The Clutter Wizard

Too much stuff? Too little space? Phone & video chat available to help you get organized during these pandemic times.
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Help with Household Clutter

Too much stuff that isn’t in the right place? That’s clutter. If you can’t put your hands on it when you need it, that’s clutter. Need help knowing what stays and what goes? Keep things that you actually use or refer to. That’s it! All the rest is cluttering your space and your mind.

Figuring out what you need is, of course, the hardest part. And paper is the worst culprit. Books, Magazines, newspapers, catalogs. This is the time to be brutal. If there’s an article or an ad you want to keep okay. But tear it out and toss the rest of the paper. And remember that many books and articles that you have in your possession are available at your local library or online.

There’s usually a lot more space to store stuff than most people realize. Think about all your wasted wall space. How about under the bed space or in closets between the top shelf and the ceiling?

The key is creating systems to put things away before the clutter starts to accumulate. And they’ve got to be comfortable for you personally or you won’t do it.
A couple of simple things:

Get a file cabinet for all your papers. If it’s important enough to keep it’s important enough to file so you can find it.

Get rid of extra wire hangers in your closet. Give your clothes some breathing room. And move longer clothes to the side so you can store things on the floor more comfortably. Consider adding a second hanging bar for shorter clothes too.

In garages, basements and attics mark all storage containers or boxes clearly and legibly. Clear, plastic containers are best if you can afford them.

Don’t forget that one of the keys to de-cluttering is to put similar things together in places that make sense to you. It doesn’t matter if it makes sense to anyone else. You’ve got to be the one who can find it quickly and easily so whatever works for you is what matters.