Minimalism for Beginners: 101 Things to Declutter

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

  1. Expired/anonymous medication
  2. Old toothbrushes
  3. Travel-sized toiletries
  4. Stuff you got from hotels (shampoo, conditioner, etc.)

 

WARDROBE

  1. Singles (Odd socks, shoe laces, sandals, bra straps, gloves, mittens, ear muffs, earrings and everything else that is supposed to exist in pairs)
  2. Unused clothes
  3. Clothes that don’t fit (Love, dress and shop for the body you are in)
  4. Unused shoes
  5. Unused belts
  6. Old bags
  7. Broken hungers
  8. Old undergarment
  9. Promotional clothing (t-shirts and hats) and items from conferences
  10. Old hats that have lost shape

 

TECHNOLOGY & ENTERTAINMENT

  1. Books you never read
  2. Old CDs and DVDs
  3. Outdated/ tattered magazines
  4. Mysterious electric cords
  5. Old cell phone covers
  6. Pictures you don’t like
  7. Duplicate photos
  8. Junk mail
  9. Delete music you do not enjoy from your playlist
  10. Unsubscribe from mailing lists that do not interest you anymore
  11. Unfinished art projects
  12. Broken headphones/earphones
  13. Broken chargers
  14. Incomplete board games
  15. Incomplete deck of cards
  16. Unused sports equipment
  17. Movies you don’t intend on watching/re-watching (soft copy)
  18. Orphaned remote controls
  19. Outdated/unused computer software and mobile phone apps
  20. Unused computer files/ folders

 

LINENS & DÉCOR

  1. Decorations you don’t use and or love
  2. Dead plants
  3. Candles that have burned out
  4. Old, lifeless throw pillows
  5. Frayed rugs
  6. Old/unloved stuffed animals
  7. Worn out beddings

 

HAIR & BEAUTY

  1. Empty product containers
  2. Old/expired make up
  3. Unused make up (Most of which are shades that could never do)
  4. Expired hair and skin products, especially facial products.
  5. Hair and skin products that don’t work for you or ones that you don’t like.
  6. Rusted / broken jewelry
  7. Gloopy/dried up nail polish
  8. Tattered make up brushes
  9. Stretched out hair ties and clips

 

PAPERWORK

  1. Old papers and documents
  2. Restaurant menus (Most of the information here is available online getting rid of these will motivate you to cook more often)
  3. Pamphlets, especially for places you’ve been or ones you have got no use for.
  4. Old/unused notebooks
  5. Old receipts that you don’t need
  6. Success/anniversary/ greetings cards
  7. Instruction manuals you don’t need
  8. Expired coupons/vouchers
  9. Unused recipe books
  10. Multiple bookmarks (reading multiple books at once is a bad reading habit, anyway)
  11. Old invitations
  12. School and medical brochures that you don’t intend on attending
  13. Old holiday cards
  14. Loyalty cards from places you don’t shop anymore, or ones that aren’t in business anymore
  15. Business cards- store the information electronically, instead

 

EVERYTHING ELSE

  1. Toxic relationships (ones that suck joy out of your life)
  2. Extras/ Duplicates (pick your favorites and toss/donate the rest)
  3. Broken appliances
  4. Product boxes
  5. Old school uniforms or costumes
  6. Old key chains
  7. Old/unused keys
  8. Old calendars
  9. Hobby items you are not into anymore
  10. Old light bulbs
  11. Meaningless memorabilia
  12. Stretched out/cracked sunglasses
  13. Sample products- use them or toss them
  14. Gift bags that can’t be reused
  15. Repair parts for items you no longer own
  16. Clean out your junk drawer
  17. Dried up shoe care products
  18. Broken umbrellas
  19. Give back borrowed items (don’t be that person)
  20. Bent/ broken nails and screws
  21. 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.

You Might Also Like: Redefining Minimalism: A Shopaholic’s Journey to Minimalism

 

22 Responses

  2. Cassie
    | Reply

    Very thorough list! I’m doing a roundup post of minimalist decluttering and organizing posts next month on my blog. I’d love to link your post!

    • Marion
      | Reply

      Sure! Go ahead… Thank you for clicking through. I’d love to read your post once done 😊

    • Marion
      | Reply

      Those take up alooot of space. Glad you could relate with this post. Thank you for the read.

  4. Bexa
    | Reply

    This is such an fantastic list, thank you for the inspiration! I have recently had a wardrobe declutter, but am yet to tackle the kitchen, I keep putting it off as it’s hard to know where to start but this list has given me motivation. Thank you for sharing, really useful post! <3 xx

    Bexa | http://www.hellobexa.com

    • Marion
      | Reply

      I am glad you found this list helpful. Happy decluttering! And thank you for stopping by 😊

  6. Pixee
    | Reply

    I’m currently in the middle of a BIG de-clutter & so this is just what I needed to read… Thanks for sharing some fab tips!

    Pixee xo | Thats What Pea Said

  8. Amber
    | Reply

    This is a great list to use as a reference, especially once “spring cleaning” arrives. I am also looking to redecorate, and it’s so beneficial to declutter before placing new items in ♥️

    • Marion
      | Reply

      Couldn’t agree more. After you’re done it’ll feel like an entirely new place. Happy decluttering, and thank you for stopping by 😊

  9. Jo
    | Reply

    This is a really good list! I’m guilty of holding on to majority of the things you’ve mentioned. For some reason I always feel like I’ll need something once I’ve gotten rid of it- even though I haven’t look at it in months!

    Thanks for the motivation to get a good spring cleaning done 🙂

    Jo | http://www.theweddedmillennial.com

    • Marion
      | Reply

      I’m glad this list motivated you to getting your decluttering on.
      Thank you so much for giving this your time, and happy decluttering! ❤️

  11. Emily
    | Reply

    This is such a great, comprehensive list to get started on if you’re just starting to get into minimalism (which I am!). Getting rids of things can be a lot, but you broke it down into easy and understandable categories, so I really appreciate that. I’m hoping to write my own post about minimalism once I finish your book. I’m really loving it so far! <3

    Emily | thatweirdgirllife.com

    • Marion
      | Reply

      Great stuff! And thank you so much. I can’t wait to read your post once done ❤️

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