Give it back. Find every person who belongs to an item and tell them that
you’re going to rent out your place and spend a year in Spain, and that your
tenant is coming next week to look the place over. Or say that you’ve
decided to sell, and a buyer will be visiting soon. Call your kids and your
friends and ask whether they would prefer to pick up their stuff or have you
toss it.
Don’t give them any other choices. They’ve forgotten these
things exist, but they’ll have a sudden fever of attachment to them, and
will soon come to get them. If they don’t? Simply name the date you’re
throwing everything out, remind them a few times (in a bland tone of voice
that will scare them), and then dump their stuff on that day.
Don’t feel guilty. If they really cared, they’d have come. After a few
months if they should notice you’re still living in the same place, tell
them the deal fell through.
And then there’s a very special category of stuff which you should treat
differently from any other.
