7 Items in Your Home Pros Say You'll Regret Throwing Away

When decluttering your home, it can be hard to know what to keep and what to toss. While there are some things you shouldn’t worry about letting go, there are others that you may regret throwing out.

When editing down your space, weigh the item’s worth and think ahead to any future uses. You can always pack them away and, if you change your mind, throw them out later. 

Big Baby Items

Unless you are absolutely, 100 percent, definitely not planning to have another baby, you should hold on to that crib, stroller, and other larger baby items. 

Sara Losonci, founder of the New York-based interior organizing company Shelfie, says she will typically encourage clients to keep those big-ticket items along with all their old baby clothes. If you decide to toss it all out only to find yourself needing it all again for baby number two, “that stuff gets expensive,” she says. 

Assess the condition of each item you plan on saving. Strollers that are five years old are usable if they are still in good condition. In addition, review the recent recalls on baby items to make sure what you're keeping is safe and not on the recall list.

Vintage Clothing and Furniture

When talking vintage, this doesn’t mean those items you bought at a thrift store. The vintage things you shouldn’t throw away are items you inherited. This can be anything from old clutches to high-quality sweaters to furniture pieces. It’ll never be out of style forever.

“I do believe in ‘mostly everything old is new again,’” Losonci says.

Awards and Medals

Medals, trophies, certificates, and other awards mark a significant achievement in your life. They’re also irreplaceable. 

“It’s not something where you can change your mind and go down to Target and pick up another one,” says Shara Kay, certified professional organizer and owner of SK Organizing in Beverly Hills. “Once those are gone, they’re gone.” 

If you’re on the fence about tossing out your marathon medals or other irreplaceable personal mementos, Kay recommends packing them away, storing them in your garage or in a closet, and revisiting them after a few months have passed. If you’re still wanting to trash them, now you can do so.

Photos

Losonci recommends holding on to your photos. Even if you’re going to scan them into a digital format, keep physical copies of your favorites. Photos don’t have to cause clutter, either; you can put them in a memory box and then store the box in a closet, on a shelf, or in another out-of-the-way spot. 

And it’s not just for photos—memory boxes are also an organized way to save beloved items and decorative accents. 

“Memory boxes are the way to every client’s heart,” Losonci says. “It’s so easy. It gives people a peace of mind. Like, ‘OK, I don’t have to get rid of, like, my shoes I wore to my wedding. But they’re taking up valuable space for shoes I wear every day and I never wear these.’ Pop them in a memory box with an easy, peasy label on the outside.”

Electric Cords 

Though there are certainly sentimental things you should think twice about before throwing them in the trash, there’s functional stuff you should keep as well. Some of those more useful—and potentially overlooked—items are cords. If you can spare the space, Kay advises keeping a few extra cords in a box.

“Keep them by type,” she says. “Like, headsets separate from phone chargers. I have zippered pouches within my box of cords for different generations of cords.” 

The key, Kay says, is to store your cords so you know exactly what you have. Otherwise, you’ll end up with six HDMI cords you bought on Amazon because you thought you needed one. 

Appliance Attachments

As long as you have a certain appliance, you should ideally keep all of its attachments, Kay says, especially its power supply. Just because you’re not using it currently doesn’t mean you won’t need it in the future. And if you throw a part of your dishwasher or vacuum cleaner out, it could be a major headache, and potentially costly, to replace. 

Tote Bags 

OK, hear us out. This doesn’t mean you should keep every single tote bag you’ve accumulated on your weekend errands, especially those thin, flimsy cotton bags. Rather, Losonci recommends holding on to a select few sturdy, canvas totes to use for groceries. If you get frustrated and throw them all out, you’re just going to have to buy more later for your next grocery haul.