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Do you ever feel like you’re constantly cleaning, but it’s never clean? 

Hi, that was me a few years ago. While things looked okay on the surface, there were spilling drawers, piles, wardrobes, the ever-so-famous chair-drobe, and so much overwhelm. 

One day, I decided enough was enough, so I started decluttering. And it wasn’t an overnight change, but little by little, things began to shift. My space now feels much more open, calm, and functional.

Are you ready for a fresh start? Do you want to make 2025 your most organised year yet?

Here’s a list of 25 things you can declutter right now.

Keep reading below or watch the video:

1. Freebies or promo items

We all get these inevitably, but just because it’s something you got for free is not a good enough reason to keep it. 

If you’re not getting use out of it, if you don’t have any space for it in your home, if it’s not something that brings value to your life, there’s no point in keeping an item. So freebies and promo items are something you can easily declutter.

2. Empty boxes

The thing about boxes is they take up so much space in your home. So you can let go of any cardboard boxes or boxes that your gadgets or items came in that you don’t actually have a use for.

Things like an iPhone box, the box your Hoover came in—all of these boxes can go.

3. Books you don’t read

Maybe it’s books that you started reading but didn’t actually vibe with, so you just left them there. Or books that you haven’t even started because you realised you’re not that interested in them. Maybe it’s books you read, but you’re not planning on reading again because you just don’t like them that much. 

All of these can go. Luckily, there are many places that can take your books—either for a little bit of money in return, like Ziffit (now called World of Books), you can sell them on Vinted, or you can donate them somewhere local.

4. Clothes that don’t fit you

These clothing items can make us feel really bad about ourselves because they remind us of a version of ourselves that maybe we were in the past and aren’t anymore.

All of these negative messages they bring can have a really negative impact on our mental health. 

So sometimes, it’s best to let go of these items. If it’s maternity or postpartum items or you’re in a season of life where your weight fluctuates a lot, then it might make sense to keep some of those items. But I think that by keeping wardrobes full and stuffed with items that don’t actually fit us we’re doing ourselves a big disservice.

5. Shoes

In my books, any pair of shoes that’s not comfy, doesn’t fit, or is too worn out can easily go. And in many cases, we have way more shoes than we probably need. This was one category where I definitely decluttered quite a lot myself.

6. Socks without pair

One thing I have found really helpful is to get the majority of our socks in the same colour—so a pack of all the same five or 10 pairs of socks. That way, even if I misplace one of them, I still have a pair somewhere in there. It’s a good trick to use. 

But if you have loads of mismatched socks, just get rid of the ones you don’t need anymore or maybe use them as cleaning cloths. There’s no point keeping them in your wardrobe and rummaging through them every time you get dressed in the morning.

7. Expired beauty products

This is something that you probably don’t want to be putting on your face. 

Beauty products usually have an expiry mark on them—usually within 6 or 12 months of opening. Some might last longer, depending on the product. But anything that’s expired is best to let go as it’s probably not going to be great for your skin and face in general.

8. Expired medicine

I’ve actually gone through our medicines recently myself. We did have a few items that were expired, and those are just so easy to let go of because, obviously, you have no use for them anymore—they’re not good for you. It’s such a very simple category to declutter.

9. Toxic candles

I became aware of the fact that candles can be harmful to us a few years ago.

When I started reading about toxic candles and their effects on our health, lungs, children in the home, and even the environment, it really put me off. All the toxic candles have been decluttered from my home, and I no longer buy them either.

Since then, I’ve switched to non-toxic candles—my personal favourites are Pott candles, but there are loads of options out there. 

10. Old phones and chargers

We tend to accumulate a lot of old devices—not just phones, but also iPads, tablets, Fitbits, and more. I actually remembered recently that I still have a Fitbit to declutter! 

And it’s not just the devices, it’s also the headphones that no longer work and the chargers the devices came with. 

Often, we tell ourselves, “I might fix this one day,” but if you’re not planning to do it in the near future, chances are you never will. It might be best to let them go and free up some space in your home.

11. Emails and spam

These are something we all get bombarded with nowadays. Are you an inbox-zero kind of person, or are you an inbox-4,000 kind of person? Let me know in the comments!

I definitely used to be the kind of person with way more emails than I needed, and it was just overwhelming to go through them all. 

Now, I’m an inbox-zero kind of person, and it’s been so helpful—not just for mental clarity but also for my business. Staying on top of business emails and client communications has really streamlined my digital life.

One thing I’ve found really helpful is to get rid of any spam first. I created filters for that so incoming spam gets binned straight away.

I also go through newsletters frequently—if I get one today and realise I’m not really interested anymore, I unsubscribe. It’s not about disliking the person or brand, but sometimes we outgrow certain content, and that’s perfectly fine.

12. Blankets

We tend to accumulate a lot of blankets because they’re comfy, cute, cosy, and snuggly—and we all love them. But do we really need 20 different blankets in our home? Probably not. They’re also quite heavy, and they can take up so much space.

Instead of trying to find more storage space for all your blankets, ask yourself: how many do we actually need?

For us, it’s four, as there are four people in our family. I don’t even think we have four blankets at the moment—just three—but we absolutely don’t need mountains of them.

13. Towels

Similar to blankets, we often keep more towels than we realistically need.

In our family, we’ve switched to having about two towels per person, and it’s been working great. We don’t feel the need for more, and it’s freed up so much space in our airing cupboard. It’s amazing!

14. Mugs

Another thing we tend to accumulate is mugs. If you’re brave enough, I challenge you to go to your mug cupboard and count how many you have in there. 

When I first started decluttering, I did this myself, and I think there were 30 or 40—I can’t even remember exactly, but it was way more than we needed.

Now, we have about 12, and I’ve found we don’t need any more. Realistically, how many people visit at one time who all need a hot beverage? For us, it’s never more than 12. 

Decluttering mugs can free up so much space in your home.

15. Unused Tupperware

As with mugs, the same goes for Tupperware—especially the unused ones or those with missing lids. 

In our home, we’ve switched mostly to glass containers, which are a bit healthier and easier to manage. We’ve also pared down the amount we have because, realistically, we don’t need an excessive number of food containers for our weekly use.

16. Broken umbrellas

Any broken umbrella is such an easy one to get rid of because, most likely, you don’t have a use for it anymore. That can be an easy win here.

17. Outdated manuals or warranties

Of course, there are some warranties you still need to keep for things you purchased recently. Yet if there’s anything expired or for something you bought five or ten years ago, you probably don’t need it anymore.

I would also go through the manuals. We keep some manuals in one folder for the house, but this is a good time to check if anything is outdated or if you no longer own the appliance or item the manual is for. Those are good things to get rid of as well.

18. Old notebooks

Unless sentimental, these are another easy declutter. If it’s just scribbles and notes from years ago, you might not have a need for them anymore. This can be a great area to tidy up!

19. Dried-out pens or markers

I try to go through my kids’ pens and markers once in a while to make sure there’s nothing dried up. If there is, obviously, that can go.

20. Magazines and newspapers

Sometimes we keep magazines from years ago that we didn’t even like that much. Maybe we saved a tiny snippet we thought was interesting, and for some reason, we feel the need to keep stacks of them.

If they bring joy to your life, then it’s absolutely fine to keep them. But if they’re just thrown in the back of a cupboard and annoy you every time you open it, maybe it’s time to let those go.

21. Toys not played much with

These can also be decluttered. I know toys can be a huge topic, but having a more streamlined play area for our kids can bring so many benefits. It allows for more focused play, more independent play, and just a space they enjoy more.

Studies have shown that kids thrive in clear, clutter-free spaces, so having fewer options available can sometimes be the best thing we can do for them.

I’m not saying get rid of all their toys—definitely not! We still have loads of toys ourselves. It’s just about being intentional with what they actually play with and what they don’t.

22. Puzzles and board games

This is another category we try to go through every once in a while. Puzzles and games tend to accumulate, and kids can outgrow some of them or lose interest. 

Donating or selling these can be a great way to pass them along to someone who will enjoy them.

23. Soft toys

These can be especially hard to let go of. Kids often get really attached to their soft toys at a certain age. 

Don’t get me wrong—my kids still have quite a lot! But if they ask for a new one, we try to go through their existing collection to see if there are any that aren’t as special to them anymore. 

Letting go of a few can make room for the new ones they’ll truly cherish. It’s not about being strict or forcing them to get rid of something they love. It’s just something we try to incorporate as much as we can.

24. Crafting items

Any crafting items that you don’t need anymore, or don’t use anymore, can be good to let go of as well.

25. Expired foods

This is an easy one. If you go in your kitchen, open the cupboards, and the fridge, is there anything in there that’s expired, that’s not good anymore? Any spinach that’s wilted at the bottom of a drawer? Uh, definitely not speaking from experience here. 

Getting rid of those items can actually free up so much space in your kitchen.

I’m also excited to share another article with you that might be of help, and it’s 20 things that I’m not buying in 2025.

Happy decluttering, and here’s to a fresh, simplified year ahead!