28 Things You Can Declutter Without Noticing

Update: This is a repost from my very first year of blogging. It’s so helpful to start decluttering with the easy, no-brainer kind of clutter, which is why I’ve updated this post to share it again!

Getting started can be the hardest part!

When you start decluttering, it’s best to start with things that are painless to get rid of.

It helps you gain some momentum and feel successful. Those positive decluttering vibes will help you tackle the harder stuff later on.

So get ready to dig through those junk drawers, dump out your purse, and clean out those craft supplies that have been sitting there for years.

Just think of all that you will have gotten rid of after making your way through this list! That’s some great momentum you’ll have to declutter some bigger areas (like clothing, books, or keepsakes).

28 Things You Can Declutter Without Noticing:

1. Old magazines: If you marked pages to look back at, rip them out and put them in a folder with a date on them to get rid of by.
2. Old paperwork: Check out this pin to learn how long to keep paperwork.
3. Expired food: You might be surprised how much expired food is in your panty.
4. Stretched out hair ties
5. Pens: Why do we keep so many crappy pens?!
6. Candles that don’t smell great or that are 3/4 gone
7. Spare blankets: How many blankets do you really need?
8. Digital photos: The ones where someone isn’t looking or that you’d never want to print.
9. Sour cream containers: I wash and save food containers, but sometimes they really start to pile up. Recycle those things!
10. Food storage containers with missing lids or lids that have lost their bottom
11. Games and puzzles with missing pieces
12. Exercise equipment no one has used in a year
13. Tiny fabric scraps: Unless you’re a quilter who uses tiny fabric scraps
14. Clothes that are ripped, stained, or have holes
15. Toys with missing or broken pieces
16. Kids books with torn pages or that have been drawn all over
17. Notepads or scratch pads that are all filled up: Why do we keep these?
18. Trash or receipts in your wallet or purse
19. Holiday decor you didn’t put out the last time that holiday happened
20. CDs: Unless your car has a CD player that you use, everything is digital now.
21. Old makeup: Here’s a pin that says how long to keep things
22. Your toothbrush if it’s more than 6 months old: Make sure to get a new one first 🙂
23. Dog toys that are falling apart
24. Spices that are a few years old
25. Craft paint that is a few years old: That stuff doesn’t last forever. I just threw out some that had globs inside.
26. Tiny pieces of scrapbook paper
27. Toys that are too young for your youngest kid
28. Old pairs of prescription glasses: You can donate these! I save one backup pair just in case.

⇒ Anything else you can think of that you could declutter without noticing?

Ready for more? Read these related posts:

• The Totally Overwhelmed Clean House Routine
• Keep Your Home Clutter-Free By Setting Space Limits
• 7 Must-Have Bedroom Organization Products