It’s official: living in a cluttered space can increase our stress levels. A University of California study* found a link between high cortisol levels in women and a cluttered household. So taking the time to declutter your home is great for your mental wellbeing - but how do you make sure it’s good for the planet too? Here’s our decluttering guide on how to spread the joy by finding new homes for the things you no longer need.

At Green Salon, we’re big fans of the Japanese practice of Oosouji, which literally translates as “big cleaning”. The Japanese do this at the turn of the year and they use it not just to sweep away dust but to sweep away any negative energy from the past. It’s a way of decluttering their homes, their hearts and their minds.

We think it’s a useful principle when we’re thinking about decluttering and how to turn it from a boring chore into a more positive experience of reducing the feeling of overwhelm and helping us make space for the new.

Think reuse before recycle

First things first: it’s best to reuse before you recycle. Recycling levels are so poor in the UK that if you can avoid recycling then do. Remember, even if something is no longer valuable to you, it’s probably valuable to someone else!

Reselling items can be a great way to make some extra money from your decluttering, but if you’d rather just get rid of items you can also offer them for free to your neighbours or through platforms like Freecycle, Gumtree*, Nextdoor or Olio for food you know you’re not going to eat.

We often by default end up simply taking items to the local charity shop, but these shops often get too many donations for the amount that they sell. Depending on what you’re decluttering, there are charities that reuse specific items such as makeup, bras, and electronic devices.

We’ve put together some of these for you throughout the post, but if you think an item could be donated and it’s not mentioned here, you can do a quick search on DropPoint to see if there are any organisations who take those items.

And finally, in the new sharing economy, you could always swap something with a friend to get something you do want in return.

*Looking for motivation for decluttering? Imagine your home as a boutique hotel.*

Toiletries and Make-up

If like so many of us, your make-up cabinet is stuffed with make-up and beauty products that are only lightly used and you’re looking to declutter them, check out Toiletries’ Amnesty’s global directory. They’ll help you can find a local organisation who will distribute make-up to those who need it in your local community. Any unused products that you don’t need you could offer to a friend or family member, or to a Beauty Bank in a local Superdrug.

Used toiletries and makeup can either be recycled either at home or, if the product is more complex, such as mascara tubes or foundation with pumps, via a makeup recycling scheme such as the one run by Boots, The Body Shop, Maybelline and Space NK.

Top tip: when recycling packaging, look for the triangle recycling symbol and not the Green Dot with two arrows. The Green Dot doesn’t actually indicate a recyclable product.

Underwear

Believe it or not, you can also donate your (lightly used) underwear. Smalls for All is a Scotland-based charity that collects lightly used bras and new underwear and distribute them to people who can’t otherwise afford them, and it’s easy to donate - all you have to do is send them off in the post!

You can send off used socks and hosiery to London Sock Exchange and Swedish Stockings* for recycling. Well-worn underwear can be recycled at a textile recycling point. Find your local one here.

Bedding

Duvets and pillows are generally not yet recyclable, although they may be taken by your local recycling centre. Dunelm operate a take-back scheme for all clean bedding including clean duvets, pillows, bed linens, towels and blankets.

Bedding can also be used by animal charities; check your local RSPCA branch.

*Our stylist, Rosanna, works with a client to declutter her wardrobe by upcycling, restyling and and selling on her clothes*

Clothing

Don’t even think about tossing out clothes you’re no longer in love with, as there’s now a thriving trade in pre-loved and vintage clothes and a profit to be made. Some or our clients are doing very well on the proceeds of reselling luxury and designer items through Vestiaire Collective* or Sign of the Times*, or renting them out through Hurr Collective and Cercle.

Others are successfully selling premium and good quality high street items through Thrift+, where a percentage of the sale goes to charity. Non-luxury items can be sold on Vinted, or Depop, and if you’re not looking to sell you could give it away for free on a site like FreeCycle or Gumtree*. This doesn’t have to be on the basis of individual pieces - you can even sell or give them away in bulk.

Alternatively, why not throw a clothes swap party where you can exchange your old clothes for new pieces from friends?

Clothing can be donated to a local charity shop, but these shops often get too many donations and end up sending items overseas to countries like Ghana that now find themselves swamped in second hand clothing, so we’d recommend either finding an individual to pass on clothes to or asking your local shop before donating.

If you’re certain that your clothing cannot be reused by someone else, then you can recycle it at your local textile recycling facility, or through a scheme such as M&S and Oxfam’s Shwopping. You can even get into the trend for upcycling old clothes to make new clothes, present bags or resuable wipes.

*Old laptops still have value: sell them on or send them to a recycling facility where the precious metals can be reused.*

Phones, laptops and other electronic devices

Once again, gone are the days when you upgraded your phone and you shoved the old one in a drawer. Nowadays, if a device can still be used you can easily resell it on a site such as Reboxed, GiffGaff or Backmarket; consoles, tablets, and audio devices such as headphones are also sold through Backmarket. Additionally, Currys offer an electronics trade-in service. You could also donate it to a local charity or reuse organisation; find one here.

If you don’t think it can be reused, check to see if the product manufacturer will take the item back, or depending on the product you can recycle in a local recycling facility. Even when they can no longer be used, electronics contain lots of resources which can be extracted and reused. This is a win for the planet and our pockets as the growth of electronic recycling is likely to bring down the price of electronics over time.

Batteries can be recycled at some shops, supermarkets and libraries or at your local Household Waste Recycling Centre, which you can find on RecycleNow.

CDs, DVDs, video games, and books

Lots of CDs and DVDs lying around that you don’t play anymore? You can also resell these through the sustainable business Ziffit, as well as through the more general resale sites mentioned above. Pens and other writing instruments can be recycled at Terracycle Writing Instrument recycling points. Find your local one here; in the UK, these can often be found in Rymans.

Plastic bags

Plastic bags and wrapping are recyclable at larger branches of supermarkets, or you can keep bags to reuse next time you do grocery shopping. Find your local recycling point here.

If you’d like any help decluttering your home in a green way, then get in touch. We are trialling a green decluttering service and would love to be able to help you declutter your home and, as a result, your mind.

Inspired to start living a greener life? How our directory works is here to help!

Written by Oxford University intern, Eve Freeman.

NOTES:

* Life at Home in the Twenty-First Century: 32 Families Open Their Doors by Jeanne Arnold, Anthony Graesch, Enzo Ragazzini and Elinor Ochs. Cotsen Institute of Archaeology Press at UCLA, 2012.

How to declutter in an eco-friendly way.