Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal… (Matt. 6:19)

I’m not sure about “treasures on earth”, but stored up stuff is a major household issue. Clutter crowds drawers and shelves, making it hard to clean house. Clutter hides needed items, a money-waster if unlocated items are repurchased. Clutter can even rob others of comfort, when quality items languish in closets or under beds instead of being put to good use.

Ready to clear out some clutter in the new year? Here are 10 tips for cleaning up:

1.  Clothing: Charities are in need of warm winter clothing to distribute or resale. Clear out the closets and give away good condition items that are taking up space and not being used.

2.  Toys: Now that the kids have restocked their toy boxes, it’s time to move out the items that they’ve outgrown. Excellent and good condition items may be donated to preschools, charity shops, shelters, or other local charities that help needy children. Call and ask first.

3.  Kitchen: Empty out drawers and cabinets and clean the insides. Before you put items back, set aside the ones that you haven’t used in a year, no longer need, or can no longer identify. If they’re in good condition, donate them to a local thrift/resale shop.

4.  Linen closets: Are extra blankets and towels crowding the shelves? Good condition items go to charity. Check with the Red Cross or church mission projects about donating blankets. Repurpose poor condition items for use in cleaning, garage, or car.

5.  Books: Weed the bookshelves and give away good condition books: to friends, to charity, to prison ministries. Extra Bibles? Local churches may be in need of copies to give away.

6.  Old eyeglasses: Check with the local Lion’s Club or visit this website

7.  Old cell phones: Several charities recycle cell phones to help those in need. The Charity Guide has some suggestions for donation and for preparing phones for recycling.  Also check out Cell Phones for Soldiers.

8. Refrigerator and pantry: For safety’s sake, clean out food storage areas and throw away spoiled or expired foods.

9. Medicine cabinet: Medications that have expired or are no longer used should be disposed of properly. The FDA offers some excellent advice.

10. Documents: Create a file folder to collect this year’s tax documents and important papers. Shred old documents. The IRS and Washington State Attorney General offer some guidelines. If that’s too complicated, file each year’s worth of documents (taxes, credit card statements, insurance and medical) in an accordion folder and keep 6 year’s worth. Shred the rest.

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About Karen Wilber

Karen Wilber (MA Biblical Studies) has a lifelong love of storytelling, both written and oral. She developed a passion for scripture after being challenged by a pastor to read the Bible in a year. She dovetailed these two loves into the telling of stories from the Bible, particularly the book of Ruth and the parables of Jesus. Her master’s thesis, The Character of God in the Book of Ruth: Traditional Rabbinic and Current Evangelical Interpretations explored the characteristics of God revealed within the story of Ruth, Naomi, and Boaz.

Karen has a bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education and a master’s in Library and Information Science. She has worked as a teacher, librarian, and corporate trainer and is currently a stay-at-home mom.

Her writing has been featured in MomSense,Women of Passions, Computers in Libraries, and other library association newsletters.

Her blog, Along the Way (http://karenalongtheway.blogspot.com), is a combination of scriptural reflections and the joy of being a stay-at-home mom with two active preschoolers.

Her latest project is a Bible study on the book of Ruth.

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