Spring Cleaning: Top 5 surprising things to get rid of

By B

With Spring right around the corner and the weather getting nicer, one of my favorite traditions occur that is both hated and loved ....... Spring Cleaning. It is during this time that one must go through their house and get rid of items they do not want or need. This is tricky because it is often hard to find a place to start or even figure out which items to get rid of. This article will highlight 5 things that are often overlooked when cleaning out houses. These items are easy to get rid of and can quickly declutter a space.

1. Old Makeup

Believe it or not, makeup expires. Most of the time sooner than you think. It is amazing how much expired makeup people hoard (me especially). Recently I went through my make up bag and found items that I bought in high school. I graduated high school over 8 years ago, so this makeup was old. These items should be gotten rid of as they can be harmful to your body and health. Usually, make up will either have a specific expiration date or a symbol that tells you how long its fresh after its been open. A good rule of thumb is that if you can’t find an expiration date or don’t know when you opened it, throw it out!!

An example of a common expiration date found on products

Tip: For makeup with no specific expiration date, its good to use tape and mark the date its been opened. If you have any questions to how long makeup can last, a quick internet search can help you decipher when to throw away makeup.

here is an example

Tip: If the product ever changes color or consistency it safer to get rid of it, even if its before the expiration date.

Tip: Discarded makeup is not always good for the environment. Its good to do a quick internet search to see if makeup companies have programs or places where you can discard makeup. If this is not an option, taking out the products and placing them in sealed containers can help ensure they are not harming our environment. Donations centers may take unused makeup, but this is not always a guarantee, so make sure you check policies before donation.

2. Old Bra’s and Underwear

OK, this is weird subject to bring up, so hear me out. As a person gets older their body becomes different, which means that our bra’s and underwear don’t always fit. It’s easy to shove these things in the back of the drawer and forget about them, when they should be gotten rid of. I personally had this problem when going through my drawers recently. It seemed I had a stock pile of these undergarments that have not been worn in years. Getting rid of these items really help declutter drawers and make things easier to find.

Tip: Throwing away these items are not good for the environment. Donating these items are often a better option. If this is not possible due to donation center policies, you can always reuse the garments as wash clothes. There are places that take these items and recycle them and often take a quick internet search to find.

3. Electronic Cords

Am I the only one who has a ton of these? It seems like I have more cords than electronics to plug them into. This is especially distressing when you are trying to find one cord but end up trying 20 different cords until you find the right one (if you can find it). This was a huge struggle for me a week ago, as I forced myself to go through my whole bag of cords until I found ones that were actually usable. Getting rid of these cords was a huge stress relief as it cut down my time trying to find the correct cords. It also allowed me to take stock on which electronics I still had.

My bag of cords

Tip: Please do not throw these in the trash. Take them to a recycling center to be properly disposed of. These are very bad for the environment.

The cords I ended up getting rid of

4. Kitchenware

Have you ever been a victim of TV advertisements selling new kitchen appliances? It seems like whenever infomercials are on, there is a need to buy the item that is being displayed as its supposed to make life easier. These items are usually used a few times then are left in cupboards, soon to be forgotten. Recently, me and my mom went through her kitchen and found massive amounts of these products. Getting rid of these items cleared out the kitchen immensely, leaving room in cupboards to store more important items.

Tip: If you haven’t used the appliance in the past 6 months to a year, get rid of it. You probably will never use in the future.

5. Wallets

I have a confession to make. I have a strange addiction to buying purses. It seems I always need one to match my outfits. This is a problem because I often like to buy wallets to match my purses, causing a massive build up of unused wallets. The unfortunate part of wallet hoarding is that due to their size, it’s easy to store them somewhere and forget about them. Just last week I was going through my drawers and found several wallets that I completely forgot about. Some which had tags on them. Once I addressed this issue, I noticed that my drawers became more spacious.

Fortunately, this was less than previous situations

Tip: One of the best ways to avoid this situation is to only have one wallet. This avoids having an excess of unneeded items while ensuring your credits cards and drivers license do not get lost. If you want to get another wallet its best to plan on donating your current wallet to avoid a hoarding situation.

As seen above, just getting rid of the items mentioned above can significantly clear your household and make room for new items you want. Spring cleaning is not always fun, but the rewards of a clean organized living space is worth it 😊.