With more people becoming eligible to get the COVID-19 vaccine, the promise of a post-pandemic world is near. We still have a ways to go before we're back to normal. But getting vaccinated is one way we can do our part to get there faster.
I don’t know about you but when I received my vaccine, I was empowered. Like I could take on the world! I couldn’t wait to get to my next client’s house and celebrate by doing what I love most: organizing and creating systems that help people.
If you’re looking to celebrate your recent vaccination why not do a little decluttering? Below are 11 items you can declutter from your home, giving it a similar refreshing feel.
When the world first shut down people purged a lot of stuff. But now that we’re gearing up to get out of the house more, we shouldn’t neglect the things that pile up. So before you start seeing friends and family, take the time to declutter these items. Then you can really re-enter the world feeling amazing.
Worn out Masks
Photo by Vera Davidova on Unsplash
First, take a look at any masks you have. We’re still going to be wearing them for a while so now is the time to see which ones could be recycled. If the strings are too loose on your ears, toss it. If the mask doesn’t cling firm to your face, toss it. Buy some new patterns or designs. Replenish the ones you’re recycling with fresh ones to keep you safe.
Be sure to check your kid’s masks too. If any are too small for their face, order new ones. Since they’ll need them for school, it’s important to be well-stocked.
2. Delivery packaging
When stores shut down, online shopping became the go-to. Even after stores opened, people — still hesitant — continued to do their shopping online. This meant deliveries, sometimes on a regular basis. If it wasn’t groceries, it was clothes, toys, or beauty products.
Talk a walk through your home and see how many packages you can find. You might be surprised to find a few unopened ones. Remove the interior packaging and recycle appropriately. Break down any cardboard boxes and add them to the next pick-up stash.
3. Leftovers and take-out containers
In the thick of quarantine, our favorite restaurants were also temporarily closed. When they reopened, we wanted to help them stay in business. This led to an increase in take-out and curbside delivery. This then led to an increase in the number of containers you store in your house.
Check the area where you keep food storage containers. Do you notice an excess of them? If so, decide how many you’ll actually need and recycle the rest. Same goes for leftovers. Always check your fridge the night before garbage pickup. Toss any leftovers that don’t smell good or you know you’ll never eat.
4. Clothing you won’t need any more
Photo by Sarah Brown on Unsplash
A few companies have made working from home a permanent thing. Employees will no longer have an office building to go to each day. If you’re one of the people whose business has made this leap, it’s time to sort through your work clothes.
Discard duplicate items or ones that don’t fit anymore. It’s fine to keep some on hand. In-person events and meetings will come back in style. But if you’re not going to the office every day you probably don’t need three blazers and six pairs of work pants. Reduce and keep only one of each professional basic.
Do a similar check on your loungewear and workout clothes. Are there any you’ve worn to dust? If so, recycle them.
5. Pantry and non-perishable foods
Many of us stocked our pantries full of food at the height of the pandemic. We got so used to this that we continued to overbuy just in case. Now is the time to sort through your pantry. Be ruthless. If you know you won’t ever eat it, get rid of it.
If food is still good, bring it to your local food pantry or offer it to a friend or family member. If it’s expired, throw it away. Never donate expired food! It may feel like you're throwing money away, but it's already spent. Throwing it away won't make it return to your wallet.
6. Unfinished DIY projects
You can only watch so much Netflix and Hulu. People took up new hobbies during quarantine to give them something productive to do. Knitting, embroidery, painting, woodworking, and more. Whatever your interest was, there was a YouTube video for it.
Before you rush out the door to meet your friends for lunch, consider any unfinished DIY projects. Ask yourself: Am I ever going to finish this? If you’re not, it’s ok. It did what you needed it to do. Don’t let it sit there and collect dust. If you’re 100% positive you won’t pick it up again, discard it. Or ask a friend or family member if they’re interested in finishing it for you.
Just because you might not continue your new hobby doesn’t mean someone else won’t.
7. Books and magazines
Photo by May Gauthier on Unsplash
Book sales went up during the pandemic, which was great. Books have always been a fun activity. They’re transportive and can teach you something new. But books and magazines can pile up before we know it.
Spend some time looking through your bookshelves. Are there any books you loved but won’t read again? Donate them. Give them to a friend. Bring them to your local library or Free Little Library. Don’t let a book sit there unopened. Someone else might need that story and you can give it to them.
Sort through your magazines as well. Recycle any you read through. If there’s a specific article you want, cut it out and recycle the rest. Schedule an hour in your day to do this.
If you’re in the market for a new organizing book, look no further than this website. My book, The No-Nonsense Home Organization Plan, helps you transform your home into a calm and orderly safe haven. Learn more here.
8. Games and puzzles
Did you start a family game night? How about a Zoom game night with friends? Texting, emails, and social media could connect us with our loved ones only so much. We wanted to see faces and have physical laughs. And so people scheduled weekly or bi-weekly game nights.
Do keep this tradition going, but declutter any games and puzzles you're done with. It’s rare to put the same puzzle together twice and you might grow out of a game or find something better.
9. Old makeup
When we were quarantined, who was there to put makeup on for? It didn’t matter if you preferred a natural look and used very little or if you contoured your entire face. My makeup was barely touched during the height of quarantine. What about you?
Now’s definitely the time to replenish any old makeup you have. Take some time to sort through your stash and decide what you want to keep. Keep products and colors that represent the you of now. Our tastes might have changed over the last year.
Don’t know how to throw away old makeup? No worries. Check out last month’s blog post here. It breaks it all down for you.
10. Unused kitchen gadgets
Another thing many of us did during quarantine was pick up new cooking projects. How many posts did you see on social media of someone having made sourdough bread? But with new hobbies comes new gadgets.
Before you venture back outside, take a look through some of these tools you bought. Do you plan on making sourdough bread again? What about that Instant Pot? Or blender? Donate any unused kitchen gadgets. Don’t hang onto something you think you might need again someday. Chances are a friend or family member will have a blender if you need it.
11. Outgrown toys
Don’t skip your kids’ rooms. Use this time to sort out any toys your kids have outgrown. Since everyone was home for the better part of a year, you saw what they gravitated towards and what they didn’t.
Check with your local women’s shelter. They’re often looking for gently used toys. Or a local pet shelter. A dog might love to cuddle with your kid’s old stuffed animal. If you feel the need to check with your kids before purging, do so, but be careful. They might say yes and then never touch the toy. It’s hard to say goodbye.
There you have it. 11 things you should declutter to celebrate your newly vaccinated self. If you’re having a hard time trying to figure out what you should get rid of, don’t panic. Contact me today and let’s chat. I’d love to help you break free of your quarantine life and get you back out in the fresh air where we belong.