So before you start the actual cleaning, first declutter the house with items you have not been using over a period of time or do not want to use any further. Here is a list of 20 items we feel you should throw away right now as it will reduce half of your cleaning effort right away.

1 . Old Newspapers

Newspapers are common in every household and if not cleared and organized on a daily basis, soon it can become a big mess. It is always a good idea to arrange newspapers daily and clear them once in a month.

2 . Old Editions of Magazines

It is very likely that if you haven’t read a magazine for a long time then you are not going to read it later as well. You can dispose off such magazines as and when you are done with reading them.

3 . Old Bills & Receipts

We generally have the habit of storing our bills and receipts whether big or small, important or not. You can scan all the bills and receipts and get rid of paper bills.

4 . Stationery items

Broken pens, old files/folders, used notebooks, papers/ copies which are not required anymore should be cleared frequently, else it becomes a big mess to sort and organize them.

5 . Unused or scrap electronics

Many a times we just throw electronics like old keyboards, mouse etc. which are no more in working condition in some corner of the room. Festival cleaning is the time when you should get rid of all such waste. House looks good with minimal and properly organized things.

6 . Used Batteries

Always dispose off batteries as and when they are empty to avoid confusion at a later point

7 . Plastic / Polythene Covers

Every time we purchase something, a plastic cover enters our home. If not disposed off regularly, it can occupy unwanted space in house and make it look messy.

8 . Old Furniture

We are so obsessed with our furniture that we don’t let them go off so easily. But after a period of time, it is always better to dispose off old furniture rather than keeping them.

9 . Used Clothes

Always follow a 2 year rule for clothes, donate them if you have not used them from a long time.

10 . Old / Unused Footwear

Dispose / donate old footwear if you have not used them from more than 6 months.

11. Old towels / doormats / toiletries

Dispose all old and stained towels/ doormats, old toiletries, bags left from toilet paper, near completed shower gels, soaps etc.

12 . Old toothbrushes

One can find a lot of used toothbrushes in every home. Toothbrush can come handy in day to day cleaning. But there is no point in storing a lot of them. Dispose extra toothbrushes which are not used.

13 . Bulbs / Tubelights lying around

Dispose bulbs / tubelights immediately once they are not working anymore rather than storing them in some shelves.

14 . Expired Medicines

Most of us have so many medicines which are not used for a long time, sometimes years. Dispose off all such medicines. It is always a good idea to buy them in few quantities.

15. Jewellery & other accessories

Jewellery and accessories are something which every woman is fond of and most of the time there is no count on how much one has. Not every item is used regularly and there are items which are not used even once. Sorting and organizing on a monthly basis can save you a lot of time.

16 . Cosmetics / Makeup / Perfumes

Dispose expired and unused cosmetics and out of date makeup items, dried up nail polish at regular intervals.

17 . Toys

Donate old toys which are not in use over a long period of time.

18 . Expired Food

Our kitchen has many food items which we even tend to forget over a period of time. Organizing kitchen on a monthly basis can get you rid of such expired foods. Dispose expired sauces, old spices, any old cremes etc.

19. Broken Unused Plasticware

Plastic jars get accumulated in our kitchens whether we like or not. Dispose all the jars which are left unused.

20 . Plastic bottles / Cans

Dispose all plastic water bottles, juice bottles, drink bottles as and when completed.