9 items you're hoarding in your home that you need to get rid of NOW!

We've all got a hoarder hiding in us somewhere, but there are some things that you just need to let go of.

Here are nine key clutter-causers that should go straight to the top of your pre-Christmas clear-out list.

Read more: Are you a secret hoarder?

1. Old make-up, nail polish and perfume

Crumbled old eye shadow, clogged-up nail polish, worn-out lipstick that went out of fashion last century... admit it ladies, we're all guilty of hoarding old make-up in a chest of drawers that we're never going to use again. Nor should we – lipstick goes out of date after 18 months, mascara after just four, so think twice before slathering on old products that might cause skin or eye irritation.

2. Greetings cards

Before you start shouting at the screen, we're not saying you should throw away ALL greetings cards... just 99.9 per cent of them. Traditionally, greetings cards are supposed to be fleeting sentiments to be enjoyed for a short time then cast aside. If you absolutely must, keep the ones with personal messages, sentimental value, or pretty pictures that you might want to frame in box files, then dump the rest in the recycling bin.

Read more: 11 incredibly easy ways to organise your entire life

3. VHS tapes

Do you even own a video player? Consign old VHS tapes to history where they belong. While you're at it, you might as well cull your DVDs, CDs and (dare we say it) books as well. Sell them on ebay and use the money you make to buy digital music, books and films instead.

4. Ratty old towels and bed linen

It's great to have a spare set of bedding for guests, but do you really need five? Especially when three of them are faded, stained and missing half the buttons. The same goes for frayed old towels - it's a poor host who gives their guests towels they wouldn't use themselves.

Read more: 7 clever ways to organise and store clothes

5. Student posters

Yes, we know Bob Marley and the Athena guy holding the baby witnessed some of the most transformative years of your life, but they've been gathering dust for years and are never going to grace your walls again. Face it, you're a grown-up now and grown-ups deserve grown-up art.

6. Tacky ornaments you've been given as gifts (and, yes, this includes wedding presents)

That crystal unicorn that Auntie Val got you for your 18th birthday, that diamante-encrusted candelabra your parents-in-law gave you when you got married... take them to the charity shop, walk away quickly and never mention them again.

7. Any unmatched items

Lone ear-rings, solitary saucers, abandoned power cords, single socks - without their pair, they are nothing, so put them out of their misery and bin them now.

8. Old paint

It's handy to hold on to old paint for occasional touch-ups, but have you actually peered inside those pots recently? If they've been sitting there for more than four years, chances are they'll be dried up and crusted over by now. Solvent-based paints need to be disposed of as hazardous waste, so take them to your local recycling centre.

9. Unnecessary paperwork

It's important to keep good records, but do you need that phone bill from your first ever flat?

The same goes for school files full of old Geography homework, instruction manuals for that hi-fi you threw out six years ago and receipts for your favourite pair of shoes that you've worn to death and would never have dreamt of taking back to the shop anyway.