Below are the results of our survey about audience experiences related to the topic for episode #176 of The Clutter Fairy Weekly. If you haven’t already done so, please take the survey.
Perils and Pitfalls
We asked our audience members to identify hazardous conditions or situations that occasionally or frequently exist in their homes.
Note: Hover over any bar in the graph to see the name of the category and the number of respondents who selected that answer. (Mobile users: Click on the bars for details.)
Other Hazards
We all offered respondents the opportunity to report other hazards that we hadn’t included in the above list of hazardous conditions and situations. Here are their answers.
Other hazards
First aid kit is out of reach. Neighbors create health hazard.
Clutter makes it difficult to move around within one room of the house. I am the only one who accesses that room (office). There is a clear path, but it is uncomfortably narrow.
Piles of items, present issues if you have a pet who has an accident and the piles prevent you from seeing the accident
Too many multiples of same or similar item. - not seeing expiration dates or too overwhelming to maintain & build up of dirty gunk/ yet allergic to this gunk/ then add not feeling well on top of it. So health issues take place.
Just stuff everywhere. Stuff falling down from piles. Hit your legs
Fumes from paint and other art and craft supplies
I cannot vacuum and dust in my bedroom because surfaces are either covered with clutter/papers or out of reach because of the clutter on the floor in front of them. The dust makes it hard to breathe and I therefor sleep on the sofa in the living room.
Step ladder required to wash windows may present future hazard.
Clutter collects on kitchen counters
My house is surrounded by about an acre of fenced yard that I have been working on this year. It's hilly and rocky. I had one handrail installed and will be having another one installed next week.
Items in a spare room (although neatly boxed) keep the room from being used for other purposes.
Papers are sometimes not contained
I have to store items up to the ceiling inside closets, so I have to use a step stool to access them. I am always afrraid I will fall off the step stool, or it will break.
I have a narrow path around my bed where I spend most of my time as I am partially bed-ridden. There isn't enough room for the paramedics to get around easily. Am working to solve this problem.
Small stools in seating area pose a shin bruising danger in the dark!
2 Cats underfoot all the time. But we love them and have learned to be careful.
have tile floors that can be slippery so I have nonslip rug pathways for getting to counters and sink . I keep an old towel to mop up excess water
We are free of all of these, plus we asked the local fire and rescue dept to check our home out when we had all the necessary alarms installed and checked. The paramedics also kindly checked our first aid kits for the house and car.
Other hazards
Vulnerabilities
We asked our audience members which categories of vulnerable people are present in their households.
Note: Hover over any bar in the graph to see the name of the category and the number of respondents who selected that answer. (Mobile users: Click on the bars for details.)
Threat Level
We asked our audience, “To what extent do you feel that clutter in your home represents a threat to the physical health, mental health, or safety of your family?”
Note: Hover over any pie slice in the chart to see the name of the category and the number of respondents who selected that answer. (Mobile users: Click on the bars for details.)
Full Responses
To view the detailed survey response from any respondent, click on their name in the table below. (You may also find it easier to read long responses in the detailed view.)
I have 2 rooms of doom that have resulted from transitions of children moving in out and storing things here. I also have current additional clutter caused by a tornado and derecho hitting the house June 29th. Its far worse than normal and beyond my frustration point.
the clutter fairy from great Britain who I found by mistake looking for one of your replays.
Lethargy and household member (spouse) not wanting to address the issues or consider their importance. Health and lack of mobility issues of spouse not able to assist with progress on attempts to clear out unwanted or unneeded objects or allow decluttering of items.
the various videos I view on YouTube concerning decluttering, organizing, etc.
We don’t really have any threats to health & safety. We are both safety conscious. ▪️We need to replace our aged dinette of 40 years. The club swivel chairs are falling off their bases and it’s really too big for the space. I’m shopping for a suitable replacement. ▪️I think I need a better step ladder with deeper step surfaces for those few times I need to reach something higher up.
Someone with impaired vision (beyond what can be corrected)
Someone with a chronic illness
Someone with other special needs not listed here
Not at all
To a mild extent
To a moderate extent
To a significant extent
Deceased husband left huge locker of stuff to sort.
Destructive pets make extra work almost daily
Strong sentimentality and inability to make decisions also hamper decluttering attempts.
Lack of strength and energy needed to maintain my space as well as get decluttered enough to move slows the process severely.
Motivation, prioritization, and "impaired scheduling abilities." 😉 Am hoping to develop a regular schedule of decluttering and cleaning, but feel too overwhelmed with both indoor and outdoor tasks that need doing.
Dana K White (declutter your space and it will almost automatically become organized; a very funny woman)
1 Items that block access to a window. I have a desk in front of a window. I intend to sell the desk but it is where I deal with the huge number of photos. I don't have another surface. I am an expert at avoiding the photos. It weighs on me, but apparently not enough to get me working regularly at the photo horde.
2 My kitchen is small and I have stored dishtowels in the cupboard above the refrigerator. I have to use a stool to reach them. The obstacle: my lifelong habit of keeping enough canned & dry goods on hand so that I don't have to go to the store to pick up a missing ingredient. I no longer have enough space to do that. I don't have to store food; the supermarket can do that. A little more menu planning and discipline could solve this problem.
Margareta Magnusson (Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning)
Someone with memory loss or other cognitive impairment
Someone with a chronic illness
Someone with a respiratory disease or difficulty
Someone with moderate to severe allergies
Someone with other special needs not listed here
Not at all
To a mild extent
To a moderate extent
To a significant extent
My house is not bad as I had all the boxes stacked in the garage when I moved in. I take an item or 2 into the house and then clean it and make a decision about it. If I bring too many in the room looks too cluttered and there are too many pending decisions which paralyzes me. Then my already slow pace slows even more. It's frustrating to have the conversation continually that tiny movement is still movement. My main obstacle is breaking the emotional over attachment due to hoarding disorder. That is what is making the decision making slow.
However, I have discovered a car boot sale venue this weekend (these are not a thing in my country). I will investigate. I have hopes that that will speed things up as I will be able to get rid of some of the stuff there that I'm not ready to donate yet. (I have a thing about the stuff going to someone that wants it). Hopefully seeing that either it goes to a wanted home or that nobody is interested because its value is over estimated by myself will be the reality check that I need to become unstuck which will help me move stuff. I struggle because it's good stuff. It's not old or worn. I'm not letting it go because I'm tired of it or its outdated. I just have hoarded too much and need to let some of it go.
Dana White. Her concept is so simple. Let the size of the container dictate. Anything more is too much. And her application is practical. Where will I think of to look for it. No overthinking and overcategorizing (as I'm prone to).
Inability to make a decision to throw away something I had on monthly order and took many, many months to cancel. It’s a cosmetic line I’m not using and my daughter is too scared to try… doesn’t make sense, does it? So I have a pile of boxes in my study that made it out of my closet (step one, I guess). Who knows? It may be sorted by Tuesday
I do not like the clutterbug!! She’s terrible and fake. I like Dana White. Can’t really use her system but she seems to have been as beside herself as I am
The basement is always an issue and is used as a carpentry workshop by my husband and as an office by me.
There arr always big and little pieces if wood lying all over the floor and tools all over the place.
Wanting to use the paint to create artwork. I gave away 90% of the oil paints and that made a huge difference, but I still have acrylic paint, some paint thinner, a few oil paints, screenprinting ink etc etc.
I feel a lot if anxiety because I feel these are emitting fumes. I keep the windiw of the room that I store these, slightly cracked open as they smell otherwise.
I hope to use up these items really soon.
Otherwise, I’ve been good about moving things on from the house, but now I’m in a period of being overwhelmed and needing to rest a bit before J proceeed further.
I also used to have a lot of things from previous jobs, and I’m really impressed by the person last week who said it was finally easy for her to get rid of those. I have two binders of papers (evaluations, job descriptions etc etc) and stacks of manuals- most of which I moved out but a few are still around. I was relatively successful in my old job, but left it to pursue the arts, which have been fulfilling, but not really profitable. So, occasionally I get anxiety about having left the old career. Some, akthough not all, of the guidelines for that wirk are online, though, so it’s ok not to keep everything.
I think the Clutter Fairy is perfect. She is both practical and caring. And there is sooo much more content and generosity than anything else out there. She and Ed make a perfect duo. Occasionally, I look at GYST videos, or whatever random video pops up. But Clutter Fairy is really good! Thank you!
The biggest issue is figuring out how to sell or donate large items so that there is more space in the house. We have too many items -- desks, piano, bar -- that are taking up space. Also, there are not enough electical outlets in the house so we have power strips to be able to connect all the things (fan, TV, phone, internet router, computer) that need electricity.
After my move in December 75% of my things did't get assigned a place right away. Now I don't know what's in the boxes anymore and I still don't have a plan where my craft supplies should go (I have a lot, but already thinned the herd). I have PTSD and as a result overthink every decision, have a hard time letting go of things and want the outcome to be perfect. That prevents me from taking action most of the time.
Although l live in a home that may be considered “minimally” furnished, l am aware that as a person nearly 70 years of age, my capacity will eventually diminish. As a result, l have chosen to regularly continue to reduce my belongings as l notice changes in strength or even desire to continue to care for something nonessential in my home to stay ahead of the curve.
Of course the Clutter Fairy team is # one, followed by Henry David Thoreau and the transcendentalist, Zen Buddhist rock garden designers of Japan, the British architect John Pawson, artist and builder Isamu Noguchi, Jeff Yeager’s book the Ultimate Cheapskate’s Roadmap to True Riches, and Brooks Palmer’s deeply insightful book, Clutter Busting: Letting Go of What’s Holding You Back.
Motivation, energy level. Multiple tasks distract from completion of any one area.
I don't have any other popular figures. My friend from church is the best organizer helper. She understands as she has been through losses and difficult decluttering.
We have an electric recliner and there are no receptacles near it. I'm not sure what to get to stop that being a trip hazard (although no one has tripped on it during the three years we have lived here, someone could).
We have one room that is "storage" that needs decluttering and organizing; it's mostly my husband's stuff and he has been resistant but is coming around.
Our garage has way too much stuff in it. I have to walk around things to get to other areas. Definitely needs work. It's too hot now (it's not insulated) but we plan to work on it in the fall when the weather is better.
I don’t think we have any obvious ones but when we bought area rugs I was careful to buy low profile ones. This was due to my concern about tripping hazards. Bought thin rug pads too, same reason.
I received packages a year ago which I meant to return and I never did. Now it's too late.
I have mail stacked in the entry hall, mostly against one wall. Makes a bad impression on anyone opening the door, even though the living room and dining room are fine. More mail is stacked on the kitchen counterop, but not near the stove or oven. One bedroom has papers over an inch high on the bed, but nobody sleeps in that room. It's the computer room.
The person mentioned earlier--the one with poor mobility--is myself.
Procrastination primarily. The big paper project I have daunts me — I need to sort lots and amend income tax returns for a few years. For non-paper items, I’m at an impasse having decluttered so much in the past few years. I’m now to the point I think I want what’s left but on the other hand I know I need to dig deeper so I have even less. In response to one of the questions, much of the stuff that’s “out” is because I just don’t put things away. My closets and cupboards are not overstuffed.
I am an older adult with arthritis in my joints, so my balance is not great. Plus my difficult house is on 2 levels, plus the full basement, and steps to the garage. And small rooms and many steep stairs. . I feel like I am a rat running around in a maze all day long. My husband is zero help in doing anything around the house at all, or helping me with housework or repairs. So I am on my own. Gayle and Ed, you are my main source for encouragement and inspiration. My sister is a help by phone, but she lives far away. As does most of my family.
No body does it better than the Clutter Fairy. But My sister is a great sounding board by phone, and I can even send her iPhone photos.
Mobility, aging (loss of strength and stamina), fear of climbing on step ladder, excessive fatigue.
Not having a "home" for the items so they just get set down on the floor or stacked up on counter tops. The main thing is not returning items to where we got them. And Amazon delivering more.
Peter Walsh, and I think it's the Clutter Bug (not sure what her name is)
I can only work approximately 5 to 10 minutes at a time then severe pain causes that I must return to my bed where I rest until the pain level goes down. I also have a chronic illness that has more good days than bad days wherein I must remain in bed all day, except for bathroom breaks. By the time I have taken care of meals and clean up, and laundry I have very little strength left for cleaning and fun activities. It is a struggle, but I am doing my best given the circumstances.
Have recently greatly decluttered. Need to declutter more in order to use closet and cupboard and shelf space better to eliminate the remaining 4 or 5 dangerous spots.
I need to use up my craft supplies, then sell away the ready made crafts (but not untill I have organized an exhibition) and I am NOT willing to give away or downsize on my craft supplies any more.
I like the "joy bringing' aspect of Konmari (up to a point). I mean, when I have something with negative emotions attatched to it (e.g. belonging to an ex) and it doesn't bring me joy, I get rid of it. But the Clutter Fairy is still my top favourite <3
Someone with impaired vision (beyond what can be corrected)
Someone with memory loss or other cognitive impairment
Someone with a chronic illness
Not at all
To a mild extent
To a moderate extent
To a significant extent
My spouse piles up things and also loses things but is unwilling and/ or unable to remedy the situation.
Nothing can be touched or thrown away without causing a big disagreement.
His areas of the house are inaccessible and unsafe and he has many mobility issues.
Someone with impaired vision (beyond what can be corrected)
Someone with memory loss or other cognitive impairment
Someone with a chronic illness
Someone with moderate to severe allergies
Not at all
To a mild extent
To a moderate extent
To a significant extent
Health if the main obstacle. Because I have been so beaten down by long covid, I, the main home caretaker, have fallen way behind both at home and at work. Time demands prevent me from giving house clutter attention it needs. Hoping to turn this around but need more time and energy.
There is no one else that even comes close. Gayle all the way!
The clutter issues in my house are more of a mental stress issue because I'm in the middle generation - where time has been a big issue juggling all the responsibilities of helping elderly parents move and take care of them and their belongings; helping disabled siblings and helping out our adult kids in their endeavors - I have a few projects I am working on - going through 2 sets of parents things and paring down and filtering through the clutter; keeping up with eb and flow of organizing mine and my mother's paperwork; Keeping up with the daily cleaning etc. I feel like I'm going all the time.
Flylady - don't follow strictly but routines help me a lot, But First Coffee w/Kallie Branciforte for cleaning hacks
My daughter and 2 teenaged grandkids moved in with me in my small 1200 Sq ft house 4 years ago and are still with me - with all of their sports equipment!
Health and safety actually makes a clutter threat easier to deal with - if it's an actual danger or looking like it might be a danger then it goes straight to the top of the list & gets fixed. I rent, and I can't have my landlord blame it on me if the place burns down or floods out.
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