Have you ever gone to your cupboard to reach for that seldom used ingredient to add to your meal, only to find it well past it’s use by date and has now made your food taste funky? Or in a rush you’ve applied what you thought was your every day mascara but it happened to be one that hasn’t been used in years and now you have an irritating itch on the side of your eye?
First rule of clearing clutter.
When working with my clients and starting the de-clutter process, the simplest place to start is by getting rid of those items that are out of date. It just doesn’t make sense to keep those items that are old and don’t work as well as they did when they were originally purchased. So they have to go…
Some examples are as follows:
FOOD ITEMS – the obvious items being the fresh produce in the fridge, then work on the pantry and then freezer.
UNRECOGNISABLE FOOD ITEMS – things that we have stored out of their packets so you can’t actually tell what they are or when they expired.
*TIP – do not throw these items in the bin if refuse collection is still a week away or you will end up with a rotten stinking mess!
BEAUTY PRODUCTS – especially eye makeup as they can lead to nasty infections.
SKIN CARE – old sun cream may not work effectively and old skin care can irritate your skin.
OPENED PAINT TINS – check out my blog post on labelling your paint tins here.
*TIP – check with your local council or shire on how to dispose of these correctly.
CLEANING PRODUCTS – as these can lose their effectiveness over time.
MEDICINES & SUPPLEMENTS – can lose their active ingredients making them ineffective or even dangerous.
*TIP – check with your doctor or medical professional on whether it’s safe to use these past their expiration date.
While out of date items are the easiest place to start, while you’re at it, why not de-clutter a little more. Ask yourself… Do I need it? Do I use it? Is it broken?
Making quick decisions is key. The longer you hold onto something, the more chance you have in talking yourself into why you must keep it.
If your home has out of date items and is overflowing with stuff, then get started on this process today!
See you next time!
Mei x
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