Minimalism for Beginners: 101 Things to Declutter

I have read (and written) a couple of articles on self-care. In all these reads, one self-care activity that has been consistent is the need to declutter.

But what is decluttering really about? And more importantly, what does it have to do with self-care?

Well, to answer these questions, you first have to understand that clutter in different aspects of your life is a form of noise— clutter being anything that you no longer use and ones that do not spark joy.

Keeping clutter therefore not only hinders you from utmost productivity and clarity of mind, but it also takes up space that you would otherwise use for something important, without mentioning wastage of time when you have to surf through the clutter in search for other stuff.

Be it from your general living space, closet, digital life or the relationships you keep, getting rid of stuff is anything but easy. Sometimes, even something as simple as deciding what you need and what you don’t can be an uphill battle.

To start you off in the decluttering process, here are 101 items you can get rid of TODAY! Even if you are not a minimalist, the following list contains items that just add unnecessary clutter to your life and ones that you will not miss at all.

KITCHEN

1. Expired kitchen products
2. Broken kitchen utensils
3. Disposable kitchen utensils
4. Empty wine/soda bottles
5. Tupperware without lids
6. Lids that don’t cover anything (pens, markers, Tupperware)
7. Plastic cutlery (you know those are only good for playing house)
8. Takeout chopsticks and toothpicks
9. Old straws
10. Chipped glasses and mugs
11. Leaky water bottles
12. Teas that you never drink (consume them or do away with them)
13. Ketchup/ tomato sauce/ salt/ sugar sachets from restaurants (use or toss- after all, it just takes one plate/cup)
14. Old/ tattered/ burnt table cloths and kitchen linens
15. Old kitchen scrubbers and sponges

BATHROOM

16. Expired/anonymous medication
17. Old toothbrushes
18. Travel-sized toiletries
19. Stuff you got from hotels (shampoo, conditioner, etc.)

WARDROBE

20. Singles (Odd socks, shoe laces, sandals, bra straps, gloves, mittens, ear muffs, earrings and everything else that is supposed to exist in pairs)
21. Unused clothes
22. Clothes that don’t fit (Love, dress and shop for the body you are in)
23. Unused shoes
24. Unused belts
25. Old bags
26. Broken hungers
27. Old undergarment
28. Promotional clothing (t-shirts and hats) and items from conferences
29. Old hats that have lost shape

TECHNOLOGY & ENTERTAINMENT

30. Books you never read
31. Old CDs and DVDs
32. Outdated/ tattered magazines
33. Mysterious electric cords
34. Old cell phone covers
35. Pictures you don’t like
36. Duplicate photos
37. Junk mail
38. Delete music you do not enjoy from your playlist
39. Unsubscribe from mailing lists that do not interest you anymore
40. Unfinished art projects
41. Broken headphones/earphones
42. Broken chargers
43. Incomplete board games
44. Incomplete deck of cards
45. Unused sports equipment
46. Movies you don’t intend on watching/re-watching (soft copy)
47. Orphaned remote controls
48. Outdated/unused computer software and mobile phone apps
49. Unused computer files/ folders

LINENS & DÉCOR

50. Decorations you don’t use and or love
51. Dead plants
52. Candles that have burned out
53. Old, lifeless throw pillows
54. Frayed rugs
55. Old/unloved stuffed animals
56. Worn out beddings

HAIR & BEAUTY

57. Empty product containers
58. Old/expired make up
59. Unused make up (Most of which are shades that could never do)
60. Expired hair and skin products, especially facial products.
61. Hair and skin products that don’t work for you or ones that you don’t like.
62. Rusted / broken jewelry
63. Gloopy/dried up nail polish
64. Tattered make up brushes
65. Stretched out hair ties and clips

PAPERWORK

66. Old papers and documents
67. Restaurant menus (Most of the information here is available online getting rid of these will motivate you to cook more often)
68. Pamphlets, especially for places you’ve been or ones you have got no use for.
69. Old/unused notebooks
70. Old receipts that you don’t need
71. Success/anniversary/ greetings cards
72. Instruction manuals you don’t need
73. Expired coupons/vouchers
74. Unused recipe books
75. Multiple bookmarks (reading multiple books at once is a bad reading habit, anyway)
76. Old invitations
77. School and medical brochures that you don’t intend on attending
78. Old holiday cards
79. Loyalty cards from places you don’t shop anymore, or ones that aren’t in business anymore
80. Business cards- store the information electronically, instead

EVERYTHING ELSE

81. Toxic relationships (ones that suck joy out of your life)
82. Extras/ Duplicates (pick your favorites and toss/donate the rest)
83. Broken appliances
84. Product boxes
85. Old school uniforms or costumes
86. Old key chains
87. Old/unused keys
88. Old calendars
89. Hobby items you are not into anymore
90. Old light bulbs
91. Meaningless memorabilia
92. Stretched out/cracked sunglasses
93. Sample products- use them or toss them
94. Gift bags that can’t be reused
95. Repair parts for items you no longer own
96. Clean out your junk drawer
97. Dried up shoe care products
98. Broken umbrellas
99. Give back borrowed items (don’t be that person)
100. Bent/ broken nails and screws
101. Anything that doesn’t spark joy

I have attached a printable checklist that you can download here. Take it as a declutter-your-life checklist that will guide you in your journey towards a clutter-free life, and essentially, skillful minimalism.