30 Easy Things To Declutter From Your Utility Immediately

11shares
Save
Share

The utility room is one of the most-used spaces in your home, but it can also be one of the most cluttered. Here are the things creating that clutter that you should get rid of immediately!

* This post may contain affiliate links. They don't cost you a penny, but do pay a commission to this site.

30 Easy Things To Declutter From Your Utility Immediately

Whether it’s a separate room, a part of your kitchen or garage, or a cupboard somewhere else in your home – there’s always a need for some sort of utility space in a home.

And this space works hard for us, each and every day.

There’s so much going on in them – from storage for cleaning products, household stock items, and general maintenance stuff – through to it having to support things like our laundry routine and daily wear and tear.

You may have even more uses for this space than listed above (we also keep medicines, sewing kit, and some of our more frequently used DIY/decorating items – for example).

No wonder they get cluttered.

It really can all too easily pile up if we don’t stay on top of things!

But that’s not going to help you get things done in a quick and easy way.

You want to have:

Clutter free space for doing small DIY tasks or for looking through storage containers when you take them out of a cupboard.
A place to put the dirty clothes when doing laundry
An easy path to the washing machine etc.. without having to circumnavigate piles of stuff every time.
An inviting room to be in when doing your chores rather than one you want to leave as soon as you walk into it.

So, if you’re ready to create a much more tidy and clutter free room, that really works well for you in supporting your housework – then the best place to start is to have a good sort out of what’s in there.

It’s time to take back this room!

Here are all the things to get rid of in your utility room right now.

Let’s get started…

Cleaning Items You Can Declutter From Your Utility Right Now

#1 – Expired cleaning products

Anything that’s past its best will no longer be effective and could even be dangerous, so get rid of them immediately.

#2 – Duplicate cleaning supplies

If you have two (or more!) of something, do you really need it? Keep one and declutter the rest.

#3 – Cleaning things you never use

We all have that cupboard or drawer filled with things we’ve never used and probably never will. This may be for a variety of reasons, including:

You don’t like the smell
It doesn’t work well for you
You’ve found a product that you prefer

If you haven’t used it in the last year, get rid of it!

#4 – Cleaning products you’re allergic to

If you have any cleaning supplies that you know you’re allergic to, or that cause you respiratory problems, it’s time to get rid of them and find a healthier alternative.

#5 – Empty Cleaning Supplies

It can be really frustrating to open the cupboard to get a cleaning product out, only to realise that it’s empty.

Maybe that means you now need to go shopping before the cleaning can be done – which wastes time and demotivates you a lot.

It could be avoided by checking that you only have items that still have product in them in the cupboard. The rest can go!

#6 – Cleaning tools that don’t work any longer

It could be a broken hoover, faulty mop, or a duster that’s lot most of its feathers.

Just for a few examples…

But whatever the issue – if it’s not serving the purpose it was meant for – it’s time to declutter it. You’ll save yourself a lot of future frustrations…

Laundry Room Items To Declutter From The Utility Now

#7 – Broken clothes pegs

These can’t do their job properly and just take up space, so declutter them now.

#8 – Excess coat hangers

When you do laundry – there’ll be a need for coat hangers in the process. It could be to dry shirts and dresses, or after you’ve ironed things.

Trouble is – coat hangers have a weird habit of multiplying! As such, just make sure you only have a few spare ones ready to go – and the rest get put back in their respective wardrobes.

#9 – Mismatched socks

If you have any single socks without a partner, declutter them now. You’re never going to find its matching pair (it’s one of the mysteries of life!)…

#10 – Bulky Laundry baskets

Having a laundry basket is a really useful thing for gathering together washing from the machine, and taking it to the drying rack (or the outside washing line).

But wash baskets can be really bulky when not in use – and that can add to the cluttered feel of the space.

If you haven’t got room to store this when not in use so it’s out of the way – consider swapping for a collapsible one (this is a really simple but effective storage solution for a tricky item).

#11 – Stains you can’t remove!

There are some stains that just won’t come out, no matter how many times you try.

If you can’t get them out of an item of clothing or two, it’s time to say goodbye and declutter them.

Washing Machine with folded towels and washing liquid bottle on top

#12 – Laundry waiting to be put away

Clutter isn’t always things you don’t want to keep any longer. Far from it. It can simply be stuff that’s in the wrong place.

If you’ve got piles of clean washing that’s been lurking in the utility room for more than a day or two, it needs to be put away in the right place. That’ll stop it being clutter!

#13 – Ironing waiting to be done

If it’s been more than a week, it’s time to declutter that ironing pile and get it done.

Keep your laundry moving through the laundry process, otherwise what you’ve got is a pile of clutter that will be on your mind until it’s done – and who wants that?!!

Based on the amount of laundry we have - I have to assume there are people living here I've never met

Household Items In Your Utility That Don’t Need To Be There Any Longer

#14 – Any wall clutter

Do you have excess shelving, some wall art that you don’t like, or hooks that don’t serve any purpose?

Time to let that clutter go (these are items you’re likely to be clutter blind to – i.e. you simply don’t see it any more and it’s become part of your every day – this is what makes it dangerous clutter…).

#15 – Old light bulbs

If they’re more than a year old, it’s time to get rid of them and replace them with new ones.

#16 – Bulbs that don’t fit any lights in your home

If you’ve bought new lighting for any room, then chances are that you’ll have some light bulbs that you won’t be able to use anywhere else.

Take a look and see if that’s the case, and let the ones you can’t use, go.

#17 – Dead batteries

It’s worth testing them before you let them go.

Note: They need to be disposed of properly, so make sure you take them to your local recycling centre.

#18 – Excess carrier bags

Do you need to keep all of these? You can probably declutter most of them and just keep a few for when you next need them.

Note: With the change in feelings about plastic over recent years, this may be less and less needed – and I’d always say have a couple of bags for life in your car and handbag ready for when you need them!

Does anyone else have a bag full of other bags in their house, or is it just me?

#19 – Anything needing to be mended

Maybe it’s a jumper with a hole. or a plug that needs changing on a lamp, or something that’s waiting for its missing pieces to be found.

Anything that needs to be fixed usually ends up in the utility room for a while – as that’s the place where a lot of the items needed to fix them would be (sewing kit, tools etc…).

But if you know deep down that you’re never going to get around to fixing any of these things then it’s time to say goodbye…

#20 – Keys you don’t know what they unlock

If you’ve had them a while and haven’t used them, then chances are high they’ll never be used.

If you have a chance, then check them against any other keys you have (or test them in any locks you’ve got) and if they don’t fit – get rid.

#21 – Shoe polish in colours you don’t own anymore

If you’ve decluttered your shoes, then you may have some shoe polish that’s no longer needed. Get rid of it so that it doesn’t take up valuable space in your utility room.

#22 – Wires And Tech for appliances not used anymore

As with keys – the utility seems to attract things like chargers and tech stuff that you’re unsure about whether it’s needed or not.

Now is the time to work out for sure what’s useful and what isn’t – and get decluttering on the latter.

#23 – Expired medicines

If you have any medicines that have expired, it’s time to declutter them.

NOTE: Remember that all medicines need to be disposed of safely. Usually this means taking them back to a pharmacist.

#24 – Screws, nails and other fixings that don’t match anything in your home

Maybe you’ve got a few storage containers filled with smaller items of leftovers from past DIY projects?

If they’re not being used, it’s time to let them go.

#25 – Small paint sample pots from past decorating

They were useful when you were choosing the colours – but they’ll be past their best by now.

Be honest – will you REALLY ever need them again?

#26 – DIY Supplies for jobs you’ve finished and won’t need again

It always seems a waste to let these things go – but if you won’t use them again, why are you keeping them?

Maybe give these away or donate to somewhere you know would find them handy.

#27 – Old paint colours not used anymore

Keeping paint for touchups is sensible – but only while that paint colour is used in your house. Get into the habit going forward of letting all old paint go once a room has been redecorated.

TIP: Always label the paint so you know what room it was used in. This may seem too obvious, but I’ve used a few very similar shades of cream in the past and had they not been labelled then a quick patch of painting could easily have turned into a larger task that it needed to be.

#28 – Dried up paint brushes and rollers

These are probably taking up valuable space in your utility room. If they’re not going to be used again, it’s time to let them go.

#29 – General broken items

We have a habit of taking items that have cracked, chipped, or smashed – and leaving them on the windowsill in the utility.

Mostly this is because we need to deal with it in a way that’s safe for disposal rather than just adding to the bin/recycling. BUT these items can add up pretty quickly. If you’re in the habit of leaving things like this – it’s time to take them away.

#30 – Broken or excess items in your sewing kit

Usually the utility room is a great place to house your sewing kit – because you’re likely to find clothes that need mending when you’re doing the laundry.

Make it as easy to fix them as possible (and as quick!) by only having the right amount of items for the job, and items that all work when you try and use them.

There you have it – all the things to declutter from your utility asap. How many of these have you got lurking in this room space right now?

Go through each storage space in turn (cupboard, wall, shelf, worktop etc…) and see what you can find that doesn’t belong there.

I hope this has helped you to see how much more streamlined the room could be without all this excess to wade through before you get to the stuff you actually DO need for getting all those chores done.