7 things to get rid of in your home before the new year, according to professional organizers

The end of the year is the perfect time to declutter your home.

The end of the year is a great time to do some decluttering. However, it can be difficult to decide what should stay and what should go.

To make things easier, Business Insider asked professional organizers about the best things to get rid of before the new year. Here’s what they said.

Get rid of expired items.

Expired food should be removed from cabinets and pantries.

The end of the year is a great time to toss expired items, from food and beverages to old beauty products.

Ashley Coleman, founder of home organization company Done Neatly, told B-17 that starting with bathroom products is a great way to jump-start your decluttering journey.

She also said to go through your kitchen cupboards and pantry for expired canned goods and toss what can’t be kept.

The end of the year is a good time to go through your holiday decor.

Styles and preferences naturally change throughout the year, so December can be a good time to get rid of old holiday decor, broken ornaments, and other items that have remained in your holiday-decoration bins and boxes.

Nikki Bell, founder of Just Us Organizing, suggests taking note of what items you didn’t decorate with this holiday season and getting rid of them.

Kids’ spaces should be decluttered during the holiday season.

Bell said December is a good time to go through kids’ toys and clothes since they are likely to receive an influx of new items at the end of the year.

She said it’s a good idea to get rid of these items while kids are enamored by their new gifts and will likely have an easier time parting with some of their old things.

Sort through your outdated and worn clothing.

The experts suggest going through your clothes before the new year.

As the year draws to a close, the experts suggest going through your closets and looking for outdated, worn clothing.

Bell said it can be freeing to get rid of the sizes that no longer fit or feel good to wear.

Jamie Hord, cofounder of Horderly, said getting rid of one item for every new item you bring into the home is a good way to maintain order when accumulating new clothes throughout the holiday season.

It’s time to go through your kitchen gadgets.

Coleman told B-17 it’s important to look in your kitchen drawers and get rid of items that you don’t use or have multiples of.

She said it’s easy to develop a small stockpile of niche kitchen gadgets, but you shouldn’t hold onto items “just in case” you may need them later.

Bell also said to purge old kitchen tools that have been replaced by newer ones.

Empty boxes take up valuable space.

Empty boxes create unnecessary clutter

Having a stash of empty boxes in the house is an easy way to collect dust.

Bell said unless someone is actively using the box to store their item or moving within the next few months, unused boxes from small appliances take up too much space in a room.

Keep sentimental items to a minimum.

Old trophies can take up a lot of space in the home. 

Nostalgic items are hard to part with, but all three organizers emphasized the importance of scaling down your collection to only the most beloved items.

After all, a collection of old concert t-shirts or sports trophies can take up a lot of space in the closet, basement, or garage.

In addition to these mementos, Bell said to look through your trinkets and gifts from friends and relatives. After taking a closer look, you might just find some of the items aren’t as sentimental as you thought they would be when you first received them.

“I try to keep one thing a year. And that makes that thing even more special and important to me,” she told B-17.