Do NOT Leave for Vacation Without Throwing Away These 9 Things

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Travel is a chance to escape the daily grind, but returning to a chaotic home can quickly undo your feelings of rest and relaxation. While a night away or weekend trip usually doesn't require a total home clean-out, it's important to get your home in order before leaving on longer vacations or trips away, especially if you're closing up a second residence for the season. The more you can do before your trip, the less you'll have to take care of when you return—plus, you don't want to come home to any unpleasant sights or smells.

By taking the time to declutter your home before your trip, you’ll create a more serene environment overall. “Imagine you are setting your home up as an Airbnb or getting it ready for a house sitter," says Macarena Ramirez of The Macarena Method. "Make the bed with clean linens, clean the bathroom and kitchen, and leave a clean fridge and a lightly stocked pantry with only nonperishables.”

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Laura Leist, CPO and founder of Eliminate Chaos, offers additional tips to ease your homecoming. “Ensure the trash and recycling are taken out, and have someone check your mail and bring in packages, or put a mail hold on mail. Do the laundry and put it away. Clean the bathroom, and have fresh towels for your return.”

To make your return as peaceful as your getaway, we asked organizing experts about the nine things you should get rid of before you go out of town, so you can enjoy your trip worry-free.

Old Food in the Fridge

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Why It Matters: “Think of your future self returning home again,” advises Lisa Holtby of Home Organizing with Lisa Holtby. “Future You will be so relieved to come back to a clean, fresh space.” Start by tossing out any expired or nearly expired items from your fridge. This includes wilted vegetables, old leftovers, and expired dairy. No one wants to come home to a smelly science experiment.

Strategy: “Start a few weeks before your departure and try to consume food that has been frozen for too long, and anything that might go bad during your absence. This will reduce your food waste and your grocery bill. Right before the trip, give the fridge a good cleaning and throw away everything that has gone bad, is about to expire or you're about to run out of,” says Ramirez.

Perishable Foods in the Pantry

Why It Matters: Perishable pantry items like bread, baked goods, and potatoes can spoil during your absence. According to Holtby, “Planning ahead for meals is crucial. If you can’t use these items before you leave, it’s best to discard them.”

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Strategy: Go through your pantry and toss anything that will likely spoil or you won't use before your departure. This prevents unpleasant surprises and helps maintain a clean kitchen environment.

Floral Arrangements

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Why It Matters: A beautiful bouquet can brighten up your space, but if it’s left to wilt while you’re out of town, you could return home to murky water, rotting petals, and a fruit fly infestation.

Strategy: While you’re tossing that arrangement (or gifting it to a neighbor), you should also recycle the vase it came in. Those cheap glass vases inevitably clutter storage spaces and rarely get reused.

Expiring Medications and Beauty Products

Why It Matters: Old medications and beauty products can be a breeding ground for bacteria and are often a source of clutter. “Throwing these out ensures your medicine cabinet and beauty drawers are fresh and usable when you return,” says Holtby.

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Strategy: Check the expiration dates on medications, skincare, and beauty products. Discard anything that’s expired, will expire while you’re away, or is no longer needed.

Mail and Paper Clutter

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Why It Matters: Organizing your magazines, newspapers, brochures, and leaflets might be on your perennial to-do list, but it's a task to cross off sooner rather than later. “Sorting through this before you leave prevents a messy pile-up when you return,” Holtby explains. “A clutter-free space helps maintain the peace you seek during your vacation.”

Strategy: Toss any junk mail, store your magazines and other reading material, and RSVP to any invitations as soon as possible. You can also create a designated spot for bills and paperwork to make it easy to manage when you get back. While you're at it, break down any boxes and recycle them so they're not sitting in your garage.

Excessive Paperwork

Why It Matters: Filling out insurance claims and paying bills should never be left to the last minute anyway, so don't wait until you return from your trip to face the pile. “Handling paperwork before you leave helps keep your return calm and orderly.”

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Strategy: Sort through paperwork, pay bills, file important documents, and shred anything that is no longer needed. Create a system to manage future paperwork efficiently.

Worn-Out or Ill-Fitting Clothes

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Why It Matters: Packing for vacation offers a great opportunity to streamline your closet and drawers. “Clearing these out before you leave ensures you return to a more pleasant environment,” says Holtby.

Strategy: Leist recommends trying on everything you’re considering packing for your trip, then donating anything that doesn’t fit. “I use a garment rack in our guest room to hang clothing that I want to take, and I start grouping outfits about two weeks in advance of a vacation. This ensures that the clothes are clean, so I don’t have to wash them at the last minute.”

Ramirez recommends a similar approach. “When you're packing, you'll realize there are certain items you wouldn't prefer to bring, even if they are appropriate for your destination. Spending a couple of weeks in a tropical climate? You would not evaluate which boots to bring or discard, but you might get insight into which sandals you don't want to wear anymore.”

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When you're packing for a trip, you'll notice which clothes you really love and can't live without. “Embrace that spirit and donate the items you didn't even consider bringing on your trip,” says Ramirez. She also recommends taking comfy but worn items on trips, then leaving them behind or donating them while away from home.

Old Baggage Tags and Stickers

Why It Matters: Before you leave for your vacation, make sure your luggage is free of all old tags and stickers. Leaving them on will only cause confusion for airport workers and might lead to your suitcases getting lost. “Nothing stresses people out more than not having something they need on vacation, like prescriptions or a swimsuit,” says Leist.

Strategy: Declutter your luggage by removing old destination tags and baggage claim stickers. At the same time, you can attach address tags to your bags, making sure that they display your current address and phone number.

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