WSVN — Sour milk. Rotten veggies. We know we need to toss those things, but there are other items in your house you should toss right now. Here’s Lynn Martinez with The List.
Whether you need to de-clutter or keep your family safe, it’s a good idea to clean house once in a while.
Leanette Fernandez, TeachMe2Save.com: "I definitely keep things that I should not hold on to. My husband would say that, definitely."
Savings expert and mom Leanette Fernandez says there’s food you obviously need to toss for safety reasons.
#1: FOOD FOR THOUGHT
Leanette Fernandez: "Every month, every two months, go through your pantry, go through your freezer and toss out that expired food."
If you can’t remember when you put something in the freezer, odds are you will never eat it. Did you know spices also have a shelf life?
#2: SPICE IT UP
Toss tip number 2: Get rid of spices more than two or three years old. And before you wipe out your newly cleaned cabinets or freezer, you might need to toss your sponge.
#3: WIPE OUT BACTERIA
Leanette Fernandez: "If you do use sponges, you should be mindful of when you opened it, and toss it after a week or so."
Much longer, and the sponge becomes a breeding ground for bacteria.
If you are hanging on to old cameras, iPods, cellphones or other electronics, you need to let go.
#4: ‘UPGRADE’ TO THE TRASH
If you have upgraded, you’ll probably never go back to the old version. And you know all those charges you have no idea what they go to? Toss them now, too.
Moving on to the bathroom, we all know to throw out expired medicine, but you probably are using your toothbrush for way too long.
#5: BANISH THE BRISTLES
Leanette Fernandez: "Toothbrushes are another item that need to be tossed after about three months, or if you’ve had a cold, you might as well just get rid of them."
#6: STYLE A CLEAN HOME
Makeup, lotions and potions can take up a lot of room. De-clutter right now by getting rid of colors you don’t use and products that have gone bad.
Leanette Fernandez: "If it smells different, if it feels different, you may want to just toss it."
#7: CHEMICAL CLEANUP
And finally, do a chemical cleanup of your house. Old paint, bug sprays and cleaners need to be cleared out.
Leanette Fernandez: "If you have paint sitting in your garage and it’s old, you should toss that."
If it’s been more than a year or two after you painted, the colors likely won’t match, anyway.
Again with chemical items, just make sure you are disposing of them properly.
FOR MORE INFO:
Leanette Fernandez
http://teachme2save.com/