I shall have it!” only to never use it again?
Craft supplies are a common area of clutter. Work through the area and honestly declutter what you are not using or have not used in the last year.
2. Expired toiletries
Did you know that your face lotion and other toiletries have expiration dates? It does! It’s on the bottom and might say 12 or 24. This is how long the product is good for after you open it. I recently grabbed an old one that smelled…not good! Decluttered!
3. Old receipts
I get it, you buy something and think “I better hang onto this!” What I suggest is keeping them in an envelope and regularly discarding them after a certain period. You can also take a photo of receipts you think you’ll need again. You can even use apps to organize them like Dext.
4. Books you’ll never read again
I love books. They’re pretty, they have great stories, and they are full of information. Yet, they can multiply and take up a lot of space. I’m all for keeping the odd classic because it looks good (I mean, the ODD classic, not every book), but if you don’t plan on rereading all of those John Grisham books, consider donating them to a book sale for charity.
5. Declutter old makeup
Just like toiletries, makeup also can expire. I have been guilty of grabbing a mascara that’s over two years old and then applying it to my eyelashes. Ewww! Not good. As it turns out mascara should be discarded after only three months.
6. Old and excess linens
Do you have old towels and sheets just collecting dust in your linen closet? You are not alone! Old linens are good things to donate to animal shelters, and decluttering them will free up your space too!
7. Old magazines
I used to keep a stack of old magazines on my coffee table. Why? I’m not sure, I don’t think I ever picked them up, yet there they stayed. Are you like me or the others who like to keep old magazines and newspapers? Unless you’re keeping a recipe (take a photo or photocopy), I say recycle them!
8. Incomplete items
We all know the sad tale of the food storage container with no lid (no go ahead and store them with the lids on), or the socks with no partner. Now is the perfect time to declutter the sad incomplete items.
9. Extra coffee mugs
Coffee mugs used to be the quintessential gift to give anyone: “world’s best mom”, “world’s best teacher”, “Funcle: just like dad, but way cooler.”
Yet, mugs can multiply and start to take over your cupboards. If you find yourself drawn to certain mugs, but not others, consider decluttering the ones you’re not using.
10. Old greeting cards
This might be a hard one because some can be sentimental, and I’m not saying to declutter all of your old greeting cards. I have a greeting card with my grandma’s handwriting, one with my nana’s handwriting, and one with my dad’s. I don’t need every single card, but I love to look at these few and remember my loved ones.
11. Old spices
Not the cologne, although you could declutter that one too if you want! Oooh, Old Spice reminds me of my grandpa, so sweet.
I’m talking about the spices that you’ve had in your cupboards for twenty years! Did you know that when spices get old, they lose a lot of their flavour and fragrance?
Declutter the expired ones and reinvigorate your taste buds again!
12. Old medications
Pop open that old medicine cabinet and have a look at your medications. Did you know that when medications expire they can lose effectiveness OR become more effective?
A great place to bring old medications is a pharmacy.
Check out this video when I decluttered my old medicines and prescriptions.
13. Unitaskers
A great way to declutter your living space is to tackle the unitaskers that are living in your kitchen. Unitaskers are items that only do one thing, and often something else can do that thing too. Consider the avocado scoop. A caveat here, if you love it and it’s helpful, keep it!
14. Digital services you’re not using
Do you have streaming services that you’re not using? There are some good ones out there, but I love my brother’s technique:
He subscribes to Disney+ for a few months, then switches to Netflix, then to Amazon Prime. It’s a great way to not spend so much money on streaming AND to perhaps spend less time watching TV.
15. Newsletters you’re not reading
I’m a fan of newsletters, but if you find yourself instantly deleting them when they come in, perhaps consider unsubscribing. You can always resubscribe. I say this AS someone with a newsletter, but if you’re not reading them, don’t keep them.
16. Mailing list subscriptions
Have you ever bought some socks online only to be subscribed to a mailing list? Next thing you know you’re getting daily emails from a bunch of stores. 30 emails a day! Consider unsubscribing.
17. Old calendars and planners
When I was a kid, my mom would write all events on the calendar. Dates like “lost a tooth,” first step,” etc. How would she know where to look? I’m not sure. The other problem is that they got lost during a move. Not only do keeping old calendars and planners make finding these dates hard, but they also take up space! I suggest writing the important dates down on a master document and decluttering the planners and calendars.
18. Old paint
When we moved into our home, there were about 20 paint cans. Handy if you want to touch up something here or there, but once we changed the colours, the old paint had to go. Not to mention that several were dried up. Just make sure you jot down the names and codes of any colours you still have!
19. Unused candles
Have you ever smelled a candle you didn’t like? Ugh! The worst! If you are like old me, you would just put them back in the cupboard and forget about them! A better idea would be to donate them! Let someone love that candle you think is terrible.
20. Expired food
If you open your pantry and see food boxes with dust, this is a good indication that you’re not using it. The last time I checked my expiry dates, I was appalled that some were over 8 years old! Not everything goes bad, but sometimes the quality can suffer. Go through your pantry and put what needs to be used up first in the front, and declutter what is old and expired.
21. Little bits
Little bits are those random items that collect in corners of drawers or even on counters. If you go looking for them, you will find them! Sometimes you’ll even find something you like. You will LOVE how much tidier things feel with these little bits gone.
22. Cookbooks whose spines have not been cracked
I have a LOVE of cookbooks, but just like those random kitchen gadgets, some of them never get used. Sometimes we have a cookbook where we only use one recipe. In this case, I like to take a photo and put it in an album called Recipes on my phone. I LOVE the space decluttering these cookbooks creates.
23. Aspirational exercise equipment
We have all been there, new year and new beginnings get you feeling like starting a new exercise routine! Maybe you buy a treadmill and it becomes a place to dry laundry, or you get some dumbells, but they end up as door stops. Save yourself the frustration and declutter them if you’re not using them. Getting real and honest is a great gift for yourself.
24. Just-in-case items
I-could-use-it-one-day or just-in-case items are those things we hang onto because we can see potential use in the future, even if we haven’t used them in a long time. This can be a hard one for people to swallow, so I made a blog post all about how to declutter them here using the 20-20 rule.
Check out these posts for more decluttering goodness
Like how my decluttering strategy from start to finish 👉 A to Z Minimalist Home Decluttering Strategies 2024
