Throw it away now: 8 household items to get rid of before the New Year

In almost all cultures, the New Year symbolizes renewal, a fresh start that can give rise to changes for the better. Hence the tradition of making wishes to improve one's life in the coming calendar cycle and wishing "new happiness". Moreover, in some countries, it is customary to get rid of old things on New Year's Eve. For example, Italians ruthlessly throw them out of the window. That's why you shouldn't walk under houses on December 31 in Italy.

According to the Chinese philosophy of feng shui, parting with old unnecessary things opens the way for fresh energy. Traditional psychology calls decluttering the best and easiest way to organize thoughts and improve your mood. And it is advised to start with one small nook. You may not want to stop after clearing it out. Whichever paradigm you follow – esoteric or scientific – OBOZREVATEL has compiled a cheat sheet on what exactly you should get rid of – throw away, give to someone who needs it, or recycle.

Unnecessary papers

Probably, each of us has a pile of advertising newspapers, a collection of bills for the last 10-15 years, receipts for goods that have expired, and other unnecessary documents. It's time to take them to a waste paper collection center. Collect everything that is expired or easily found on the Internet, old financial documents, junk mail, etc. And if you want to keep something, scan it and upload it to a cloud service.

Damaged and unnecessary dishes

We often buy kitchen utensils on impulse – because they are pretty or stylish and can cheer us up when we imagine what culinary masterpieces we will create with them. In reality, it turns out that we simply clog up the already very limited kitchen space with unnecessary things, duplicates of what we already have, and disparate items that do not harmonize with each other. To overcome this chaos, experts advise setting a high bar for filling the kitchen. Make sure that there are no damaged dishes, steamed items, or unnecessary duplicates. You can only keep things that have sentimental value. And everything else can be given to those who will need these items more.

Expired food and unused supplies

How many years has that jar of pickled tomatoes been staring at you from the depths of the fridge? If you haven't eaten it in all that time, what makes you think you will in the future? Feel free to throw it away. Also, take a look at your pantry. Make sure that generations of moths have not settled in some jars and boxes, that mold has not started to grow there, and that the food has not turned to dust. It is better to go through food not only before the New Year. It is recommended to check the pantry, cabinets, and refrigerator every few months.

Old cosmetics

Another frequent object of impulse purchases is cosmetics. Therefore, jars and bottles periodically accumulate on an industrial scale. At the same time, their contents remain unused and stand there until the expiration date. You need to get rid of such junk without regret. You can't even give it to anyone. And from the New Year, you should start going to cosmetics stores with a list of essentials that you should strictly follow.

Small junk from the drawers

Any desk or drawer for supposedly useful small things in the kitchen is usually a repository of completely unnecessary things. You can find broken cell phones, keys to locks that have been changed long ago, written-off pens, batteries that have died before they've even been inserted into anything, whole piles of paper clips and erasers, candle butts, and so on. Collect it all and dispose of it properly. Don't turn your home into a dumpster.

Clothes you no longer wear

The problem of "a full closet of clothes, but nothing to wear" arises precisely for those who do not review their wardrobe from time to time and continue to fill hangers and shelves without making room beforehand. Go through your clothes and put aside those that are objectively out of your size, that you haven't worn in over a year (okay, two years), that you were given as a gift but didn't like. Next, sort it into two piles – things that can be given away/gifted/sold, and things that can be used for rags at most. Do the same with them.

Worn-out towels and bedding

Don't neglect your linen closet when you organize your home in the new year. If you have a certain amount of worn-out sheets, blankets, towels, and other items, donate them to the nearest animal shelter. There is always a need for such things. And this winter, you can donate light-colored worn bedding to weave camouflage nets.

Old or broken toys

Your children will get a whole bunch of new toys for the New Year. This means it's time to go through what's at the bottom of the old toy box, pick out what they haven't played with for a while, and donate it to charity. And throw away anything broken or damaged. You should do the same with pets' toys. It's time to replace what they've been destroying all year long with something new.