Living in the consumerism of the 21st century, people tend to buy and pile up tremendous objects, some of them only occupying space and not worth using anymore. Just like decluttering clothes, books, and other unnecessary things in your life, you have to find the time to go through your sex stuff once or twice a year and select what’s needed or not. You can call it decluttering or konmariing after the famous Japanese author on the subject, the point is: grab a Margarita, punt on your favorite Spotify playlist and take those few hours to make sure your sex stuff is organized and kept tidy.
The general question from the mentioned author applies here as well: “Does this still spark joy?” Be it a fancy butt plug or a nice piece of stockings, you have to go through them one by one and really investigate the question. Here are some tips and tricks on how to think it over.
Sex toys
Check those anal beads or vibrators, and examine their condition: are there any fractures or damages on them? Check their material: glass and metal are the only material, that never breaks down. You can also fancy leather if you take super good care of it. If you don’t use something because it’s past its prime, get rid of it.
Also, think it over: why aren’t you using that toy? Unless it was a major investment (I mean, you saved up for months for it), it’ll be fairly easy to replace if you miss it after it’s gone. How much space does the toy take up, really? In other words, what does it cost you to keep a toy you do use and like, but only infrequently? Plus, you can’t really post these on Marketplace or Craigslist, unless giving away used sex toys to strangers is your kink. How do you feel when you see the toy in the box alongside your other toys? If you feel guilty for not using it (or some other reason) maybe it’s a sign to put a toy out to pasture.
What if you have multiple versions of something? Do you really need that third butt plug just because Dave gave it to you five years ago? Dave, who is fucking someone else now after watching the new season of Locke and Key with her?
And some practical consideration: is it annoyingly loud? Is it easy to clean? Does it need uncommon batteries that are hard to get or run through way too many batteries so it's always empty when you want to use it? As far as the battery thing, a lot of newer toys are now rechargeable and don’t require batteries. If you’ve got multiples, I’d try phasing out the battery-operated ones.
Also, if any of these toys are broken, you won’t really find anyone to fix them. Sadly, you’ll have to let them go, as much joy as they have sparked in the past.
Lingerie
So you have dirty nun and vampire costumes? Great, those Halloween parties must have been a blast! But be aware: lots of lace and materials fail, especially faux leather – give things a stretch, some might be past their prime.
Stocking is one of the most popular fetish lingerie, if there are one or two holes torn on them, even better, they can be perfect for cheap whore role play, or just using them as rope. But if there are much more holes in their fabric, if they show more skin than not, well, the effect can be more comical. Time to say goodbye to them, these things are easy to refill, anyway.
You can donate clean outfits. Most thrift stores will put them in the pajama section, but it might be worth looking through that part of the store: you might find thrilling other costumes in good condition, for a price of a coffee.
Ropes and cuffs
Another thing to consider is some items have a shelf life. Certain kinds of rope probably need to be thrown out for safety depending on what you're doing with it. Alas, if any of your cuffs can’t be opened anymore, you don’t wanna let anybody else be stuck in. Get rid of them A.S.A.P.
Magazines
Do you still have a few magazines under the bed? Some of the softcore stuff can be placed on the bookshelf, like table books, especially, if they contain any pictorial of celebrities you fancy.
But do you really think you need those old cheap porn flicks with content available on the net with just a few clicks?
Changing the direction
If going over your collection makes you feel you are not particularly fond of a certain category, don't be afraid to eliminate the entire collection altogether. If wearing some lingerie is not your thing, this might be the perfect opportunity to get rid of them completely and focus on your real kinks.
You can also consider how you’ve developed through the years. Ask yourself: Do I have a better version of this item? A lot of times, just like with any other hobby, I like to try out a cheap version of something before taking the plunge for a bigger investment. I don't need the rope I bought at Home Depot in college, I have good rope now.
And just a final piece of advice: some things don’t need to be downsized, especially not a double-ended double entendre.
