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Idiom: Throw the baby out with the bathwater
Throwing the baby out with the bathwater refers to throwing away something valuable while getting rid of something worthless.
With the Marie Kondo boom of tidying up, people have been reorganizing their homes and getting rid of things that no longer spark joy.
However, in the rush to declutter, many people might have accidentally thrown away valuable possessions.
This is a classic example of throwing the baby out with the bathwater.
One might wonder where this phrase came from.
The most common explanation dates back to the 16th century when people used to take baths once a week.
The family would use the same bathwater, and the father would bathe first, followed by the mother, children, and the baby.
By the time the baby was washed, the water would be so dirty that it was difficult to see the baby.
Hence, parents had to be careful not to throw the baby out with the bathwater.
Of course, I say this tongue-in-cheek, but you get my meaning.
The phrase throw the baby out with the bathwater is a cautionary tale.
It reminds us to be careful when getting rid of things, especially when in a hurry.
We want to keep everything valuable in the process of decluttering.
I’ve had my fair share of experiences with this phrase.
Once, I was cleaning out my closet and threw away a shirt I had searched for for weeks.
Only later did I realize I had thrown the baby out with the bathwater.
So, the next time you’re decluttering your home, take your time and be mindful of what you’re throwing away.
You don’t want to throw the baby out with the bathwater.
Flesch-Kincaid Readability Test
This post is understandable by someone with at least an 8th-grade education (age 13 – 14).
On the Flesch-Kincaid reading-ease test, this post scores 69.
The easier a passage is to read, the higher the score on a scale of 0 – 100.
