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A House Beautiful report recommends that people who have lived in a home for five years or longer review 13 categories of possessions that may be taking up space. The advice comes from organizing and design experts; it is not a rule that every item in these categories should be discarded.
House Beautiful has published a 13-item decluttering guide for people who have lived in their homes for at least five years, drawing on advice from home-organizing and design professionals. The list covers belongings such as unused fitness gear, outdated manuals, old paint and expired toiletries, but the experts frame the suggestions as a chance to review what fits a household’s current life—not a requirement to throw everything away.
The report’s central recommendation is to take stock of possessions after several years in a home, when residents may have a clearer sense of how they use their rooms and storage. Ann Lightfoot, cofounder of DDH Home Organizing & Move Management, says the initial period of plentiful storage can give way to accumulated belongings and tighter space. Laura Kinsella, founder of Urban OrgaNYze, says work, family routines and interests can change while stored items remain untouched.
The 13 categories are accumulated tote bags, water bottles and branded merchandise; manuals and cords for items no longer owned; worn linens; unused fitness equipment; abandoned projects; decorative accessories residents no longer notice; decor that did not fit after a move; leftover paint, tile and building materials; rarely used kitchen gadgets; wellness devices tied to routines that faded; furniture that no longer suits the household; expired products; and unopened boxes.
The advice is selective. The report suggests keeping items that are genuinely useful or meaningful, donating or selling usable goods where appropriate, and recycling worn materials when possible. Lightfoot advises taking leftover paint and building products to a local hazardous-waste drop-off rather than treating them as ordinary rubbish. The article also recommends starting with one drawer, cabinet or closet instead of attempting to clear an entire home at once.
Making Space for Current Routines
The list addresses a common household problem: storage fills with items left over from earlier routines, making it harder to find and use the things residents need now. A deliberate review can help reclaim shelves, closets and work surfaces without requiring a major renovation or a wholesale purge.
The report’s practical value lies in its emphasis on deciding item by item. Decluttering can reduce visual and physical crowding, but throwing away useful materials or equipment prematurely can create expense or waste. Donation, resale and appropriate recycling offer alternatives for belongings that remain usable, while hazardous-waste guidance matters for certain leftover building products.
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Why Five Years Prompts a Review
The five-year mark is presented as a useful checkpoint, not a scientifically established deadline. Organizers quoted by House Beautiful say residents may have learned which rooms and possessions support their everyday lives, while years of events, purchases and postponed plans can leave additional items in storage.
Design professional Kerrie Kelly, CEO and creative director of Kerrie Kelly Studio, argues that a home’s design depends on intentional choices rather than fitting in as many objects as possible. She recommends editing by category and beginning with a small area. The report offers professional advice; it does not cite a study establishing that five years is the right interval for every household.
““Our careers, families, routines, and interests can change dramatically, but the things we’ve accumulated don’t automatically change with us.””
— Laura Kinsella, founder of Urban OrgaNYze
Which Items Should Actually Go
The report does not establish that every household should discard all 13 categories, nor does it provide a standard for how much to keep. An item may still be useful for repairs, emergencies, accessibility or a planned activity, even if it has not been used recently. Residents must judge usefulness and condition against their own needs.
The supplied material does not specify local rules for recycling textiles, disposing of cosmetics or handling every kind of paint and construction material. Disposal requirements vary by location and product, so readers should check municipal guidance and product labels. The source also provides no publication date, survey data or measured estimate of how much space a typical household could recover.
Start With One Small Area
The experts’ suggested next step is to choose one category or compact space, remove its contents, clean the area and return only what merits keeping. Residents can then sort remaining possessions for donation, resale, recycling or disposal. Paint and other building materials may require a designated hazardous-waste program, so check local instructions before taking them anywhere.
The report sets no deadline or follow-up milestone. Its approach is incremental: make decisions in manageable batches, then repeat the process in other closets, cabinets or rooms as needed. Whether a particular item stays is a household decision, not a five-year rule.
Key Questions
Does the advice mean I must throw away all 13 categories?
No. The report presents them as categories worth reviewing, not an order to discard every example. Keep belongings that remain useful, meaningful or necessary for your household.
What should I do with leftover paint?
House Beautiful’s report recommends keeping a small, labeled sample for touch-ups and taking excess paint and building materials to a local hazardous-waste drop-off. Check your municipality’s disposal rules before acting.
How should I begin decluttering?
Designer Kerrie Kelly advises starting with one drawer, cabinet or closet, rather than trying to tackle the whole home in a weekend. Sort by category and return only the items you want to keep.
Why focus on the five-year mark?
The experts describe it as a practical checkpoint: residents may know more about their current routines, while belongings accumulated over time can remain in storage. The article does not present five years as a universal or research-based deadline.
Source: housebeautiful.com
