Too much of a good thing: excess items that you may have accumulated over the years

Blue Bird/Pexels

Accumulating - and hoarding - possessions is a "vice" that many of us have, and sooner or later, we end up having too much of some specific item or items. And it's these items we need to put under the spotlight if our home needs decluttering. In short, decluttering is a simple method to restore order in the home. Let's take a look at some examples:

Some categories of items are more likely to become "excess to need", and we've listed some common examples of these below: 

Kitchen utensils

Eneida Nieves/Pexels

Most utensils you have in the kitchen are useful but... do you really need ten of each type?! Count all the wooden ladles, silicone spatulas, kitchen brushes and cutting boards you have: it is likely that you have far too many of these (or you have been holding on to worn-out/damaged items that you should really just throw away).

So, how do you know if you really need certain utensils? Well, ask yourself the question: "how long has it been since I used it?". If the answer is, "hardly ever", then you can certainly consider getting rid of these types of utensils.

Cups, mugs and glasses

Ánh Đặng/Pexels

You probably have crockery you use on important occasions hidden away in cupboards that are only opened once a year. Then, you probably have a lot of glasses, mugs and cups for routine, daily use. Mugs are typically very numerous in any home as they are often given as gifts or bought as souvenirs. 

In this case, do the following: keep a couple of mugs, cups and drinking glasses each for person in your household and just a few extra of the same for your guests. The rest can be sold or given away to charity. 

The same goes for "special" glasses that are never used: how often do you actually use the liquor/shot glasses and brandy snifters that clutter your display cabinets? Often, the answer is "never", so you can consider getting rid of these too.

Screwdrivers

Polina Tankilevitch/Pexels

There's bound to be a drawer or two of mixed "junk" in every home. For example, you've probably needed to use a screwdriver at some point, not been able to find one (even though you know you have one somewhere) and been forced to buy a new one. Later, you find the missing screwdriver and now you have two, three, four screwdrivers you don't really need! You might also own one of those super-compact, multi-purpose tools (like a Leatherman, for example) which makes having single screwdrivers (and other tools) redundant. If this is the case for you, it's time to do some sorting out!

Reusable cloth bags

Rawpixel

Cotton tote/shopping bags (and other reusable cloth bags) are certainly eco-friendly, but quickly accumulate in homes. Also often given as gifts, how can you stop these bags "overrunning" your home? Well, first of all, ensure you use them: put a bag or two into your backpack, in the car's trunk, in the botttom of your shopping trolley, etc, to ensure you put them to good use (and don't have to buy paper/plastic bags at the store). As they wear out, your cloth bags will be "automatically sorted out" as you replace them from your "stash". If, however, you really have too many reusable cloth bags laying around, give them away to someone who could make better use of them!

Books

Pixabay

This is a tough one: even if you recognise you have too many books on your bookcases, it probably means you're attached to them and parting with them will be difficult. But you can still consider getting rid of those books you've completely forgotten about, are old, outdated manuals, have been damaged by foxing, and similar (especially if you're not sentimentally attached to them, of course).

Sheets

Shreyas Gosavi/Pexels

Buying sheets (and other bed linen) is a compunction felt by many - especially if one comes across a favorite color or a special offer. But when your closets are full to bursting with them, then perhaps it's time to reduce the amount of bed linen you have in the house. Typically, just two or three sets for each season and bed should more than cover for your bedding needs.

What household items do you tend to hoarde?