26 Things in Your House That a Professional Organizer Would Throw Out
Updated: Jan. 06, 2023Get your trash bag ready! An expert organizer shares her list of the top 26 things she'd throw out without a second thought.
Flimsy Kitchen Utensils
The wine opener that never works well enough is just one of the tosses you can make from your utensil drawer. Professional organizers would also ditch the slotted spoons and pancake turners that bend under the weight of food. And add the garlic press that is too delicate to mince a clove of garlic to the toss pile.
Writing Implements
If it doesn’t write, then why keep it? Professional organizers always throw out pens that don’t work. They also pitch empty mechanical pencils, eraser-less #2 pencils, and dried out markers and highlighters without caps. Plus: Check out 18 hacks to steal from professional cleaners.
Reference Material
You’ll rarely find a space-hogging phone book in a professional organizer’s home. They also let go of encyclopedia sets and textbooks; consider donating those through Better World Books. And unless you need the thesaurus and dictionary for playing Scrabble, pass those on, too.
Trip Memorabilia
Outdated maps will only get you lost, so professional organizers advise recycling them. Out-of-date travel guides and old brochures are filled with obsolete information, so don’t bother keeping those either, for a potential future trip.
Expired Things
While frozen, fresh, and canned foods come to mind, these are not the only things in your home that expire. Once they reach their best by date, it’s recommended to throw out medications, vitamins, and supplements. You can search for a local drug take-back day at DEA.gov.
Storage Solutions
Professional organizers love storage solutions but not every container works well. If the bin, basket, or box didn’t solve your problem, then throw it out; otherwise, it just adds to your clutter. Consider passing along storage containers to a teacher who might need them.
Want to get rid of clutter? Here, find out the cost of a professional organizer.
Hobby Supplies
Once you’re finished with a hobby, professional organizers advise donating the equipment to someone who will use it. Whether you have woodworking tools, scuba fins, camping gear, or a set of watercolors, if you are no longer using it then toss it out of your house. Here’s how to recycle old paint—and just about everything else.
Outdated Technology
The VCR and boom box have been replaced with more up-to-date technology, so donate the old stuff. Recycle floppy disks and ancient laptops, obsolete phones, VHS tapes, and more through Goodwill’s Ecycle program. Or check out Earth911 for a convenient hazardous waste drop-off location. Before you toss your old computer, be sure you know how to destroy the hard drive.
The “to-be-fixed” pile
All those broken items you have waiting to be fixed; professional organizers either fix it or ditch it and so should you. If you’ve already replaced it, you don’t miss it, or it is too costly to make the repair, there is no sense keeping said item around. Next, check out the cleaning products professionals always buy.
Parts for Discarded Items
Toss the accessories and instruction booklets that go with things you no longer own, like the tiny bag with a spare button for the blouse you donated and the owner’s manual for the television you had ten years ago.
Secret Stash
Even professional organizers keep odd things like those plastic clips from bags of bread or rinsed out glass jars. The key is to know when you are saving too many, and they are becoming clutter. For example, if you’ve kept every rubber band from every fresh produce purchase, then it is time to throw some away.
Swag and Freebies
Try to resist bringing home one of every free item offered at street fairs, lectures, and conferences. Professional organizers throw away extra wall calendars, promotional coffee mugs, water bottles plastered with logos, jar openers, pill organizers, and excessive quantities of free chip clips.
Unmatched things
If they’re meant to be mated up and you’ve hopelessly lost or ruined one, then why keep the other? Consider donating single shoes or winter gloves missing their mate to amputees through OddShoe. And dump that sad, single sock missing its partner.
Broken Cleaning Tools
Professional organizers dislike cleaning tools that don’t get the job done. If the item is meant to help make your cleaning chore easier, but it makes it more difficult, then throw it out. This includes the cracked dustpan, the broken laundry basket, the broom with the handle that keeps falling off, and the leaky bucket.
Boxes for Donation
That bag of donations that’s been riding in the trunk of your car for a month, it’s time for it to go. Professional organizers have a standing pick-up scheduled, or they routinely drop things off at a donation location to prevent them from piling up at home.
Awards and Trophies
Just because it has your name engraved on it does not mean you have to keep it forever. Professional organizers preserve the memory by taking a photo of the accolade, then they donate the trophies, plaques, or awards of excellence through places like AwardsMall or Medals4Mettle.
Improve-Me Items
The treadmill you used for a week that’s now a makeshift clothes rack or the green smoothie maker you tried once and haven’t touched since—give away those items you purchased with the hopes of making a change, but the change didn’t stick.
Fad Clutter
You could not resist that 2 a.m. infomercial and now you’re the owner of the latest craze in kitchen appliances, workshop tools, or some other must-have item that you never use. Professional organizers remind you that keeping the item won’t bring back the money you spent.
Clothes Hangers
You’ll rarely find empty hangers taking up space in a professional organizer’s closet. Clear the clutter by returning the wire ones to the dry cleaners. Then let go of the other unused hangers like the ones with weak clips and the small hangers that don’t slide on the closet bar. Once you’ve completed this task, start fixing these other big closet-organizing mistakes you’re making.
Refrigerator Magnets
You won’t find magnets stuck to the refrigerator in a professional organizer’s home. Throw away the ones with weak magnets that keep falling off onto the floor. Then discard the outdated business card ones, the save-the-date ones, and the ones with last year’s calendar.
Random Papers
Expired coupons typically can’t be redeemed in the United States but are collected by Troopons to be used overseas by the military. Recycle take-out menus and business cards for people you don’t remember. Let go of the receipts you don’t need, old shopping lists, and now-obscure notes you made to yourself.
Junk Mail
They call it junk for a reason. Professional organizers immediately recycle unwanted catalogs, fliers, and advertisements. While you’re at it, toss the huge stash of greeting cards and return address labels sent to you from charitable organizations. Learn how to go paperless at home here.
