6 Things to Toss During the Holidays: How Many Are You Hanging Onto?

If you are planning to go into the new year clutter free, now is the perfect time to toss unnecessary items. This Realtor.com article by Audrey Ference can help you clear out your home and make room for all the gifts your family will receive. You’ll be glad this will be one less thing to worry about in 2018!

The holidays are widely known as a time when people acquire more stuff for their already well-appointed homes. But in fact, it’s also a great time to purge—in part by necessity (removing the old makes room for the new), but mainly because the holidays require you to dig through your attic, cupboards, and linen closet to deck the halls, throw together huge feasts, and basically make use of all your worldly possessions down to your rattiest bed linens and last scrap of tinsel.

In short: If you aren’t using something over the holidays, then odds are you’ll never use it at all. Here are some prime things to toss.

1. Kitchen gadgets you never use

“There is a good chance you are using the maximum potential of your kitchen tools and cutlery during the holidays,” says Lily Cameron, a cleaning expert at Fantastic Services. Between big family meals, holiday party hosting, and the special baking projects you do once a year, you’ll probably be pulling out all the kitchen gear that’s normally crammed in the back of cabinets or sitting in boxes in the basement.

2. Expired spices

Cookware isn’t the only thing you can declutter. “The holidays are also the perfect time to organize your baking supplies and spices,” says Cameron. “Check the expiration dates, and throw away everything old and/or unused.”

3. Holiday decorations you don’t put up

This may seem obvious, but once your house is decorated with lights, ornaments, and other such sundry decor, whatever holiday items you own that didn’t make the cut—and are still lying sadly in the bottoms of your boxes—should be cut from your life completely.

4. Linens and towels you don’t even give your guests

If you’re hosting guests, chances are you’ll be using your extra sheets, towels, blankets, and washcloths. Anything you don’t need when your house is at maximum hosting capacity is probably not necessary to keep. So, get rid of stained or torn bedsheets and towels, ratty blankets, pillows that are past their prime, and any other linen closet clutter you’ve been ignoring. Old pillows are usually full of gross mites and should go in the trash, but most animal shelters can use donations of old towels and bedsheets, even ones that aren’t in great condition.

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Anna Young