Feeling bored? If you are one of the millions of people out there who are in a lockdown because of the coronavirus, now is the perfect time to clean and organize your home. A clean house is good for you and your overall wellbeing. Just look around you, for sure, there are things to get rid of to improve your home.
When your environment is clean you feel happy, motivated and healthy.
– Lailah Gifty Akita
According to a study by Nicole R. Keith, PhD, associate professor of Indiana University; people who live in cleaner houses are healthier and more active. On the contrary, another study reveals that people who live in cluttered areas are more likely to be depressed. Clutter affects people’s feelings and satisfaction about life.
Normally, people are so busy that they don’t have enough time to clean and declutter the house. That is the reason why things just accumulate over time. If you want a better and healthier life, take advantage of this time to get rid of things or clutter in your house. Here are top 10 things that you need to get rid of as starters:
1. Expired Food
Go through your refrigerator and your pantry. Avoid health risks by getting rid of anything that is already expired! If there are foods that you don’t eat, it is much better to give them away so that someone else can enjoy them.
2. Expired Medicine
Do you have any unused or expired medicines in your cabinet? You really have no use for expired medicine. It is best that you throw them away. Check the dates on the labels of each box or bottle. The ones that you will still keep should be properly labeled. Take inventory of those that you no longer need such as pain relievers or antibiotics. It is recommended that you throw them away also. Remember, they are prescribed specifically for you. It is not wise to let others take the medicines that was originally intended for you.
3. Expired Beauty Products
So, you can’t bear to part with an half-consumed expensive beauty product that you bought a year ago. Unfortunately, hanging on to expired beauty products might be doing your skin more harm than good. They might even become the cause of a skin problem.
In a study published by the International Journal of Cosmetic Science, results showed that about 70% of women in the study used expired beauty products and that 67% of the make-up samples used by these women were contaminated. If you use expired beauty product, there is a big probability that it is contaminated.
4. Clothes You Don’t Use
You might have shoes or clothes that you don’t wear anymore that are just taking up space in your closet. If you do, this is the best time to get rid of them. They may be outdated or do not fit anymore. Whatever the reason is, if you have not used them for over a year now, that’s a clear sign that you should get rid of them already.
5. Old Magazines
Let’s face it, you are not going to re-read old magazines or subscriptions. Before they even pile up and start cluttering your home, why not donate them instead to local charities, schools, libraries or free clinics?
6. Unused Plastic or Bottle Containers
It is always best to recycle plastic and bottle containers. However, if you have kept them for so long and they are still unused up to this time, it is best that you dispose of them already. Just may sure to dispose of them properly so that they can be recycle elsewhere. There are companies that buy unused plastic and bottle containers for recycling.
7. Outdated or Broken Technology
If you have old or outdated technology, that is considered an eWaste, short for electronic waste. These kind of waste can be extremely harmful to the environment because of the materials used in its production such as lead, mercury and arsenic. So, if you have old technology at home such us gadgets, TV remotes, cords, chargers and many others; it is best that you dispose of them properly. Include used and old batteries that are just lying around.
8. Old Toys
Throw away broken toys. Donate old toys that are no longer in used but are in still good condition so that you can make other children who are less fortunate a little happy. With the new toys that the children received over the years, they won’t notice if some of the old toys went missing.
9. Paper Clutter
Even in this digital day and age, you have probably still accumulated a lot of paper clutter in the house. Sort them out and throw away old newspapers, receipts, pamphlets, brochures, old bills, your children’s test papers and scribbled notepads.
10. Other Broken Items
Do you have any other broken furniture or items like chipped mugs, pens that are not working or broken jewelries in the house? Now is the best time to get rid of those. Remove clutter and get rid of items that are useless, broken and can no longer be repaired nor be given as gifts.
Edited Version. First published in Pinoy Smart Living 01.07.2019.
Feature Image by Hans Braxmeier from Pixabay Images.