The Ultimate Decluttering List


I Promise—You Don’t Need These Things
Thoughts From a Professional Organizer

After over three years running my professional organizing business, KAS KONCEPTS, I’ve worked in many homes - large homes, small homes, family homes, single-person homes, and everything in between. Different lifestyles, different life stages, different reasons for clutter.

But here’s something I’ve noticed: the same items show up again and again.

Almost every client has a collection of things they’ve been holding onto “just in case,” out of habit, or simply because they never got around to dealing with them.

And almost every client says the same thing after decluttering them:

“I wish I had done this sooner.”

So take it from both me and my clients - these are the things you probably don’t need anymore and can declutter right now.


The Ultimate Decluttering List

Things You Definitely Have Too Many Of

  • Reusable bags - you really only need 4-6 good ones.
  • Extra pillowcases.
  • Towels you never use.
  • More than one hammer.
  • Notebooks - most people only need 2-3 at a time.
  • Excessive stationery supplies.
  • Allen wrenches from every piece of IKEA furniture you’ve ever assembled.


Packaging You Don’t Need to Save

  • Boxes from electronics you own (or worse, no longer own). Once the warranty is over, recycle them.
  • Random boxes you are keeping “just in case.” Trust me - you can always find a box when you need one.
  • Old manuals. Almost every manual is available online now.


Random Household Clutter

  • Mismatched socks.
  • Tupperware lids without bottoms (and vice versa).
  • Dried-out pens and markers.
  • Broken pencils.
  • Cords you’re not using.
  • Keys you don’t know what they belong to.
  • Extra wallets.
  • Broken jewelry.


Paper Clutter

  • Old pamphlets, brochures, and maps.
  • Old magazines.
  • Old newspapers.
  • Receipts you don’t need for returns or taxes.
  • Random mail and paper bits.


Health & Personal Items

  • Expired medicine.
  • Old cosmetics and toiletries.

These items not only create clutter, they can actually be unsafe or ineffective once expired.


Clothing & Linens

  • Clothes that don’t fit.
  • Clothes you don’t wear.
  • Uncomfortable shoes.
  • More than one extra set of sheets per bed.

If you’re constantly skipping over something in your closet, that’s your answer.


Hobby & “Someday” Items

  • Crafts you never started.
  • Models you never made.
  • Yarn or string saved “just in case.”
  • Books you never get around to reading.
  • Games you don’t play.
  • Puzzles you’ve already completed.

Be honest with yourself about what you actually enjoy doing, not what you once imagined doing.


Kitchen Clutter

  • Unused kitchen gadgets.
  • Expired food and spices.

Spices especially lose flavour over time - so if they’ve been sitting for years, they’re not doing your cooking any favours.


Tech From Another Era

  • Old tech you no longer use.
  • VHS tapes you don’t watch.
  • Cassette tapes you don’t listen to.
  • Old textbooks.

Technology changes fast. Keeping outdated items rarely adds value.


Kids’ Items

  • Broken toys.
  • Toys that are never played with.

Kids often have far fewer favourite toys than we think.


Sentimental Clutter

One of the biggest categories I see is bins and bins of memorabilia.

Memories matter - but they don’t need to take over your home.

A small, meaningful memory box is often more than enough.


Why Letting Go Matters

When you remove things you don’t need or that no longer serve you, your home feels:

  • lighter
  • clearer
  • calmer
  • less chaotic

Decluttering also makes you more intentional about what you bring into your home in the future.

And that’s where the real transformation happens.


Questions to Ask When Decluttering

If you’re unsure about an item, ask yourself:

  • Do I actually need this?
  • When was the last time I used it?
  • How easy would it be to replace?
  • Do I already have something similar?
  • Does it have a home in my space?

If the answer to most of these questions is no, it might be time to let it go.


Decluttering doesn’t mean getting rid of everything.

It means making space for what truly matters.

And from what I’ve seen in hundreds of organizing sessions, most homes already have everything they need, they’re just buried under things they don’t.


Thank you for reading! 

Kristen 

Professional Organizer

KAS KONCEPTS - Helping you get and stay organized! 

W: https://kaskoncepts.godaddysites.com

Location: London, ON, Canada

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