3 things taking up too much space in your home

by Susan Stewart, St. Louis Home Organizer | September 12, 2016

Do you have things in your home that seem to multiply overnight? Are you afraid to get rid of them for fear that you might need them? Maybe it is a matter of not knowing what to do with them? Recycle? Donate? Toss in the garbage?

Too much clutter takes up valuable space in your closet, drawers and home and robs you of peace of mind. It’s time to do something about it!

It starts with knowing what you can let go of. Here are 3 things taking up space in many of our homes:

Mugs 

They enter your home as gifts and free giveaways. They seem harmless enough so you just keep adding them to the cabinet….. until one day you notice that you’ve got nearly 40 mugs taking up prime real estate in your cabinet. You have your favorite – the one you grab every time if it’s clean. A couple of others get used once in a while but the rest of them just sit there collecting dust. Here are some other options for those unused mugs:

• Donate them. Someone (though I can’t quite put my finger on who) needs a mug. It is going to get better use being used by someone else than it is by sitting in your cabinet. Don’t make it complicated. Any donation place will be happy to accept your mugs.
• If your mug is sentimental but it doesn’t get used for drinking, give it another role. Use it on your desk to hold pens or in the bathroom for makeup brushes. Use it to scoop dog food or store change.

Bed Sheets

So many sizes, so many sets. Having this many sheets in the linen closet is making your life more complicated. More sheets means it’s harder to keep a set together and more difficult to pull out what you are looking for when you need something. I recommend 2 sets of sheets per bed. One for the bed and one as a spare. What can you do with the rest?

• Take them to a local animal rescue or shelter. Many shelters have cold cement floors that are not cozy for a dog to sleep on. Your used sheets can provide a comfortable bed for a pet. Different shelters have different rules so be sure to call first.
• Donate them. Plain and simple. Any donation place will take them.
• Use a set of old sheets to protect your garden from frost. Keep those sheets in the garage with the gardening supplies so you don’t accidentally grab a good set when you are in a hurry.

Lotions & potions

Lotions, hair products, perfume, face cleaners, makeup, etc. They’ve taken over the cabinet under the sink and the bottom of the shower floor. You’re sure you’ll finish off that last little bit or eventually come back to the abandoned hair product you once loved but it’s been several years and it’s still sitting there waiting to be used. It’s time to bite the bullet and move on. If they haven’t been used by now, they aren’t going to be used. Keeping them out of guilt is not working.

• Unopened items can be given to a homeless shelter.
• Do a swap with a friend or group of friends. People like different scents and have different preferences. Just because a product didn’t work for you, doesn’t mean it won’t work for a friend. 
• Throw them in the trash if they have been opened. Opened makeup, hair products and the like cannot be donated.

If you are ready to hire a professional organizer in St. Louis, Missouri, contact us today.