10 household items

Are you still struggling with clutter in your home? Do you have more items that you never use but can’t seem to part with? Clutter can have a negative impact on your mental and physical health, as well as your productivity and happiness. It can also make your home look messy and uninviting. That’s why it’s important to get rid of the things that you don’t need or love, and only keep the ones that add value to your life!

Here are 10 more useless household items that you should get rid of to free up space and simplify your life.

Old cameras

With the rise of smartphones, many people have old cameras lying around that they never use. These cameras may have sentimental value, but they are also taking up valuable space and collecting dust. Unless you are a professional photographer or a hobbyist, you probably don’t need more than one camera. It’s time to recycle them and free up some space. You can also digitize your old photos and store them online or on a hard drive, so you can still enjoy them without the clutter.

Treasured items

We all have items that we treasure but never use. These may be souvenirs from our travels, gifts from our loved ones, or heirlooms from our ancestors. While these items may have emotional significance, they are also taking up space and creating visual noise. If they’re just collecting dust, it’s time to let them go. You can take photos of them and write down their stories, so you can still remember them without the physical presence. You can also give them to someone who will appreciate them more, or donate them to a museum or a charity.

Gifts

Do you have gifts that you never use but feel guilty getting rid of? Maybe you have a sweater that your aunt knitted for you, or a vase that your friend gave you for your birthday. While these gifts may have been given with good intentions, they are also adding to your clutter and making you feel obligated to keep them. It’s time to donate them and free up some space. Remember that the true value of a gift is in the gesture, not in the object. You can still thank the giver and show your appreciation, without holding on to the gift.

Makeup

Makeup has an expiration date and can harbor bacteria. If you have old makeup lying around, it’s time to toss it. Using expired makeup can cause skin irritation, infection, or even allergic reactions. It can also affect the quality and performance of the product, making it less effective or more difficult to apply. To avoid wasting money and risking your health, you should check the labels and symbols on your makeup products and follow the recommended shelf life. You should also clean your brushes and tools regularly, and store your makeup in a cool and dry place.

Garlic press

Most recipes call for chopped or minced garlic, not pressed; even when they do, substituting minced is fine. A garlic press is a gadget that is supposed to make your life easier, but it actually does the opposite. It is hard to use, hard to clean, and hard to store. It also wastes a lot of garlic, as some of it gets stuck in the holes or the chamber. Instead: Use the flat side of a good knife or a mortar and pestle to crush garlic easily. You can also buy pre-minced garlic in a jar, or use garlic powder or paste.

Exercise gadgets

Countless homes are littered with the dust-caked carcasses of New Year’s resolutions that never came to be in the form of so-called miracle exercise gadgets such as Thigh Masters, Ab Crunchers, and Shake Weights. These gadgets promise to tone your muscles, burn your fat, and sculpt your body, but they are actually ineffective, impractical, and sometimes even dangerous. They also create annoying cleanup and take up kitchen space — that is, until they’re relegated to storage or a garage sale. Instead: Commit to a free, at-home, and gym-free bodyweight exercise regimen. You can use your own body weight and some simple equipment, such as a mat, a chair, or a towel, to perform a variety of exercises that target all your major muscle groups. You can also follow online videos or apps that guide you through different routines and levels.

K-Cups

Like old-school film cameras and razors with disposable blades, cup-based coffee machines popularized by Keurig require a big purchase once, but far more necessary re-ups over the course of a lifetime. K-cups are convenient, but expensive, bulky to store, and create a lot of unnecessary plastic waste for the environment. According to a report by The Atlantic, in 2014, enough K-Cups were sold that if placed end-to-end, they would circle the globe 10.5 times.

Most of these K-Cups are not recyclable or biodegradable, and end up in landfills or oceans. Instead: Consider getting an easy-to-program and inexpensive drip coffee maker or even a single-cup version. You can use your own coffee grounds or beans, and adjust the strength and flavor to your liking. You can also use a reusable filter or a paper filter that can be composted. If you really want the Keurig pod option, try using refillable K-Cups that can be used over and over with inexpensive, store-bought coffee.

Banana slicer

A banana slicer is shaped like a banana, curve and all, and a single push makes perfectly uniform slices — which would be great if bananas were always the same size and had the same curve. However, bananas come in different shapes and sizes, and sometimes you may want thicker or thinner slices, or even chunks. A banana slicer is a gadget that is unnecessary, inflexible, and hard to clean. It also takes up space in your drawer or counter. Instead: A kitchen knife does the same work in less than a minute without the additional clutter. You can also use a fork or a spoon to slice or mash your banana, depending on your preference.

Clothes

Do you have clothes that you haven’t worn in years? Maybe you have clothes that don’t fit you anymore, or that are out of style, or that you don’t like. These clothes are taking up space in your closet and making it harder for you to find and wear the clothes that you actually love. It’s time to donate them and free up some space. You can use the KonMari method, popularized by Marie Kondo, to sort through your clothes and decide what to keep and what to discard. The basic principle is to only keep the clothes that spark joy, and thank the ones that don’t for their service. You can also use the hanger trick, where you hang all your clothes with the hangers facing the same direction, and then turn the hanger around when you wear something. After a certain period of time, you can see which clothes you haven’t worn and get rid of them.

Quesadilla maker

Designated gadgets for making quesadillas accomplish nothing that ordinary kitchen appliances cannot. They also create annoying cleanup and take up kitchen space — that is, until they’re relegated to storage or a garage sale. A quesadilla maker is supposed to press and cook your tortillas and cheese, but it also limits the size and shape of your quesadillas, and sometimes burns or undercooks them. Instead: You can use a skillet or a griddle to make your quesadillas on the stovetop, or a baking sheet to make them in the oven. You can also use a pizza cutter or a knife to cut them into wedges. You can make your quesadillas as big or as small as you want, and fill them with whatever ingredients you like.

In conclusion, getting rid of these additional useless household items can help further declutter your home and simplify your life. Take another look around your home and see what other items you can part with. You will be surprised by how much space and peace of mind you can gain by letting go of the things that you don’t need. Remember that less is more, and quality is better than quantity. Happy decluttering!