50 Things to Get Rid of if You Want to Declutter This Spring

Originally posted March 20, 2017

Updated July 28, 2021 with a tip for the garage space in your home.

Spring cleaning starts with decluttering. After all, there’s no point in dusting and washing your dresser if it’s full of junk. If cleaning out your closets, drawers and cabinets sounds like a herculean task to you, start small by getting rid of the little pieces of clutter. Not sure what some of those little pieces of clutter might be? Here’s a list of 50—that’s right, 50—things to recycle, donate or throw away.

1. Old magazines and newspapers

2. Old books

3. Toys your kids have outgrown

4. DVD’s of movies that you can stream online instead

5. Items that you have duplicates of

6. Home decor pieces that no longer match your taste

7. Old towels

8. Sample sized items you’ll never use

9. Clothes you haven’t worn in the past year

10. Socks without mates

11. Tupperware without lids

12. Spices and other cooking ingredients you never use

13. Old board games

14. Any magnets you don’t like

15. Travel shampoos you’ve accumulated from hotels

16. Anything that’s been in your freezer for more than a month

17. Extra coffee mugs

18. Anything that’s broken that you’ve been meaning to fix

19. Paperwork that you no longer need

20. Outdated electronics

21. Expired makeup

22. Anything from a climate you no longer live in (ex. Your bulky parka from before you moved to Hawaii)

23. Shoes with broken heels, holes or scuff marks

24. Old textbooks from school

25. Items from a job you longer work at

26. Old receipts

27. Broken jewelry

28. Extra holiday decorations

29. Any promotional item you received (t-shirts, hats, cups, pens etc.)

30. Extra hangers

31. Birthday and Christmas cards you’ve received

32. Brochures/maps/visitor guides from places you’ve visited

33. Extra napkins and plastic cutlery from takeout

34. Anything from a hobby you’ve since abandoned

35. That old phone book

36. Delivery menus

37. Damaged luggage

38. Gifts you’ve received that you didn’t like

39. Appliances you never use

40. Expired coupons

41. Stuff that belonged to your ex

42. Cheap sunglasses

43. Instruction manuals

44. Photos that you have digital copies of

45. CD’s and cassettes

46. That mysterious cord that doesn’t go to anything

47. Any piece of clothing you bought for an event that you’ll never wear again (prom dress, bridesmaid dress, graduation gown)

48. Old Halloween costumes

49. Childhood trophies

50. And last but not least, anything that doesn’t make you happy.

Ready to tackle & reclaim your garage? We highly recommend you check out the Ultimate Garage Storage Guide!