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A Good Housekeeping report recommends clearing 13 categories of household items in November, including expired food, unused winter gear, toys and seasonal decorations. The advice comes from professional organizers; it is guidance, not a formal rule, and the report does not provide research showing that every household should discard the same items.
Good Housekeeping has published a 13-item November decluttering checklist, drawing on advice from professional organizers who say households can make room for holiday guests, food and incoming gifts by reviewing what they no longer use. The suggestions range from expired pantry goods and languishing condiments to unused winter accessories, toys and seasonal decorations; they are expert recommendations, not requirements backed by a universal standard.
The list covers areas likely to face extra demands during the holiday season. Organizer Shira Gill Bergman advises sorting cold-weather accessories before the first cold spell, letting go of gloves or scarves that are uncomfortable or rarely chosen, and repairing items that can be saved. She also recommends checking pantry goods ahead of holiday cooking. The report says this can free shelf space for seasonal staples, but food should be discarded based on its condition and applicable safety guidance rather than simply because it is being reviewed in November.
Other recommendations focus on making rooms and storage easier to use. Laura Hoepner suggests removing items that have accumulated in a guest room and returning belongings to their proper rooms. The article also advises families to assess children’s toys before new ones arrive. Matt Paxton, author of Keep the Memories, Lose the Stuff and host of Discovery’s Filthy Fortunes, suggests aiming to part with roughly 25% to 50% of existing toys, while presenting that figure as his advice rather than a measured need for every family.
The remaining categories include unused family china, fading fall decor, unworn holiday outfits, old condiments, rarely used festive makeup, Christmas decorations left in storage, sentimental items tied to past chapters, and extra or worn kitchenware. The report’s contributors suggest donating items that remain usable and discarding items that are damaged, expired or no longer fit for use. It does not specify local donation rules or provide a full disposal guide.
Making Space Before Holiday Hosting
The recommendations address a practical seasonal squeeze: kitchens, closets and guest rooms may need to accommodate holiday meals, visitors and new purchases within a short period. Clearing out genuinely unusable or unwanted items can make the things a household does use easier to find. It may also reduce the chance of buying duplicates when existing supplies are hard to see.
The list is most useful as a prompt to review belongings, not as a target to discard a fixed amount. Some items may have sentimental, cultural or financial value, and households differ in what they need. The organizers’ advice leaves room to repair, donate, return items to their proper place or keep them rather than treating every unused possession as waste.
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The Checklist’s Seasonal Focus
The report is timed for the period before Thanksgiving and the December holidays, when many households prepare guest spaces, cook more often and bring out seasonal decorations. Several of its suggestions are linked directly to those tasks: check pantry and refrigerator contents before entertaining, sort winter wear before colder weather, and reassess decorations after choosing what to display.
Good Housekeeping attributes the recommendations to organizers including Shira Gill Bergman, Laura Hoepner, Matt Paxton, Olivia Parks, Allison Flanders and Allison Flinn. The supplied report offers practical opinions from those contributors; it does not describe a survey, controlled study or official household-cleaning standard. Its suggestions should be read as seasonal organizing advice rather than evidence that all 13 categories need attention in every home.
“Gloves you avoid because they’re itchy or a scarf that always slips are just clutter disguised as options.”
— Shira Gill Bergman, organizer, as quoted by Good Housekeeping
What the Advice Does Not Specify
The report does not give a date for publication in the supplied material, identify a single recommended order for tackling all 13 categories, or say how much time a household should spend. It also does not independently test whether decluttering improves holiday hosting or quantify the amount of space people might gain.
Individual decisions remain matters of condition, need and preference. The article does not provide detailed food-safety thresholds for pantry or refrigerator items, guidance on disposing of cosmetics, or rules for donating particular goods. Readers should check product labels, local donation requirements and relevant safety guidance rather than assume every old item is suitable for donation or ordinary disposal.
A Room-by-Room November Review
The report offers no follow-up event or scheduled next step. Its practical sequence is to review the spaces most likely to be used during the holidays: check food storage before shopping, sort guest-room items and winter accessories, and assess toys and decorations before new gifts or seasonal displays arrive. Usable unwanted belongings can be considered for donation where accepted; damaged or unsafe items should be handled appropriately.
For readers using the list, the next step is to decide which categories actually apply at home and set aside only items that are expired, broken, unwanted or genuinely redundant. That keeps the advice focused on making usable space without turning an expert’s suggested checklist into a rule to discard belongings indiscriminately.
Key Questions
What are the 13 categories in the November checklist?
The report names dingy linens, unused winter accessories, expired pantry items, guest-room clutter, children’s toys and games, unused family china, fading fall decor, unworn holiday outfits, old condiments, festive makeup, unused Christmas decorations, former sentimental keepsakes and extra kitchenware.
Is the recommendation to remove 25% to 50% of children’s toys a rule?
No. It is a target suggested by Matt Paxton and reported by Good Housekeeping. The article does not cite research establishing that percentage as necessary for every child or household.
Does the report say to throw away every item on the list?
No. The categories are prompts for review. The organizers’ advice includes repairing usable items, returning misplaced belongings and donating items that are still suitable, as well as discarding goods that are expired or no longer usable.
Why focus on decluttering in November?
The organizers connect the timing to holiday cooking, hosting guests, bringing out seasonal decorations and making room for items that may arrive as gifts or purchases.
Source: goodhousekeeping.com
