Declutter

Declutter and give away the unnecessary in your life.

Make the change!

It is time to declutter and give away the unnecessary in your life.

Everyone can focus on making a change.

So here are my thoughts on small changes you can make in your home.

When does a few turn into too many?

Do things seem to multiply in your life?

You may/probably have accumulated a few too many of these items.

Check the List

See if this is you:

  • Sheets – two or three sets are enough for each bed. Donate the rest to your local animal shelter.
  • Glasses – a different glass of each type of beverage? Pick a good quality multi-functional set and donate the rest.
  • Plastic storage containers – containers without lids or vice versa should be recycled.
  • Towels – keep only what you would use in a week and take the rest (with your extra sheets) to the animal shelter.
  • Cleaning products – streamline your routine to include multi-use products and take the rest to a homeless shelter or recycle as hazardous materials.
  • Makeup – it all has a shelf-life with the freshest germs, so toss anything you have not used in a year.
  • Books – save only your favorites and deliver the rest to a library, hospital, or nursing home.
  • Office supplies – buying in bulk and then not using? Donate to a school or thrift store for their use.
  • Candles – if you don’t use them, don’t collect them. Saving them for a special occasion never works out. Donate to a thrift store.
  • Vases – keep only a couple of those freebies that came with flowers. Donate the rest.
  • Hangers – pick one type of hanger and use it exclusively for a neater look. Take any wire hangers to your dry-cleaner for recycling.

My thoughts on small changes you can make in your home. Share on X

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Janet Schiesl

Janet Schiesl

Janet has been organizing since 2005. She is a Certified Professional Organizer and the owner of Basic Organization.

She loves using her background as a space planner to challenge her clients to look at their space differently. She leads the team in large projects and works one-on-one with clients to help the process move quickly and comfortably. Call her crazy, but she loves to work with paper, to purge what is not needed and to create filing systems that work for each individual client.

Janet is a Past Board Member of the National Association of Productivity and Organizing Professionals and a Past President of the Washington DC Chapter of NAPO were she has been named Organizer of the Year and Volunteer of the Year.

Janet Schiesl

Janet Schiesl

Janet has been organizing since 2005. She is a Certified Professional Organizer and the owner of Basic Organization.

She loves using her background as a space planner to challenge her clients to look at their space differently. She leads the team in large projects and works one-on-one with clients to help the process move quickly and comfortably. Call her crazy, but she loves to work with paper, to purge what is not needed and to create filing systems that work for each individual client.

Janet is a Past Board Member of the National Association of Productivity and Organizing Professionals and a Past President of the Washington DC Chapter of NAPO were she has been named Organizer of the Year and Volunteer of the Year.

14 Comments

  1. Sabrina Quairoli on August 1, 2022 at 12:34 pm

    We recently removed extra glasses from our home. My husband when through the drinking glasses, and I went through the everyday wear. Instead of buying a large box of glasses in three different sizes, I bought one that was smaller and had only two sizes. This gave me space in the cabinet which I love.

    • Janet Scheisl on August 2, 2022 at 1:00 pm

      Great job making space Sabrina! I honestly use the same few glasses every day. It isn’t until my kids all come home, then everything seems to be in use.

  2. Julie Bestry on August 1, 2022 at 5:43 pm

    No more wire hangers!!! 😉

    I’m a singleton, so I’m fairly good at keeping the sheets, bedding, housewares, and such down to just what I need. I only have one item of each type of makeup, and just buy the replacement when the original is at about 20% remaining. I don’t think I’ve ever purchased a candle in my life (but they keep appearing, along with those vases). But I’ll admit that letting go of books is a toughie. (It’s probably the area where I can best empathize with my clients; unless I hated a book, it’s hard to let go of the non-fiction; fiction is easier, as I only buy and keep Jane Austen. The rest of the fiction comes from the library and then gets set free!

    What wonderful reminders for getting all that excess set free!

    • Janet Schiesl on August 2, 2022 at 1:09 pm

      Sounds like we all have a hard time with letting go of our books. Maybe because they bring us joy when reading them. Reflects on a time when we can slow down and enjoy the quiet time.

  3. Seana Turner on August 1, 2022 at 10:12 pm

    So true – too many of any of these can become a big problem!

    Books used to be hard for me, because I love to read and I like having paper books (vs. e-readers). However, once I got onto using my library more, I suddenly realized I didn’t have to own the books to enjoy them. Honestly, I seldom re-read a book, so the library has really worked well for me.

    • Janet Schiesl on August 2, 2022 at 1:07 pm

      I have a few books that I go back to, but your right Seana, I don’t usually go back to re-read a book either.

  4. Janet Barclay on August 2, 2022 at 6:37 am

    I have two large bookcases: one in my office with mainly business books and one in another room with mainly novels. I’ve been very good at getting rid of books when I run out of space, but I’ve recently realized if I was really honest with myself about what I want or need to keep, I could probably eliminate a whole bookcase! I’m not ready to do that yet, but at least I’m thinking about it…

    • Janet Schiesl on August 2, 2022 at 1:05 pm

      I’m with you Janet. Books are hard for me too.

  5. Diane N Quintana on August 2, 2022 at 10:32 am

    Love all of these suggestions.
    Wire hangers are rare to find in my house. I’m always taking them back to the dry cleaners and ask my clients to do the same.

  6. Linda Samuels on August 3, 2022 at 12:09 pm

    Their is such joy in decluttering and simplifying! I love all of your suggestions of potential items to thin out. The one area that is most challenging for me and my husband are the books. We have A LOT of books! I go through every so often to fill up a bag to donate. He has a harder time letting go of them. But sometimes I look at the many shelves of books and ask, why do we have so many? I know we love books. But most of them have been read and are now sitting as reference.

    My love of books runs deep. My parents were huge readers and had 1000’s of books. When I cleared out their house, the family took some, I sold some, and the rest were donated (over 100 boxes.)

    • Janet Schiesl on August 3, 2022 at 5:56 pm

      Wow! One hundred boxes. That’s amazing.
      I’m pretty minimal, but my husband collects record albums. He can’t get rid of any. I’m hoping he changes his mind at some point.

  7. Katherine Macey on August 9, 2022 at 7:48 pm

    Love the tip about donating sheets to animal shelters! Towels are great for that, too.

    • Janet Schiesl on August 10, 2022 at 7:57 am

      Yes. I should add that to the post. Thanks.

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