The Clutter Fairy Weekly Survey #178 Results
Preventing Clutter at its Sources
Below are the results of our survey about audience experiences related to the topic for episode #178 of The Clutter Fairy Weekly. If you haven’t already done so, please take the survey.
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.)
| Name (click to view full survey response and comments) | Name the collections or categories of stuff in your home that are typically most likely to become cluttered. | Complete the following statement: “My clutter started to become a problem when _____.” | Describe a habit or routine behavior that you would like to cultivate—or eliminate—to help get a better handle on household clutter. | Name your favorite Clutter Fairy-isms or decluttering and organizing mnemonic devices. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Susan | Clothes that are too small | Age generated too much over time. And never really pared down over time. | Tackle one to pare down each month. | I like it when she is more direct, not sugar coating. |
| Victoria | Paper, books, magazines, clothes to be given away | I moved several times and didn't decclutter extensively each time | I'm trying to move things out of the house each week | |
| Anonymous user | For me, it's not only categories, but places: my physical desktop tends to collect "deal with it later" items, wherever I happen to sit to read, which includes writing instruments and highlighters. This happens especially when I'm busy, like the other day was my husband's birthday and a couple of spots turned into a terrible mess until I was able to clean it up afterwards (following day). Health and beauty drawer in the bathroom and linen closet needs refreshing (mixture of health and beauty on one shelf as well as cleaning supplies and items which should go into my closet instead. | ...clutter was modeled by both of my parents. | Somehow develop categories (folders?) for next steps of items vs. just plopping everything on my desk and leaving the room. | I haven't attended the group in awhile, so all I can think of is what I put on the previous answer "refresh" (when an area needs to be looked at again). |
| Catherine | Books, paper, and the emotional stuff. | I had too many distractions. | “Always” statements trip me up as they are impossible to keep up with. But I do want to continue going through the things I inherited from my parents and manage the attendant emotions. Anyone else have panic attacks from looking at papers? | Definitely “thin the herd”! |
| Marsh | Paper. | I had a sudden death in my family. | Hanging up my house/car keys AS soon as I walk in the door on the new hook on front of the fridge. | If I didn't "Bring It" I can choose to just "Wing It" = Gone! |
| Janice | front entryway top of table, keys, mail, packing from boxes, hand sanitizer, stuff to go back to the Library | I worked 12 hour midnight shifts and had my only child with a spouse who worked afternoons and midnights full time. | I would like to cultivate, 'where does this go and put it there now.' | peel the onion, and also eat an elephant one bite at a time |
| Anonymous user | - miscellaneous items adding up on my desk, which also serves as my command center | My clutter started to become a problem when I inherited my mother’s and my grandmothers stuff ofthem were maximalists. | I have begun to do little five minute resets whenever I notice clutter on my desk or elsewhere, during which I put things back in their respective places, throw out junk, etc. The result is very satisfying. | stem the inflow |
| Anonymous user | Scrapbook supplies, fabrics & supplies, genealogy documents & info, photos to scan | When we had children and gained stuff from a grandparent and parents. | Put away things left on the kitchen counter and table. Also, put away in an organized manner my genealogy stuff. | Picnic - problem in chair, not in computer |
| Sharon | Mail, paperwork, newspapers, shoes | I moved to my own place for the first time. | I will set a time each week to take care of the week’s mail. | OHIO |
| Ginger | 🔲 We have a handle on most everything (including papers) with a few exceptions. ▪️Front entrance mess. This room is my husband’s domain. And, he likes everything convenient. If he can’t see it - it doesn’t exist. . I police it regularly. I plan to build a “behind the door hanging shallow” cabinet to hold some of his “stuff”. Bug spray, flashlight, fire extinguisher, too many ball caps, etc. His grab & go stuff. He could open the cabinet door and SEE it all. But, it’ll be out of sight. This concept worked in our bathroom linen closet when I put all OTC meds on a corner stadium shelf. I thought of a storage bench but if he has to bend over to look for something - he’ll aggravate his back. I truly wish hubby would agree to break through that wall and build a closet. ▪️Fodder for art journals. I have a small hoard of magazines in a container - I want to cut images from them for an art journal. I need to go thru and tear out the pages and recycle the rest. I think I’ll count the magazines and set a goal of going through XX amount every week. My craft supplies are stored in their own closet. I’ve quit acquiring new supplies. I’m in “use it up” mode. ▪️Parents’ personal belongings. They passed in Dec. Dad’s papers, photos & keepsakes. Mom lived with us for 15+ years - so I have her clothes, shoes, purses, jewelry, personal care items, books, tchotchkes, photos, sewing machine, fabric, pottery, green ware, molds, etc. I’m still working on settling their estates. Then, I’ll deal with their things with the help of other family members. | When my mother moved in with us 16 years ago. And, I realized we never got rid of stuff. I’ve been clearing it since 2013 - after retiring. | I will go through my magazine bin and pull the images I want to keep for art projects. Then, I’ll do it monthly. This is a free magazine from our electric coop with great images of all th8ngs Texas. | STOP the FIREHOSE! Which I always thought of as “stop the bleeding”. But, I like “Don’t Shave the Yak!” Introduced to the podcast audience by listener Connie. It refers to engaging in a meaningless task that has no obvious relationship to what's supposed to be worked on but may be necessary to troubleshoot a larger problem. The process of making a simple task unnecessarily complicated may also qualify as yak shaving. |
| Janna ( Jan-ah) | Pantry- canned goods Paper mail Spare bedroom- when company is coming over- everything gets dumped there | I was a kid… I have ADHD and while it usually works or my advantage ( I get lots of stuff done and have boundless energy for parties, entertaining, home decorating) I often accumulate too much. Note: I have begun to go room by room to decluttering ( thinning the herd) and find a “home in my home” for items I want to keep. | I will do the dishes, wipe the counters and table and wash the sink before I go to bed to wake up to a clean kitchen | Love them all, actually |
| Em | ||||
| Anonymous user | pantry items; clothing, including coats; plants, pots & potting soil; anything that goes into the refrigerator or freezer; paper and project items | I was struck with an illness that made it impossible up with regular maintenance alone, and then my husband/helpmate died. | I will practice household maintenance as an act of gratitude and self-care. | send it down the river of stuff (or something like that. Gayle says it all the time) |
| NM Momma | My Craft Room! | I started buying more fabric and people started gifting me more sewing items. | I will clean up a current project as soon as I am done so I have a clean surface to begin the next one. I will write down what I want to work on to help me focus. | Go for "Low hanging fruit" |
| Ellen in W Michigan | Papers/lists. My daughter calls it my nest. | I think I've always had trouble with paper. I make lists of things to remember and then they just become piles of random paper. | I need to put my papers to be filed on my desk right away and then make sure to file them at least once a month. Not sure what to do about the list-making, although I have a few notebooks dedicated to specific areas that seems to help. Somehow a stack of notebooks looks neater than a disorderly pile of scrap paper. | |
| Dee | Sewing, embroidery supplies | I was old enough to keep my own stuff! Since childhood, I have had clutter. | I try to make sure that my dishes are done and the sink cleaned before going to bed. | CHAOS - can't have any one over syndrome (borrowed from FlyLady) |
| Anonymous user | Paper, books | Divorce, then 2 or 3 after was diagnosed with cancer, followed by surgery and several years of brain fog and extreme fatigue. I'm better now. | Regularly clearing horizontal surfaces. I'm consistent with this for bathroom and kitchen counter and bedroom, but not with home desk or bar countertop. | |
| Odessa | Clothes, craft supplies, paper | ...when I began working as a teacher's aide. Too often end up bringing supplies home to prepare future activities. | I created for myself a weekly routine (sometimes 2x a week if time allows) of purging receipts I've held onto. I always begin with the oldest because Ibotta allows up to 7 days to redeem any deals for cash. | Not sure, but I love the OHIO one since I was raised in that state. Lol |
| C | Papers of all kinds, discarded clothes, shoes at entrance | When too many things/ events in my life required more attention plus my mobility decreased. | Re cultivate the habit of a quick 10 minute tidy before going to bed. | Don't leave a room empty-handed |
| Heather | Any flat surface gets covered in my son's crap. He also whines and bitches that he was going to move it. It's been there for days. | My clutter became a problem when I started working and I stopped cleaning up after other people. | I just want other people in the house to stick to the systems I put in place to keep things organised. Like a space doesn't mean shove that thing there, it means what came out of there goes back there. | |
| Anonymous user | Kitchen dishes | When my husband and I separated... Interesting question in that I had never thought about when did the problem really start. This is great insight for me to consider moving forward. Why do I leave the dishes? Because it was never appreciated when they were done. And it seemed like there was always something that wasn't done quite right when they were finished... Growing up, I think my mom tried to teach us to do things the 'right' way (her way) And it may be my way of rebelling although now that I am retired and live alone, it really only hurts me. I need to remember how good it feels when I get up in the morning to a clean kitchen. | I will do dishes as I use them or have them done before I go to bed | Do it now if it takes less than 2 minutes |
| Lee | paper mail; email | Started a career that required keeping up with the literature. Journals were the start of the paper problem. Although those are now gone and I am thankfully retired, paper remains an issue. | I will organize my to-do lists, my project lists, my cleaning routine lists, my yardening lists. | |
| Peggy | papers... they take so long to go through, for such little visible result | I was younger and thought I needed "choices" in everything (I no longer believe this... one "flavor" of soap or one sheet set will do) | I would like to stay on top of digital as well as paper clutter... but first I need to get a handle on the backlog | thin the herd! |
| Anonymous user | Technology. Craft supplies (yarn mostly). | ...my mom threw things away while I visited my dad. I never knew what would be missing when I got home. | I would like to stop using every horizontal space as a clutter catcher. | Thin the herd is my favorite! |
| Hila | Paper mail, email, computer files | I started a full time job and need reading glasses | I will delete email that nonrelevant to me every week | |
| Jeanne | Hub with his books and papers | When hubs moved in. | People put their own stuff to their homes. | ATAD. declutter a thing a day. i have seen elsewhere but my mantra |
| rowan | "the garage is where things go to die", (not Gayle's but it is my favorite - from the english translation of Goodbye Things -"the things you own end up owning you" Fight Club | |||
| Rowan | canned goods, paper goods | moved to my own place | started folding laundry while watching youtubes 🙂 | We overestimate how much we can get done in a day and totally underestimate how much we can get done in 15 minutes a day |
| Evelin | craft materials like pens, markers, paint | I moved out from home and had my own job (money) and apartment | I want to declutter on a regular basis more often. and I would like to declutter "on the go" too | use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without |
| PJ | * Pile of mail by the front door * Clothes (currently doing a huge declutter but it's still such a mess) * Craft supplies * Garden tools * Board games & jigsaws * Books * Puzzle books & magazine subscriptions | My clutter started to become a problem when I discovered eBay while living alone in my first home, as no one was around to tell me I was accumulating quite so much stuff. This was about 20 years ago, and it was at this time I discovered EPP quilting, jewelry-making, cardmaking, scrapbooking and its world of embellishments, and that I could find exactly what I wanted on eBay to complete my Agatha Christie collection. I did sell a few things on eBay, but it was much easier to buy!! A few years later I discovered Wish.com and had a second major addiction phase buying bits & pieces. Now I resolutely stay clear of internet shopping, except for weekly grocery delivery. | * I will open the mail every day & decide immediately what to do with it * I will not buy anything online except weekly grocery shopping * I will donate at least one bag of stuff a week to charity * I will declutter at least one area every week - even if its just a drawer/closet/bag/box - it's all progress * I will regularly recite "Progress, not Perfection" while peeling those onion layers away for good!!! | CUTE - can't use that ever 🙂 |
| Kristine | Art supplies and crafts that the kids do pile up on our dining room table. I like to have an environment that the kids can do art and crafts whenever they want, but self-directed they never clean it up. I guess because they are never really done. It piles up and eventually they stop using the area. I go in there once a month and throw everything out, then it’s a clean canvas and they start doing art again. | My clutter started to become a problem when I had kids and couldn’t manage their stuff (coats, hobbies, season changes, schoolwork papers) in addition to my own stuff. | I’ve just started a super quick routine and that is helpful. For instance, I do a quick “wake up” routine that includes taking my medication, brushing my teeth, opening the curtains and making the bed. It literally takes about 6-7 minutes and is super simple. Before, I’d be wandering around aimless for about 30 minutes when I woke up. It’s amazing how a little structure in my time management helps with clutter, but it does. Now I’m trying to create little super quick routines for other parts of the day. | Not sure what the -ism is but the idea that you’ve onto another phase of life, so the stuff from you previous phases of life and previous hobbies/interests needs to be let go. |
| Janet | Office supplies, I’m not anymore and yet I find it everywhere. I have a hard time getting rid of shoes. My feet are small and more difficult to find my size. | Office supplies had been my addiction. Always seem to be something newer and better than I have. Shoes, well what can I say in the 80’s I had over 100 pairs. But that’s what we did then. A shoe for every outfit | I ask myself before purchasing, do I really need this, or want this. Will I get my monies worth of usage. With the prices today, if I teeter after the first stmt, the the money stops me | |
| Helen | Children’s toys is our major trouble spot. My daughter is an avid collector and I don’t want to take that joy from her, but equally I want to teach her that you can’t have all the things. Currently we have a rule that if she gets any new cuddly toy she has to let go of an old one. Even this is causing her pain, and last week we had tears in the toy shop when she decided to not buy a toy she desperately wanted to buy (and could afford) because she wasn’t willing to let go of an old one. | When my child got their own room. | I would like to help my child learn that as she grows and her interested changes she has to let go of her ‘old self’ items (or at least some of them). I would like to do ‘one in one out’ for all her possessions: clothes, books, toys, craft supplies but at the moment she is finding this very hard and we are only doing it with cuddly toys. | Thin the herd |
| Eve | Creative room. Which has multiple stations but all seem to end up on middle table in a creative clutter heap. Usually because I need to make something and get distracted before I can clean up. Also have trouble finding everything thing a home. | My husband broke his lower back and I don’t have time to find everything a home and too busy. | Designate a box for like for like craft items into well marked boxes like when we moved house. Each box has a photo copy of index card with what’s in box and card goes into index box so you sort through index cards and not rummage through box after box for one item. | OHIO |
| Celina | craft& sewing supplies (beads (not meaning to judge anyone here, of course :D) fabric, threads of different colours). Healthy food and snacks that I buy in bulk whenever there's a sale. I fact, anything that I know I use but is on sale e.g. my long time favourite deo, etc. Soap bars, because I love new scents. I use them up, but not at the pace of purchasing, it seems. | My clutter started to become a problem when I moved out of my mum's house and began to live in all kinds of rented rooms. Also, when I decided to make crafting my major hobby (drawing, sewing, dolls). Before that I think I was pretty tidy and organized. And I went through A LOT of phases of lifestyle: student, college student, post-grad, etc... stilll. the crafty clutter remains. | I would like to keep my desk and other flat areas clear and functional. | planning the enegry for the whole process, INCLUDING the cleaning after a certain stage. |
| Mavis | Paper, dishes, dumpsite coming in the house for things that don't yet have an allocated home. | I got sick chronically. I would run out of energy midway through tasks and be forced to abandon it. I kept hoping that a time would come when I would be healed. I kept buying things for this future that never came, self soothing with another object and another object. I have now accepted that I have sub minimal capacity to look after myself and am dehoarding and will continue shedding stuff until I only own what I can look after. I suspect that means minimalism, although I have no natural desire to be a minimalist. | I have no evening because the day depletes me physically, but more, emotionally and psychologically. I would love to have a small evening capacity at least to get things in order. | I love that you refer to it as collections and that the collection has degrees of favoritism that allows the least favourites to be culled |
| C.C. | Bathroom counter, desk | When ever I over-schedule myself and feel like I need to be in 2 places at once. | I will follow through on daily routine tasks and not leave the. 85% done. | BOX of DOOM Don't Organize Only Move |
| Amelia | Paper mail, magazines | ... my job was an hour away from home. | When possible, deal with items in the moment and don't put them off for later. | I'm working on one of my own called "Do it 'til done" or briefly "'til done." It helps me press through and gives me a sense of accomplishment when the entire task is done and I don't have to think about it anymore. |
| Agatha | Paper, supplements, clothes, extra shopping bags, composting/recycling items, stuff to take back pile, gift wrapping items, dishes- clean to put away, or soaking. | When I got sick. When the illness came, I went down- then my whole house went down. Now I'm left only able to do a little at a time, in a giant hot mess. #hellooverwhelm It's very discouraging. Leaving me with a hopeless feeling. | I wish I felt good enough to FINISH a task...often I have to quit before it's done. I wish I had more energy in the morning to get more done. | Gayle's positive attitude, & Ed's good angles on things. |
| Christine | Papers and mail Books and magazines Unfinished projects Clean clothes Dishes | I moved out of my childhood home and had kids | Finish a task completely: after a meal put the dirty dishes in the dishwasher and wipe the counter, fold clothes and put it away when the dryer is done, pit tools away, pay the bill or make the phone call... | Definitely ''thin the herd''! |
| Bulbasaur | Shoes, paper mail, yarn. home office desk, craft desk, indoor garden pots and supplies, laundry bins in bedrooms and basement, on top of surfaces like counters and desks | My clutter started to become a problem when I had to clean my own room as a kid. I was an artist since a kid and older, so it was hard for me to let go of things since everything can be useful in a way or made into something new. My problem is that I don’t have enough time to convert said things in craft projects. 😂 Then it became a problem again when I was able to get my own apartment and full time job | We need to make clean and dirty labels for the laundry bins. I don’t always carry up the laundry bins when they are clean because the baskets can be too heavy for me. So sometimes they get left in the basement and then I forget about it (out of sight, out of mind), then I forget if I did that laundry already. I have unfortunately in the past redid all my laundry with washer and dryer with forgetting to bring the clean laundry upstairs. Perhaps I can ask my partner to take the clean laundry upstairs for me since he’s stronger. | Thin the Herd, floor is where things go to die and floor space becomes a storage space when you leave boxes and other things on the floor, need to get out in an emergency or ambulance workers into your house so you need walkable clear floors 😂 |
| Anonymous user | I have started using essential oils and homeopathy in the past few years, and I have a plethora of items and they are not well organized. Then when I pull them out to use them, the little bottles are everywhere and I lose track of where they are. Random stuff that has no home, living in my DOOM laundry baskets. Things from friends who have moved. New hobby materials with no home - dehydrator, naming pressure cooker, kitchenaid mixer, crockpot | I call them my “unfortunate series of events”.🫢 My son started having mental health issues years ago. Then more so when I had an orthopedic injury right arm that required surgery and a lot of rehab, then COVID and doing a bit of stocking up, then another orthopedic injury right foot similar, then got a new job which took up a lot of energy. | Find a home for everything, declutter to make space for things that don’t have a home. | I like the intro something like clutter getting in the way of the life you want to live. |
| Anonymous user | Paper mail Food pantry Shoes everywhere Vintage clothing and collection Household repair items like tape, nails, glue, etc. Sewing/knitting supplies | When I was in fashion design school and then inherited my grandmother's stuff like vintage clothes. Later after my parents died I inherited my parents' stuff. I was and still working full-time. | Processing bills and mail. Keeping it all organized. I can't go paperless or I will forget to pay. | Does this item support my health and happiness |
| Viv | Household paperwork ie bills, paperwork needing attention, forms to fill out | My clutter is nominal but annoying. Always been this way. | Everything in life is multi-step! Example- Buying groceries (drive, decide what to purchase, take home, unload, put away, record purchase amount, recycle bags or dispose of wrapping material, etc) I need to reduce purchases and minimize my wants to my needs! Btw - I have always been a neat-nick and chastised for that. It just seems things are very different than in the past. Much "easier" to over accumulate by chasing after advertising gimmicks "natural" "healthy" "improved" etc. I'm streamlining my lifestyle by getting to the least amount of products (clothes, toiletries, cleaning supplies, etc) to reduce the steps taking up so much time and effort. | Don't put it down, put it away |
| CHRISTINE | Plastic food storage containers. I used to have 2 full size freezers, because I fresh organic produce is not available here for 8 months. So I needed enough containers to fill the freezers with seasonal produce. Hoping to downsize, I sold one of the big freezers, but I still have those "expensive" plastic containers However, now. I am using those food containers for nonfood storage, like storing craft or office supplies. | My clutter started to become a problem when I had children. Tons of clutter for many year. However, there is good news. When I had children, that forced me to become less focused on my own personal possessions, buy less for me and more for them . I focused on their things (clothings, toys, school, sports). Importantly, while I was buying for them, I was NOT buying for myself (not enough money to go around). Since they live in their own places now, their things also, no longer live with me. So that left me with only MY clutter. Those long decades when I was buying for them, and not me, turned out to be a blessing after all. Now I do not have as much of my own stuff to deal with. | I will put my bathroom back in order when I leave it. When I am a guest at a hotel or a relative's house, I always keep it picked up. But at my home, my own bathroom if an embarrassment of a mess. | "Floors First'. Also, I like gardening references, because I used to garden a lot.... "That garden is not going to weed itself" (that garage is not going to declutter itself). "I got lost in the weeds" (I got lost in decluttering a big closet. "Pulling out the weeds in the garden "( boxing up the recycling, donating, trashing the stuff we need to get rid of |
| KY | My SO's piles of stuff. Also leftover older generations keepsakes. | When my SO started working on other retirement activities before he sorted his junk. | " My partner and I will clean out the storage room and file cabinets. If we survive, my partner and I will tackle the shop, one quadrant at a time. I will continue to sort my parents leftovers and send them on to the happy scrapbook in the sky. | Thin the herd. Send it on. Donate what someone can use. Embrace negative space. |
| Anonymous user | paperwork on my desk small pile of clothes that have been worn but can still be worn again before washing.... | my health declined and I lost the energy to deal with it | need to let go of my fantasy self that could get it all done in a day....laundry, cleaning and lawn mowed. | |
| Sarah | junk drawer stuff like random keys, tiny lightbulbs, odd screws, odd batteries, earbuds. personal financial papers, medical reports, bill notices, etc. | My husband and I moved into a larger house with a barn | I will always put thins away when I'm through using them. | |
| Anonymous user | Laundry room (entrance from garage) | I had my first home | A drop zone in the laundry room for purse/keys/coats!swaeters. | |
| SM | -paperwork in the office -painting and gardening supplies | I became severely ill and was nearly bedridden for many years. | I will complete projects and put the pieces away. (genealogy and photos, mainly) | |
| Michele ( just one l)😁 | Paperwork, bills new/ old , policies 4 hse/ car etc Clothes/ shoes. | When l didnot declutter regularly, when l bought based on emotional needs. When l got caught up with job/ .inding eldery parents that l wasnt at home in my hse as much n started living out of bags shuffling between 2 places so needed doubles of items or couldnt find what l needed so bought again. | I will employ one in / one out rule...if l buy new shoes an old pair goes out..( 1 in 2 out would be even better but baby steps !!) I will check fridge before making shopping list. I will schedule a time weekly to tidy area. | Love...thin the herd....also circle back / do a 2nd pass.ss |
| Anonymous user | sentimental memorabilia such as photos | As I got older because I ended up with more of it - now that I want to downsize I realize I saved far too many things | Deal with tasks, like dirty dishes, dirty and clean laundry, mail/paying bills immediately | |
| Anonymous user | My personal notes on everything - don't think I have ever gotten out of the habit of taking school notes or notes for that first boss who would call me in and ask questions and would dismiss me at the first question I couldn't answer. I still get slightly miffed when other people show up to meetings or discussions without pencil and paper. Anyway, I have piles of scraps of paper with notes about everything I do. The scraps are everywhere - to the right of the computer, to the left of the computer, in my purse, o my bedside table, in books as temporary bookmarks that have good quotes from that book or just a reminder about something that distracted me while reading that book. This is a life-long situation. The proof? Shoe boxes of scraps of paper being removed from the attic so the house can be re-roofed - and yes, some of these boxes came from before the move-in 35 years ago. Wanna see scraps of notes from 6th grade? | My clutter started to become a problem when I started to have school projects like term papers or had to study for tests (6th grade?). | I have not had much success with trying to keep just one notebook for notes. It seemed doable when someone suggested keeping an index of topics on the first couple of pages and making new entries on the page for that topic. (LOL, I keep losing the notebook in a pile of paper notes!) | |
| C | Papers of all kinds, discarded clothes, shoes at entrance | When too many things/ events in my life required more attention plus my mobility decreased. | Re cultivate the habit of a quick 10 minute tidy before going to bed. | Don't leave a room empty-handed |
| Charlotte | Stuff on coffee table | N/A | When I feel the need to wash my hands, I wash a dish, and voila! Clean hands too! I usually end up washing more than one anyway, and it saves on the cost of fancy soap! | Thin the herd |
| Anonymous user | Paper mail, receipts | My paper mail clutter started to become a problem when anthrax was sent in mail and I was scared to touch and open my mail. | I will deal with the mail as soon as I get home or when I'm able to so it doesn't pile up. I will regularly thin the herd of receipts. (I hope you don't mind that I use your fitting term, Gayle lol) | Lol surprise! I didn't know this was the next part of the survey. Thin the herd |
| Diana | Packaged food, sundries, fabric | My clutter started to become a problem the moment I had money to buy things, when I was a teenager | Stop buying in advance for maybe and stop buying multiple backups of things. | Thin the herd; I started using FORO for myself — fear of running out |
| Anonymous user | Shoes, mail, receipts for returns | Shared living | Shoe and toy pickups by grandkids | |
| Lisa Beth | mail, paper and flat surfaces | we had too many transitions in one year Mom in hospice, Dad in apartment, kids in college and starting out on their own, new hubby/collector | stop having dump zones, complete projects until they are cleaned up | the hula hoop method=look at areas the size of a hula hoop to tackle for a day, |
| Darby | Medical bills and papers, paper mail, daughter's arts and crafts. | My daughter became old enough to do arts and crafts, especially anything with scissors or stickers. | I would like for everyone in the house to put dirty dishes in the dishwasher, not just by the sink. | Put 'it' on the River of Stuff |
| Stephen-Charles | 😱 Oh no! Brace yourself for the impending clutter apocalypse in my house! The potential chaos culprits include 💰 cash and coins, 🛏️ bedding, 👕 clothes, 📝 papers, 📧 email, and the dreaded 🌪️ floor. 🥇 Yes, you heard it right, the floor takes the top spot in the fear-inducing clutter hierarchy. Prepare for a battle against the impending mess! | 🙈 The chaos in my life began to escalate when I found myself in a rush to leave the house, desperately searching for something. In my haste, I ended up yanking everything out, leaving a trail of clutter behind me as I dashed out the door. 🏃♀️🚪 It's like a whirlwind of disarray that follows me wherever I go! | 🌱 Picture this: a new habit or routine I'm eager to nurture is giving myself an extra hour on top of my usual departure time for any event. Why, you ask? 🤔 Well, this precious hour will grant me the serene opportunity to get ready at a leisurely pace and tranquilly put things back where they belong. 🧘♀️✨ No more frantic searches or haphazard messes, just a serene and organized start to my day! 🌞🌈 | 🧚♀️ Ah, the enchanting world of clutter fairies! ✨ Among their whimsical clutter-fairy-isms, my favorite would have to be the "Sparkling Serendipity." 🌟 This magical principle states that amidst the seemingly chaotic clutter, there lies hidden treasures and unexpected delights. 🎁✨ It's like stumbling upon a long-lost item or discovering a forgotten gem amidst the mess. Embracing the clutter fairy's Sparkling Serendipity brings a touch of wonder and excitement to the cluttered landscape! 🧚♀️🪄💫 |
| Bluejay | clothes and accessories (shoes, bags, etc) knitting and sewing related and other craft and diy supplies books make-up stationary home decor | …my best friend died + …I had my own first ever home alone + …closed an office space almost as big as my flat and all the stuff came into my home | keep maintaining the spaces I have cleared and conquered keep basic routines in place train myself to let go of items on a consistent basis so that eventually (I hope and pray) it gets easier | |
| Cathie | Non-perishable food. Craft & quilting materials when I pull them out to use,or to sort & organize. | Non-perishable food-- hen we moved to this house. It has a smaller pantry--a cupboard, actually. Craft/quilt stuff--turn of the century when I began a craft making/selling business, then had to abandon it for family reasons. | Food--make myself ignore sales. Craft/Quilt stuff--open up only that amount that I can put back after use or sorting. | My own, "Four books out & only one book in." (I have released 100's back into the "wild", with this method. |
| Lauren in FL | My and my husband's mealtime medications on the counter. We don't frequently need all of the ones that end up there, but it seems like if we store them elsewhere we totally forget that we need to consider them an option. | I became chronically ill and disabled as a teen while trying to hold down a part-time job and make it through college. I got married and moved across the country afterwards and we've moved 8 times in 10 years. My health got worse, and my husband became critically ill several years ago, so a lot of our life has been just caring for each other and trying to stay alive. We seem to be more stable right now and haven't moved for two years, so I would *LOVE* to have a clean home to welcome in the new friends we've made! But progress is slow as I look through the weird things that have ended up at this apartment, and I don't know how to choose an organizer or cleaner that I would trust to help me with these tasks. | I would like to build on the good habits I'm establishing by leaving some counters bare. This would be especially great in the kitchen where flat surfaces are very limited and homeless groceries and the utensil overflow languish. | Can't remember how you phrase it, but the place you live is the volume limitation of what you can own. Has helped as we never know what size of dwelling we'll go to next. |
| Becky | “Junk drawer” I declutter it on a regular basis and within weeks it doesn’t look like I touched it. It is things like tape, stamps, batteries, etc. the things you only need once in a while. | Inherited mom’s stuff. Was very good saying no to things, but not the pictures. Been working on them for years. Bless her heart she took lots and then got 2 copies of everyone. Nothing organized just boxes and drawers of them. | Stick to a shopping list. I do great at grocery store, but Target is a different story. I have been trying to limit trips, but who can go and just get a tube of toothpaste - lol | I don’t know what it is called, but handling the mail everyday as soon as I get it. |
| Anonymous user | Magazines. carrier bags and stationery. | Exactly that: "My clutter started to become a problem (overwhelming) when I inherited my mother's possessions". | When something is ready to go, I'd like to be able to remove/have it removed immediately. At present it has to go back in the boxes where they came from. So little space. Difficulty getting physical help when I need it. People can come and help next week/next month etc by which time I lose motivation/interest or changed my mind about letting go. | One in, one out. |
| Rowan | food dry goods (grains, lentils), spices | Being aware to be considerate of the person I am living with which means not leaving stuff around the common areas - disposing of packaging immediately, putting stuff away immediately. It only takes a minute, maybe three minutes if I am breaking down packaging and taking it out to the recycling. Even when I don't feel well, I have to remember that he has a right to a tidy home. And just because he doesn't complain doesn't make it ok to leave stuff around. | I think "thin the herd" and "representative sample" - it is a reminder that you don't have to get rid of all of it, just keeping a smaller amount (which will be the best of it) | |
| Cee | Paper mail | I bought a home | No mail allowed on table or other flat surfaces in living areas. Have box for items to shred and trash in can immediately. One designated area for mail. Must be sorted within couple days | When in doubt toss it out! |
| Intignia | My hobby things, husband's papers, kitchen table, and kitchen counters. | I married a packrat. | We've lived here five years and my husband still likes to hang his coat on the back of a kitchen chair and leave his shoes neatly by the door instead of putting coat and shoes, keys, etc into the coat closet six feet away. Grrr. | I like thin the herd. Been using it for donkey's years : ) Never heard of OHIO, but have heard of only handling an item once. |
| Lela | A to-do pile in my kitchen of paper mail, items to be returned to a person or store, things to be repaired, etc. | I had a child. | I would like to never have dirty dishes in the sink. I'm getting close though, since I was finally able to get some cats because I wash their food dishes three times per day. So dirty dishes are only in my sink a few hours at a time now & never build up extremely deep like they used to. | |
| Kathy | Hobbies, pins/brooches, entry of deceased. Husband's final spaces, extra kitchen stuff, hand me down clothes ... | Delayed addressing or failed to admit I didn't need to purchase another brooch or pin. Don't let passed-down item go even though there are reasons I don't care for it. | Strength to discern thru items and let some go weither container space favorites etc. | Good for you! Alway praise accomplishments |
| Sarah | Craft supplies, paperwork, reusable bags | My clutter was always a problem, it got worse gradually since having kids, but my ability ot tolerate it decreased when I was disabled by long COVID and was in my living space 24/7 | My main living spaces are pretty good most of the time. I need to work on using up the bathroom excess. e.g bath bombs, bubble baths ect. And my kids room also needs a decluttering habit. In both cases it is getting the kids in the habit or reducing clutter that is the challenge. | Put it away, don't just put it down. |
| Jetta | paper anything! | I'm on the go and not at home for the majority of the day. | I will deal with paper (file, shred, etc.) each day instead of letting it sit for days. | |
| judy | Christmas Ornaments | I buy Christmas ornaments for our business. | One in one out! | |
| sara | food in general | I was conceived? | I would like to cultivate the ability to "see" clutter. I don't have goat trails or anything similar but a pillow will fall to the floor I put something close to where it belongs to put away later and I just don't see it anymore. My clutter becomes landscape. | "ask before tossing" |
| Name (click to view full survey response and comments) | Name the collections or categories of stuff in your home that are typically most likely to become cluttered. | Complete the following statement: “My clutter started to become a problem when _____.” | Describe a habit or routine behavior that you would like to cultivate—or eliminate—to help get a better handle on household clutter. | Name your favorite Clutter Fairy-isms or decluttering and organizing mnemonic devices. |
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