20 ways to clear that clutter
LUKE RIX-STANDING suggests some household items it might be time for you to get rid of
DECLUTTERING is one of those tasks that even the most decisive householder puts off tackling. A nebulous, bitty endeavour, the main trouble is knowing where to start, but tactically discarding even small, apparently unimportant items can make a big difference to how a home feels.
Here are a few items you can get rid of right now, to help your house or apartment feel roomier, and get the decluttering ball rolling...
1. OLD MAGAZINES
Yes, in theory you could read that interesting-looking article about the state of southeast Asian geopolitics you put aside for a dull moment. You won’t though, will you? It’s been sitting behind the loo for five years. Time to get rid.
2. SPARE HANGERS
Wire hangers just accrue, and we’re not even sure how. If you open your wardrobe to find that there are twice as many hangers as the clothes they’re hanging, then binning some can only make your life easier.
It also means you don’t have to wake your whole house with aggressive jangling every time you get dressed.
3. OLD SHOES
People can be strangely sentimental about their shoes. By the time they’re unusably tattered, you’ve probably been through a lot together, but there’s not really any way to repurpose them.
They will be discarded at some point – save yourself the bother and do it now.
4. CLOTHES THAT DON’T FIT
There’s no commodity more fit for the charity shop than clothes that don’t fit you.
You can’t reclaim a garment you’ve grown out of, however many memories it might contain, and a gift can be the wrong size regardless of who gave it to you. If you bought something erroneously, just cut your losses – don’t let it clog up your wardrobe in a stubborn refusal to admit your mistake.
5. ODD SOCKS
Do not throw these away too quickly. Socks end up in different washes and if you find sock two right after discarding sock one, the annoyance may be enough to stop you sleeping.
There is, however, a limit, and once a sock has spent a few months in the odd pile, it’s time for it to go.
6. YOUR TOOTHBRUSH
OK, so this isn’t really decluttering, but we would bet our life savings you don’t change toothbrushes as often as you should.
Dental and medical organisations almost universally urge switching it up every three to four months. If the bristles are frayed,
swap sooner. And if you have ‘spare’ old ones, bin them while you’re at it.
7. EXPIRED FOOD Have you ever even been to the darkest recesses of your cupboards?
A no man’s land filled with dusty bottles of unknown origin, and the canned food you’ll live on come the zombie apocalypse, long-lived kitchens invariably contain at least one item a good decade past its expiration date. You don’t see it, but it’s taking up space you might usefully repurpose.
8. DVDS AND VHS TAPES
It’s 2021. If you can digitise them, go for it; if not, one of your many streaming services will probably provide. Start with the movies you don’t like.
9. OLD BUSINESS CARDS
Clothes go in and out of fashion; old video games have replay value; and you might one day find a use for that spare bedside table. But you will never find yourself needing a business card for a position you no longer hold at a company you no longer work for. Same goes for old calendars. It’s not 2014, so...
10. DEFUNCT ELECTRONICS
In most modern houses, there somewhere sits a giant box of matted wires, which once charged this or connected that.
Electronics date quickly, and at least some of them will hail from the digital stone age, applicable only to ancient equipment that long since gave up the ghost.
11. EXPIRED MEDICATION
We sincerely hope you’re not drawn to your medicine cabinet too often, but the situation-specific nature of medications means they can sit there on the top shelf for years, and years, and years. Medicine expiration dates matter. If it’s past its prime by any margin, remove and replace.
12. OLD TOYS
Yes, toys can work as hand-medowns, but only some toys. The old hoop n’ stick struggles to find a place in today’s tech-savvy childhood, while completed or part-completed puzzle books are definitely singleuse.
You wouldn’t give someone a sudoku book with half the sudokus filled in, and that should include your future children.
13. DEAD BATTERIES
We don’t know how they do it, but dead batteries possess a near-unique ability to just turn up in random drawers.
Purge them. Purge them all.
14. BROKEN CLOCKS & WATCHES
There are plenty of professionals out there who have carved careers out of re-heeling defunct timepieces. Either contact one, or don’t. There is no in between.
15. TAKEAWAY MENUS
They’re all online. All of them.
The same goes for most catalogues, and a decent number of instruction manuals.
16. CARDS
Binning the heartfelt wishes of friends and relations feels faintly cruel, but it’s better to briefly sting your sensitivities than scotch your storage long term.
Birthdays and Christmases come around – spoiler alert – once a year, so it doesn’t take that long to amass enough cardboard to post and pack a small whale.
17. ORNAMENTS YOU DON’T LIKE
An impulse buy from IKEA, a remnant of a long-lost relationship, a knick-knack that ‘came with the house’ – there is almost certainly some piece of plaster or ceramic sitting around somewhere that you secretly despise. When it comes to ornaments we agree with Marie Kondo – if it doesn’t spark joy, it goes.
18. OLD TOWELS
Often accumulated over time, old towels tend to get faded, dog-eared, and just a little bit weird-smelling. If you wouldn’t be happy offering it to a guest, get rid of it or use it as a rag.
19. BOOKS
OK, before you yell at us, books take up a lot of space, and some houses are positively rammed with them.
Some advise removing the ones you’ve already read, but you may want them for reference, rereading or loaning to friends. We’re more interested in the ones which, if you’re honest with yourself, you haven’t read and never will.
20. OLD CRAFT SUPPLIES
Paints, glues, markers – once they dry out, they’re dead. We’re not saying you won’t use them – we’re saying you physically can’t.
GEORGE Friend has urged his team-mates to realise ‘‘how real’’ Birmingham City’s Championship plight has become.
Aitor Karanka’s side were second from bottom before last night’s (Wednesday’s) trip to Millwall, having won just one of the last 12 games, but they are still within striking distance of safety.
Friend is calling for his fellow players to stand up to the challenge.
“There was a real positive feeling at the start of the season and we got off to a good start but the consistency hasn’t been there,” he said.
“We’ve got to try and find that between now and the end of the season otherwise we will be in trouble.
“There is that surprise element but you’ve also got to look at how real it is and where we are.
“You’ve got to be a man and deal with that in the same way as in life and off the pitch, you’ve got to deal with situations.
“It doesn’t change here. Everyone is going through something at the moment.
“We are fortunate to be playing football while a lot of people might be furloughed or sat at home without a job.
“We are playing football and know we are privileged to do that but (we must) also give everything and take that responsibility.”
Karanka openly wondered whether his players were doing that during Saturday’s 1-0 defeat to Luton Town at St Andrew’s, but Friend insists everyone remains behind the head coach.
“Of course, it doesn’t change. We’ve not got one bad egg in that group. We are together. I’ve nothing more to say about that,’’ he said.
“As a player you’ve got to look at yourself and if you can walk off the pitch knowing you’ve done everything you can... you might have not had your best game but if you’ve given everything, that’s what you can do.
“I can’t speak for someone else. Only they will know if they’ve given absolutely everything. You’ve got to take that responsibility. We talked about it in the week, you’ve got to take that responsibility.
“It’s about supporting everyone and giving your all if you have that opportunity to play.
“Everyone is important in my view. One person isn’t more important in this whole team and the young players will add something the experienced player can’t.
“But for me, personally, each player has got to know they’ve given everything and taken that responsibility. I will do everything I can to make sure we finish the season in this division.”