I Decluttered All the “Nice Garbage,” and Now My Home Is Finally Clutter-Free

I’ve never been one to hold onto things I don’t need. My aversion to clutter has sometimes superseded my sentimentality or even practicality. I never linger on the feeling of possibly needing something in the future, which is why it came as a shock to me a few weeks ago when I realized I had a blind spot for a specific type of clutter: “nice garbage.”

I stumbled upon the concept of “nice garbage” in a recent TikTok video from creator Tessa Hughes. She describes it as clutter that many may deem as too nice or fancy to part with, including (but not limited to) empty candle and sauce jars, shoe boxes, and shopping bags. Hughes defines garbage as the following: “If it’s not being used, it’s not useful to you.” 

As soon as I heard these words, I stopped scrolling and mentally went through all of the countless “nice garbage” items I knew were in just about every room in my home. The next day, I got to work on locating all of these needless items to get rid of them once and for all. 

My “nice garbage” came from the kitchen cabinets, under the bathroom sink, my husband’s home office, the dining room credenza, and bedroom closet. I realized all these items had something in common: I either thought the packaging or material was too high-quality to throw away, or I thought I could reuse it.

Similarly, I was guilty of keeping things that could have been useful if I didn’t already have a similar item; for example, I kept several cotton jewelry bags that came with new jewelry, despite already having a jewelry travel case I love. I also had a few eyeglass cases even though I have two eyeglass pouches I use regularly. However, I was most surprised at the amount of empty packaging I was holding onto: boxes for keyboard keys, a skincare gift box, a restaurant takeout bag, and a sturdy box from a massager I no longer have.

The practice of getting rid of all this “nice garbage” felt like lifting a weight from my shoulders I didn’t know I had. Although I’ve always felt diligent about avoiding clutter, I never realized I could be holding onto so many things I didn’t need unknowingly. If you think one day you’ll use that shiny shopping bag you’ve been saving for years, or still haven’t reused those dusty candle jars, it may be time to let them go — no matter how nice that garbage may seem.