As a professional organizer, I visit many homes. My clients do not fit any certain profile – singles, marrieds, ages ranging from 25 to 80, kids, no kids, etc. I’ve noticed with the variety of clients that I have, there are some categories of belongings that I see repeatedly wreaking havoc on my client’s spaces because they don’t know how to get rid of them. Towards that end I wanted to provide some suggestions to become a minimalist – haha just kidding – to get rid of those nagging unwanted household items.
Here’s my recommendation. Do what is easiest for you to do. Idealism and perfectionism keep us stuck. Choose realistic instead of idealistic. Choose progress over perfect.
Top 6 Tricky Items To Get Rid Of:
1. Paint
2. Medications (including sharps)
3. Non-donatable clothing
4. Electronics
5. Books
6. Baby Items
PAINT
- Toss it: If it’s dried out, it’s not considered toxic and can be thrown in the garbage. Alternately, pop the lid and wait it out.
- Hazardous Waste drop off through your county. (Hennepin, No limits on quantities for 1 gallon cans.) Ramsey, Dakota, Carver, Scott, Anoka
- PaintCare. Plug in your zip code and find a drop off conveniently located (most locations limit you to 5 gallons).
MEDICATIONS
Pills/capsules
- Police or Fire Station drop off sites around Hennepin County (not all are police or fire)
- County Hazardous Waste Drop Off (Find the link for some counties in Paint section above).
Needles
- If unused they can be dropped off at drop sites mentioned in the Pills/Capsules section above. If used, they must go to the county drop off (see Paint Section) or use a mail in program such as:Stericycle, Inc., 651-644-1480 or 1-800-355-8773, Sharps, Inc., 1-800-772-5657, GRP Medical Services, 1-800-207-0976, MedPro Disposal, 1-888-641-6131. Note: Store in a rigid, puncture-resistant, plastic container with a screw-on lid labeled.
NON-DONATABLE CLOTHING
(stained, ripped, or overly worn)
- Simple Recycling – various locations in the twin cities – some even pick up!
- Metal clothes hangers (dry cleaners or Earth911)
ELECTRONICS
- Best Buy (recycle) – almost everything is accepted (TVs, computers, cords, VHS, DVDs, CDs, cassette tapes, printers keyboards, tablets, batteries, gaming, cell phones, video cameras, speakers, blu rays, vacuum, and radios)
- TechDump (donate) DVD players, electronics, phones, TV (disposal fee) etc. Will wipe all drives and provide documentation if needed.
- Sharing & Caring Hands (donate) – TV’s & electronics.
- Our Vision Recycling (recycle) – free pickup – no TV or monitor type items.
- Gazelle (selling) – Buys and sell smart phones.
BOOKS/BIBLES
- Your local library (donate)
- Arc’s Value Village Thrift Stores (donate)
- Love Packages (donate) (Bibles/Christian Materials)
- Half Price Books (sell)
- BetterWorldBooks
BABY ITEMS
- Tandem– Infant and toddler clothing, car seats, and strollers. Minneapolis
- Joseph’s Coat – clothing, bedding, baby toys, and strollers. St. Paul.
- Options for Women – cribs (no drop- down sides), infant clothing (newborn– 3T), and strollers
- Sharing & Caring Hands – Car seat, Stroller, & Diapers/Wipes (larger diaper sizes needed)
DISCLAIMER: If you live outside of the twin cities, my apologies as these are local resources. These are some suggestions, but by no means an exhaustive list. This is for household use only, not businesses. Policies change so you may want to call the location before you make a run. Hence this information is as of January 2018 and not necessarily until the end of time. 🙂
