We’ve all been there: receiving gifts from well-meaning family members or friends that we know we’ll just never use. We are faced with the dilemma of whether to keep it and clutter up our homes – or throw it away, give it away or give it away.

We tapped professional organizers for their thoughts on the most common gifts they usually give to keep clutter at home to a minimum.

Kitchen appliances

Kitchen appliances are a gift that most organizing experts say they tend to get rid of. In a world where counter space is limited, it makes sense that these are often the first to go despite the price.

“Bulky appliances take up valuable counter or storage space and often go unused,” says Barbara E. Tanaka, strategic home design and organization consultant at Real Estate Bees. “It’s hard to let them go because they seem too valuable to donate, but not practical to keep.”

Not to mention, most people are gifted with kitchen appliances that they don’t yet know how to use or have limited use for.

“If it only serves a few purposes or doesn’t have a significant impact on the cooking process, then it’s clear that such a tool will not be in use for long,” says Brian Davis, professional organizer and owner of Handy Rubbish.

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Candles

Aside from kitchen appliances, candles are another common gift that professionals tend to give.

Candles seem like the easiest gift to give this holiday season: they’re cozy and they add a nice scent to your home—but there’s such a thing as also many candles. And if everyone is giving them away, you’re bound to get too many, and ones with scents you don’t like.

Home Decor

If you’re gifting decor, make sure you really know the recipient’s style, otherwise this could be a gift that ends up being passed on to someone else.

“The decor rarely matches the recipient’s style and often becomes visual clutter,” says Tanaka. “Yet many keep it, hoping to find a place for it one day or because they feel sentimental.”

Books

Unless the book is requested by an avid reader in your life, chances are you’ll skip giving it as a gift—physical books add visual clutter (especially if they’re not on a shelf) and once the person reads it, they may never pick it up again.

“It’s nice to get a book as a gift, but if the title doesn’t work for me in any way, it’s just going to be a decorative piece,” says Davis.

Promotional items

If you’ve ever received a t-shirt or mug and wondered where your giftee got it, chances are it was a promotional item they got for free.

“Free promotional items shouldn’t be kept because they’re free—most of the time they’re unnecessary and just add to our clutter,” says Meghan Cocchiaro, home organizing expert and owner of Organized by Meg LLC, Cocchiaro.

Instead of keeping these items out of sentimentality, you can donate them to people in need.