The Never-Ending Battle
The Never-Ending Battle
Are you constantly fighting household clutter? Is it a never-ending battle for you? Are you always looking for a better way to keep your home organized?
I was recently asked to answer a few questions about the challenges of household clutter for an upcoming article, so I am sharing them with you. If you have other questions, I’d love to hear them, and I could help. Please feel free to comment on this blog post with your clutter questions.
1. Why does clutter happen? What can we do to stop more clutter from entering the house or forming large piles within the home?
Everything in your home is connected to your past, present, or future. When decluttering, you need to look towards the items from your past or the things you are saving for “maybe someday.” These are the things that you are not currently using or you don’t currently love. Look to the past for old textbooks, clothes that don’t fit, and broken or worn-out items. It would help to consider letting go of these things when decluttering your home.
It’s OK to keep memorabilia. It’s not clutter, but a cluttered home happens when we don’t cycle things out but continue to bring new things in. If you are hanging onto items that are not useful to you right now but saving them, just in case, these are future items. This may look like craft supplies for a hobby you’ve never tried or that fancy set of dishes you’ve never unboxed. You may be saving things for the person you want to be. I call this aspirational clutter and suggest you let the Store store them for you until you need them.
2. What are some of your universal tips for cutting down clutter and keeping clutter-ful things (bills, papers, reusable water bottles, wires, etc.) organized?
A clutter-free home begins outside the house. An inhabitant of the home brought in all the clutter in the house. So, being more mindful of what you carry in will help keep clutter at bay. Do you need another water bottle, sweater, candle, or spatula? Everything you bring into your home needs a home, so if you can’t identify where it will live before purchasing, don’t buy it.
Everything in your home was new (to us) at one time or another. But things get outdated, worn out, and unloved as time goes on. So, the One In- One Out rule is another rule to keep clutter at bay. Whenever you bring an item into your home, you should pick a similar item to donate or discard. This will keep a similar volume in your house. If you need to lighten the load in your space, change this rule to the One In – Two Out rule.
3. What are some of your favorite items/containers/labels/general products to beat clutter?
Containers are a great way to limit a particular type of item. The size of the container is your limit to how much of that kind of item you can have at any one time. When the container gets full, that’s your clue that it is time to review what’s inside and eliminate the least essential things. I like to use clear plastic tubs for long-term storage, such as memorabilia boxes or holiday decorations. Clear boxes make it easier to identify what’s inside, but use boxes with lids that fit securely onto the box. The plastic is not environmentally friendly; you won’t have to replace it if you purchase quality containers. They also help protect your valuables from the dampness in a basement or dirt in a garage. Small containers work well in linen closets, craft rooms, kitchens, and closets to contain categories of smaller items like paint jars, medicine, and cleaning products. A plastic container offers a layer of protection if things drip.
Labeling is vital to staying organized. Some magic happens when something is labeled. By labeling, you are naming the home for that item and cementing the idea in your brain. I love all the Brother P-Touch label makers.
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Sue
Great answers to some very fundamental questions. I love clear boxes and labels as well. I have a couple of P-touch label makers because I never want to be without one LOL!
So good that you talk about being mindful of what we are bringing in. Accumulating always feels “fun,” but it does create work for us later. Super to keep this in mind as we approach the holiday season.
I also love my label maker! I have one for home and one for work.
I was serious when I said, “Clutter starts outside the home”. People would have much less clutter if they were more mindful when purchasing anything.
I love the questions as well as your answers.
Labeling things is so important as is the concept of a full container. Many people run out and get more places to store things when containers are full. Your advice to evaluate the items in the container first is spot on.
Thanks Diane. We often see a stack of empty containers in client’s homes. They haven’t figured out that more storage doesn’t solve the clutter issue.
I miss my P-Touch label maker! It bit the dust a few years ago, and was no longer using it enough to justify replacing it. I still label things though!
Yes. Masking tape works just as well.
I’m glad you indicated the container limit rule. That works well for me. The other day, I went through papers and reduced/shredded them to add them to one bin. I wanted to save some space in my closet. While it took some time, it was so worth it.
I’m the same way with papers. Although I tell myself that I’ll declutter my file drawer once a year, I end up waiting until it’s stuffed full to review the papers.
These are great questions and I love your responses, too! Looking at clutter in terms of past, present, and future is a valuable strategy. It helps you see that some things may no longer align with who you were, are, or will be. That type of thinking can help give a framework for decluttering. And your one in, two out rule is great, especially if you’re trying to create even more space than you currently have.
I definitely prescribe to the Past, Present and Future strategy, but my husband does not. I’m trying to get him to downsize and he’s struggling with it because he is so sentimental.
Fantastic questions and answers! This article os very perfectly written!
Thank you.
You’ve definitely targeted the essentials here. Clear boxes are great when you’ve got things lidded and stacked; labels are an excellent addition to tell you what’s in something or where something should go. (And I’m with you, Brother label makers rock!) When you’re trying to declutter and store things that need to be accessed often, I’m a fan of lidless containers with items standing up, ensuring that having a sort of aerial view and not having to fiddle with a lid compels people to put things back in place as easily as when they take them out.
And yes, accumulating (and not mindfully) is the bane of existence for anyone who wants to be able to tame the clutter. Excellent points!
Thanks Julie. These are the basic rules to live buy.
Here’s the thing — the good news — about Past, Present, and Future: It is constantly changing! The Distant Past doesn’t change so much and can include Memorabilia. Aspirational clutter can be something you thought you wanted to do in the Past, but no longer want to do, now that you’re thinking of it. Focusing on your current lifestyle and activities in the Present can make it easier to part with things that formerly seemed very important. It was OK to store those things, but it’s OK to let them go now. So, bringing new things into the home can make clutter seem like a constant battle. But realizing that things change, and it’s OK, can seem like a constant opportunity, too. What would make life easier for Future you?
You are the expert on Past clutter. Good point that “things change”. I’ll try that on some clients.