11 items you should toss without thinking twice

Everybody has at least one ridiculous object that they keep holding onto, but it’s time to admit that it should’ve been thrown out a decade ago.

The missing partner

It feels like nothing. At least, at first. One sock disappears. So you keep the other one nearby because, obviously, it’ll turn up someday. But then it’s been eight months. You’re left with a single sock, and there’s no sign of the other sock.

Life moves on. No, you don’t have to throw worn socks straight into the trash, but there’s really no point in holding onto single ones. The situation has gone on long enough.

The drawer stash

Open almost any kitchen drawer. Chances are, you’ll probably find a greasy pile of soy sauce and ketchup. There’s also duck sauce and taco sauce. Don’t forget the hot mustard packets. However, most of them are so old that the logos have completely changed.

It feels wasteful to throw them away. But really, are you ever going to use that warm mayonnaise packet from two years ago? Probably not.

The last half inch

There’s always one cleaning bottle left under the sink. But there’s barely any liquid in it. Not even for one spray. It doesn’t matter that nobody remembers what it’s for because, apparently, it survives every cleanup.

There’s no point keeping it, though. You tell yourself you don’t want to throw away something you already paid for. But there’s basically nothing left inside. 

The good-cause pile

It’s weird how reusable tote bags seem to reproduce by themselves. One comes home from a bookstore. Another from a conference. Somehow you’ll end up with three more that came from absolutely nowhere. 

But you probably only ever use the same two bags. Yes, most of those bags have never seen the light of day. You don’t need a whole cabinet of them. Really. Keep the ones you use, and get rid of the rest.

The metal question mark

There’s a key somewhere in your house. It’s survived three phones and two apartments. Nobody knows what it opens anymore, sure, but you probably still treat it like it matters. It doesn’t. The thing is, you haven’t used it in years.

Whatever it belongs to has probably disappeared now. Maybe it was an old mailbox. Maybe it was a storage unit. Who knows? Holding onto those random keys ‘just in case’ means you’re choosing clutter over common sense.

The little baggie

Every house has one of those bags. You know which one. It’s a sandwich bag filled with leftover screws, probably from furniture you don’t even have anymore. There’s an Allen wrench in there. There are three tiny bolts, too.

Yet so many people hold onto these bags like they’re heirlooms. They’re not. Half the screws are stripped, anyway, and the chances that you’ll need that exact bent silver piece are basically zero.

The plastic orphanage

Opening some kitchen cabinets is guaranteed to trigger an avalanche. Yes, the plastic lids come flying out sideways. The matching containers for them disappeared years ago. But the lids stayed behind. 

It’s even worse when you have some stained orange from who-knows-what. They don’t stack properly. They don’t fit anything. No, these plastic lids just create stress every time you want an actual, usable food container.  

The bathroom pebble

Old makeup sponges turn disgusting quite slowly. It’s probably why people keep them so long. At first, they just seem well-used, but then you try squeezing them. They’re damp. They’re meant to be dry. When you smell them, you might realize they’ve got a weird smell, too.

Do you really want that near your face? Didn’t think so. Worst of all, bathrooms stay humid, and makeup sponges collect bacteria pretty quickly when they’re left around. It’s best to throw them in the trash where they belong.

The tomato test

You’ve likely got one terrible kitchen knife you hate. No, it doesn’t slice tomatoes. No, it doesn’t cut meat. No, it doesn’t do anything much, really. It turns basic cooking into serious physical labor. 

You tell yourself you’re going to sharpen it eventually. But really, you’re not going to. Most cheap knives spend years sitting untouched. It annoys you to use it, so you don’t bother touching it. There’s no reason to keep holding onto it.

The sad pancake

Every pillow reaches one depressing stage. It’s when it turns into folded fabric and stops serving its purpose. Whenever you lie down, you can feel the mattress underneath. Some pillows are yellow. Some smell like old shampoo. All of them are useless.

However, you might hold onto it because replacing pillows seems pointless. You should do it, though. Old pillows collect sweat. They collect dust mites and skin cells, too, basically anything unpleasant from when you’re sleeping.

The wet wall

You might’ve stopped noticing your shower curtain liner. You see it every day. But your guests will notice the cloudy streaks and pink slime. They’ll see the black specks. They’ll feel the liner sticking to their legs when they’re taking a shower.

Sure, washing helps for a little while. But the liner will start looking permanently tired. No amount of ignoring it is going to fix the issue, and you might as well throw it out. Just think of all the mildew and mold.

Sources: Please see here for a complete listing of all sources that were consulted in the preparation of this article.

Never throw away these 15 things after a loved one dies

Don’t let grief cause you to throw these away, because they will bring you closer to your loved one.

Never throw away these 15 things after a loved one dies