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I love decluttering and organizing.   Yesterday I went through my bedroom, my closet and the kids’ room to really get rid of things.  I am doing a decluttering challenge in the next few weeks and I wanted to do a few rooms to be sure that I remembered to cover everything.  You can sign up here to get messages about that DECLUTTERING CHALLENGEI partnered with Hefty on this post to bring you my favorite tips of things to throw away. I narrowed down my list of “what to throw out” to ten things, for today’s post.

A text in a variety of colors.

What you need to get started:
1- A plan. Where will you start?   Here is my room by room printable that might help.
2- Hefty® Ultra Strong™ trash bags (get a $1 rebate).

Hefty bags
This is the brand’s best bag ever for an ultra-low price.  It is tear-proof, so I always use it when I will be throwing away things like what you will find in today’s post.   I like it because it integrates the latest trends with consumers’ preferred features: enhanced strength, improved drawstring, and enticing, on-trend scents including Clean Burst™, Tropical Paradise™, Lavender & Sweet Vanilla™, White Pine Breeze™, Crisp Orchard Apple™, Citrus Twist™, Pomegranate Mist™ and Scent Free (with ARM & HAMMER™ patented odor neutralizer)   Plus it has a 100% satisfaction guarantee: Hefty® can handle all your trash bag needs, or your money back.

3- Your kid’s help. 🙂
Most of you know that our three boys wrestle:

wrestling
They love to watch John Cena (the actor/wrestler/host) in his new hilarious Hefty campaigns.  They even do the “Hefty Hefty Hefty” chant … do you remember that?  I do!!   Anyway, they love then “average-man-turned-Cena” transformations, so when I brought home this box of Hefty Ultra Strong™ trash bags, they kids couldn’t wait to help.  However… one of the campaign videos takes the cake.
This is their favorite one:

 

1. Dish cloths that are ‘worn out’.

The average dishcloth harbours 1 million bacteria per square inch. This can be in spite of regular rinsing. There are ways to sanitise your cloth, for example, by microwaving it, putting it through the dishwasher, or soaking overnight in a solution of water and bleach. None of these however are a substitute for simply replacing your cloth regularly. Some harmful bacteria, such as campylobacter and e.coli, can live on work surfaces for up to an hour and on unsanitized dishcloths for 24 hours. Therefore, it really is best to keep a supply of clean cloths in your cupboard and exchange regularly.

2. Unworn clothes.  

Donate them today! We all have that knack of buying something on impulse then later realising that we don’t like it, or buying the wrong size or simply putting on or losing weight. All of these mean that a clothing item that may once have been much loved has now become simply a storage pain. Therefore, ask yourself these questions: DO I LOVE IT?    If the answer is no, then donate it. If the answer to either is yes, then ask yourself – when was the last time I wore it? If it was over six months ago, time to say goodbye. As an incentive, just imagine how good a couple of new outfits would look in the space!
When one comes in, one goes out (good rule of thumb!)
I just grab Hefty® Ultra Strong™ trash bags and start loading things up!  If I haven’t worn it in the past year, I throw it out.

hefty one

3. Expired make-up

Expired make-up and hair products (even those old spray water bottles). This is something a lot of people store inadvertently. Cosmetics don’t come with a use by date, like food, but this doesn’t mean that they won’t reach a point when they are past their best and no longer worth keeping. Rummage through your make up bag and any half-empty eyeshadows, dried up mascara or unused foundation can go straight into the garbage can. Hefty® Ultra Strong™ trash bags also has Break resistant grip drawstring that prevents the bag from falling inside the can.

 

4. Old magazines and newspapers.

It can be a nice idea to keep hold of particularly interesting articles, or magazines for guests to flick through, but the real fact is that they take up valuable space. Instead, put them into the recycling bin or offer them to a neighbor (I just put them right into my neighbor’s mailbox.  She loves getting new magazines and I am happy to get rid of the ones that I already read) – and exist in a clutter-free space!
( tip- I sometimes keep just one magazine for the kids school projects.) 

 

5. Odd socks!

There’s nothing odd about being irritated by single socks. Yes, the other one may be somewhere and might just surface eventually, but in the meantime how much space are your lone socks occupying? Too much, that’s for sure.  If you want to keep them, add them to your DIY creativity Box for your kids and make Sock Puppets.   If not, remember that keeping them around will only make you feel more stressed.  RELATED ARTICLE–>>  CLUTTER CAUSES STRESS- IT IS PROVEN!

hefty bag2

6Old tins of paint.

Likely to be found lying around in attic or roof space, it might have seemed a good idea at the time to keep hold of the colours you chose for your bedroom and kitchen five years ago, but old paint is rarely useable and the space could be far better used for storing something else. Camping equipment, for example, or a spare bed.  Donate it to your local Habitat for Humanity store.

 

7. Old technology is another space-clutterer. 

CD’s and VHS tapes have virtually seen their last, so even if you bought the VHS or CD of your favourite band when you saw them live in 1996, the chances are that you have already imported the music into iTunes or similar and it’s time to get rid of the CD.   Be sure to use Hefty® Ultra Strong™ trash bags for this one.   You’ll need the tear-proof bags to hold these things with their sharp edges.

 

8. Expired foods

Have a good old rummage through your cupboards and throw away all the expired tinned foods. You may think that you keep an eye on your cupboard contents but some people have been known to find tins of food which expired the previous decade.
 

9. Old batteries and lightbulbs

These are items that are no longer required. They are small enough to ignore but they are still taking up space.   Old watches, flashlights that don’t work, etc… (old batteries can even be dangerous)


10. Junk Drawer Items

And finally, almost everyone has an odds and ends drawer where unnecessary items are stowed away – and forgotten about. Being completely ruthless it’s usually possible to throw away roughly 99% of this type of drawer – and leave yourself a lot more space for storing the important stuff!

Start Here: 

Not sure where to begin?  I can send you this room by room cleaning list. 
 daily cleaning list print here

Or you can read this…

let go of clutter

 

Or you can dive right into my book, Freed From Clutter, where we will walk through each room of your house and declutter, clean and organize it from top to bottom.
freed from clutter

Hi there!

I’m Becky, a former elementary school teacher turned certified child development therapist and blogger. I work at home with my husband and together we are raising (and partially homeschooling) our four children in the Carolinas. I love diet coke, ice cream, and spending time with my family.

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