Toss These Items for a Happier Life

Kitchens and bathrooms are two places people spend most of their time. Either preparing for the day or getting ready for bed and multiple visits to their closet to try and take off clothes in between, these two rooms are ripe for heavy traffic. ​​My kitchen is my sanctuary—I love the mental picture this quote from Alfred Hitchcock conjures up: “Happiness is a small house, with a big kitchen.” I must admit, I spend too much time digging through cabinets and drawers, searching for something I just used a few days before. With a little organization, clutter and the plethora of samples, spices and outdated makeup can be wiped clean. Here is my list of what to purge in the kitchen and bath, starting with the kitchen.

Toss These Items for a Happier Life

Plastic Ware

Nothing is more frustrating than making a big pot of stew or spaghetti, then pouring it into a large plastic container only to discover you are missing the lid. You redistribute to another container and, again, learn you are missing the lid! Our collections of reusable and disposable plastics seem to stack up in a drawer with a tendency to lose their mate. Either the tub is missing the lid or vice versa. Go through and toss any plastics with serious cracks, major stains, subtle smells of onion or those that don’t have a lid. Invest in some dividers to keep your plastics organized and visible so you can easily reach for them when you need them.

Old Food

Go through the plastic organizing bins you purchased for the refrigerator the last time you took on this project, probably last Spring or inspired by a recent Cleantok video. Locate leftovers you were going to eat, three weeks ago, and throw away. Weed out expired foods such as yogurt, flavored creamers you bought, opened, tasted, disliked and feel guilty getting rid of, that half a carton of cottage cheese and all of your condiments that may still be within the safe date of use but are growing weird “stuff” around the edges and on the inside lid. If the cheese smells spoiled, it’s not going to taste better on scrambled eggs. Don’t hesitate to purge and start fresh.

Outdated Spices

My cabinet is chock full of spices that I will never use but feel terrible about getting rid of because I spent money on them and was certain I would need them someday. Ground spices generally stay fresh for about two to three years. If you have lived in your house for ten years and brought the spices over with you, close your eyes and dump the entire box of old herbs and spices in the trash.

Kitchen Gadgets

In every kitchen, you will find multiple drawers of gadgets with owners who are certain they will be put to good use someday. But, unless you have reached for something in the past two weeks, even a month, you probably don’t and won’t use it. The basics for any kitchen are spatulas, a whisk, serving spoons to stir the sauce, a peeler, a can opener, a simple wine opener, a manual can opener, an instant-read thermometer, measuring cup – 2 cup and 4 cup, a colander and a cutting board. If you are afraid you may miss something and have to replace it, box everything up and store it in the attic. See how long it takes before you go up and dig it out of the box.

Moving on to the bathroom …

You will need a large box to toss these items from your cabinets and drawers.

Outdated or Unflattering Makeup

The makeup in your drawer may be perfect for someone but not for you. How many shadows do you need to keep as you move the little containers from side to side, thinking “one day” you will miraculously decide you love the color? If it has sat in your drawer for longer than six months to a year, it’s really time to let go. Go through lipsticks, glosses, concealers, foundation, compact powders and highlighters. You will be surprised at the amount of space you just freed up.

Unused Toiletries

The same rule holds true for shampoos, mousse, hair spray and gels you thought you would try but didn’t like and feel guilty about purging. If they have sat under your sink cabinet for an extended period of time, consider giving them to a friend who may want to use them or toss them.

Extra Towels

Towels are expensive, and it’s hard to discard when they have outworn their wear. Instead, keep some in the garage for your pet and donate the rest to an animal shelter if they are still in decent shape. Even if you have perfectly usable towels, you can only store so many in one cabinet or drawer. The rule of thumb is two towels per person X 3 for each cabinet. The same rule applies to hand towels and washcloths.

Brushes

Both hair and makeup brushes tend to multiply over time. We all have a tendency to use the same one or two hairbrushes that serve different functions. Keep an extra and put the rest in the declutter box. The same holds true for makeup brushes. Take a good look at the quality of the bristles or fibers and the number of times you have used them in the past year, and decide which are worth keeping and which are ready for the brush graveyard. We all have a favorite type of blush brush or eyeliner brush, but in multiples, they aren’t worth taking up space.

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