What's hidden?

Have you tried cleaning your home in the recent past? Ho, you should! You will be surprised at what all you will find..... :) Cleaning is therapeutic :) And by cleaning, I'm not just talking about dusting your living room and throwing away your old newspapers to the used paper mart. I'm talking about thorough cleaning that leaves your neighbors wondering if you are vacating  your home!

In the last 3 months, I've done a lot of cleaning, packing, unpacking and setting up things. It leaves you tiresome but at the same time it kind of makes you feel good to see those clean and tidy rooms. At the end you will be surprised how many things which you will never need or use share your home with you. Here goes the top 5 (in no particular order) that I found out hidden in my home and sometimes just in plain sight but I've never used.....

Wallets/Purses/Handbags

They are always in surplus. Yes they are empty, drenched in dust and fungus and are in funny colors. The zips probably don't work. They make you feel bad that you should have probably parted with them sooner when they were good enough so that someone who could have actually used it had had it.

Old dresses

Dresses that you stored at the back of your wardrobe in hope that it would probably fit...err... you will probably use it someday! Dresses in colors and fits that are really not you and you would only wear them before your mirror. I understand it is hard to give them away. So as a cheat sheet just pick up two-three of such dresses and give the rest away. It will actually make you feel good. And hey, now there is an other excuse for shopping. And now when you shop for new dresses, only buy those that you are comfortable in today. Don't buy anything for 'after I loose 5 kilos' how much ever you like it.

Pens/pencils/sketch pens

The most invisible ones in many homes.... I never find them when I need them to jot down an important number. But now I'm surprised at how many I  found. Most of them don't have caps and don't have ink. After all, a pen stand doesn't seem like a bad idea now. Just have to make sure that the stand is actually put into use :)

Pictures of gods

I believe in God and have a small pooja shelf(I live in an apartment :) ) for all my favorite Gods. Its one of my favorite places in my home. But when I cleaned the home I found small pictures of Gods with Calendar at the back of them in almost all the rooms. They were too many. Any small or big shop that you go during festival time in Chennai will give you loads of these calendars. You are taught not to say no to them. But them lying around in a corner of the home just makes me very sad. I honestly didn't know what to do with so many of them. Better ideas?

Cosmetics

There were many bottles of half used or almost full shampoos, moisturizers and oils. Check the expiry date and give them a try. You will most probably be saying, 'this is so good.... why did I stop using this?' And if not, why is it still crowding your shelves?

I know the list will vary according to each person. For eg., some people might consider giving away old books but I can always find a place for an old copy of Reader's Digest in my home. The thing is to make your own list of what you don't need in surplus and make sure that you stick to it. And then, probably you wouldn't have to clean your home so often like me ;) A very preachy post, isn't it? Would love to your ideas and experiences too....what's hidden in your shelves?