Enough Is Enough! 10 Items You Need to Repurpose, Recycle or Toss NOW

Jean Jones
October 12, 2017

Items You Need to Throw AwayIs your Springs luxury apartment home starting to look like a candidate for an episode of Hoarders? Your commitment to green living is impressive, but there are options.

If you've been hanging on to any of these items, it's time to let go and repurpose, recycle or toss.

1. Clothing

For most people, this is probably #1 on the list of unnecessary items taking up space. Be ruthless and prune your wardrobe of anything that doesn't fit or you just don't wear anymore. Donate the items to charity or pick up a few bucks by taking them to a resale or consignment shop.

2. Old Electronics

Considering how much you spent on it, you may be reluctant to get rid of a TV or computer, but that's still not enough to justify the space it takes up. If it's still functional, donate or resell it. If not, recycle it.

3. Cosmetics and Toiletries

Are you holding on to that bottle of body lotion with one tablespoon left, or that dried-up mascara you bought two years ago? Outdated beauty products are a health risk as well as a nuisance. Go through your stash and toss anything that's past its recommended lifespan.

4. Expired Medication

Expired medication doesn't suddenly turn fatal, but it does present a risk in terms of accidental exposure or misuse. At best, it loses effectiveness. Carefully dispose of all medicinal products that are past their expiration date.

5. Bills, Receipts and Financial Documents

Do you still have warranty cards from products you don't even own anymore? With the convenience of electronic document storage, file cabinets full of hard copies are a waste of space. Sort through your financial data and keep what you need, scan what you can and shred the rest.

6. Books

Maybe you haven't been able to embrace the eBook revolution, but hardback and paperback books take up a lot of valuable real estate. Spread the literary love and donate or sell books once you've read them.

7. Single Socks

Seriously, if the mate hasn't turned up in a month, it's not going to. By all means, though, keep them if mismatched socks are part of your signature style or if you put them to good use elsewhere.

8. Unused Gifts

Those coffee mugs, figurines and candles deserve a good home with someone who loves them. Flea markets, garage sales and eBay are perfect resources for "relocation."

9. Junk Drawers

We all grew up in a home with a junk drawer, but it's one tradition that should be put to rest. Storage space is too precious to use it for items that rarely see the light of day.

10. Old Magazines and Newspapers

So you're planning to clip all those great recipes and start a master file? Quit fooling yourself. If you haven't done anything with it in a week, it heads to recycling.

Do you have a hard time letting go of a particular item? Tell us in the comments!New Call-to-action

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