Whether you're whipping up a weekend brunch, throwing together a backyard BBQ, or welcoming your out-of-town family for the holidays, a well-stocked hosting closet can be a lifesaver. However, just like an overstuffed junk drawer or the back of a pantry, your hosting essentials closet isn’t immune to clutter. Over time, it can accumulate paper plates from a myriad of past birthday parties, chipped serving platters, and dusty centerpieces, making it harder to find what you actually need.
The purpose of a hosting closet is to make entertaining easier—not more stressful. So, before your next soirée sneaks up on you, take the time to declutter your space. We’ll guide you on what to toss to make room for what truly deserves a place in your curated collection of hosting essentials.
1. Leftover Novelty Paper Goods
Consider this your sign to part ways with the handful of unused napkins from your sister’s baby shower that you threw three years ago. Unless you're planning a mismatched themed party, half-used packs of seasonal or novelty paper products just take up space and are rarely used again.
Needless to say, we don’t want to promote waste, so we’re not advocating tossing these things in the trash unless they’ve become contaminated or are in unusable condition. If they’ve been dyed—which is common for party supplies—they likely cannot be recycled. But they also don’t need to hide out in your hosting closet until the end of time. As a solution, move any miscellaneous paper goods to your kitchen and grab for them when you need until they’re used up.
2. Worn or Stained Table Linens
While fabric party goods have a much longer lifespan than paper, they can still eventually run their course. For example, the fall leaf motif runner you’ve adored for years that now has a stubborn red wine stain courtesy of your father-in-law’s faux pas last Thanksgiving. If you’ve tried your best to clean tablecloths and napkins, haven’t had luck using a professional, or if they’re threadbare or ripped beyond repair, it’s time to let them go. Donate them to someone crafty in your life who needs fabric scraps for projects they’re working on.
3. Unused or Damaged Serving Pieces
The ceramic cheese board you received as a housewarming gift might be charming, but if you never reach for it, does it deserve to take up space on the closet shelf? We think not. The same applies to chipped dishes, cracked glasses, or pieces missing a crucial component—like the sugar jar that lost its lid. If the servingware is in good condition, consider dropping it off at your local Goodwill or listing it for free on a neighborhood marketplace site. (Just be sure that the original gift giver is not in the group!) Then, carefully dispose of broken items in the trash.
4. Gimmicky Gadgets
If you’re a frequent entertainer, you likely have at least one of the following in your hosting closet: a fondue set, a movie theater-inspired popcorn popper, a cotton candy machine, a snow cone maker, or a margarita blender. Whether you bought the popcorn maker specifically for an Oscars watch party or were gifted the margarita machine at your bridal shower, they probably all seemed like good ideas at the time—but might not be used so much now. If you actively use something, keep it, but everything else can be donated.
5. Half-Burned Candles
Candles can create warmth and ambiance for your gatherings, but if you’re holding onto ones half-burned, so old they’ve lost their scent, or dusty, they probably aren’t getting put out on the tablescape. As with paper goods, you can remove used candles from the closet and burn them for yourself rather than letting them linger. If it smells funky, remove the wax and repurpose the jar. The ones that have gathered dust can be swiped clean (a dryer sheet will do the trick!) and ready to be used again.
6. Random Party Favors
It starts off innocently enough. First, an extra set of noisemakers from that New Year’s Eve party you hosted gets stowed in the closet. Then, before you know it, you start adding glow-in-the-dark bracelets, heart-shaped sunglasses, lei necklaces, bubble bottles, and whatever else you don’t know where else to store. If you have the room in the closet and they’re kept neatly, we’ll let this one slide. But chances are, this habit can snowball and become a cluttered mess.
The better way to tackle these things is to pick out anything sentimental—such as a personalized bottle opener or koozie you brought home from a friend’s wedding—and then let the kids play with the rest. For example, sunglasses can go in their dress-up bin in the playroom, and they can keep busy by blowing bubbles on a summer afternoon. If you don’t have kids or yours are at the age that they’re more interested in playing on their phones, feel free to give the favors away.
Source: Cornetta, M. (2025o, June 13). 6 Items to Declutter from Your Hosting Closet for Smoother Dinner Parties. Better Homes & Gardens. https://www.bhg.com/declutter-hosting-essentials-11744956