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If you’ve ever watched an episode of “Hoarders: Buried Alive” on TLC, you may feel equal parts horrified and sympathetic. We all experience times when it seems like our accumulated clutter has gotten out of control. The internet is full of remedies for this, though some of these may seem a little too OCD if you don’t consider alphabetizing canned goods and labeling office supplies to be enjoyable past-times. This is a list of simple and sane habits you can establish to keep your home free and clear of clutter by staying ahead of it. If these recommendations don’t work, just watch about ten minutes of “Hoarders: Buried Alive” for motivation!
Always Keep a Donation Box
Don’t be caught spending an entire weekend (or longer) sorting old clothes and items from the attic while simultaneously tearing out your hair. This overhaul can be seriously overwhelming! Keep a “Goodwill” box around and when it is it full–take it away! When a shirt doesn’t fit you, put it in the box. If you get a new can opener, throw the old one in the box. Finished with that Twilight trilogy? Definitely put it in the box…
Put a Lid on It
Does the concept of a ‘junk drawer’ bother anyone else? Yet it seems that most homes have one in some form. Eliminate some of this ‘junk’ by relegating it to cute jars. Mason jars, jelly jars, and baby food jars all make more attractive ways to stash buttons, bobby pins, rolls of tape, sewing supplies, spare change…well, you get the idea. It’s also a heck of a lot easier to find that safety pin when you REALLY need it (sometimes you REALLY need a safety pin, right?).
Hey, You’ve Got to Hide your Stuff Away
Look around your living room and think “Do I really need this ___ to be here right now?” If you have 10 remote controls and only two of them work, it might be time to make a clean sweep. Fold blankets you are not using, recycle magazines you’ve already read (or donate them to your local library–you can start a box for that, too), and put away anything else you are not using.
For the bathroom, place a silverware organizer in a bathroom drawer. You can stash toothbrushes and other dental implements in the drawer instead of leaving them on the counter. You can try this same trick in your ‘junk drawer’, too! Also, does anyone else think magazines in the bathroom are kind of gross? There’s no need for an entire rack of choices in there!
Don’t Get Emotionally Attached
Have you ever felt sorry for an inanimate object that looked lonely on the sale rack all by itself or an ugly blanket that nobody wanted anymore? If so, you need to STOP RIGHT NOW! In reality, many people are guilty of this sentimentality, especially in the spirit of conservation–waste is not good, we all know that. Guess what? Neither is hoarding. There is a definite happy medium here. Maybe the best way to avoid either end of the spectrum is by taking a minimalist approach: only buy and use what you need. If you don’t need it, put it in the ‘donation box’ or leave it on the sale rack. If it takes more time and energy to fix than it is worth, it may be time to find a replacement or change your approach. For example: this shirt would be really cute if I lost 20 pounds…let’s live in the present and presently you do not fit in this shirt! Put it in the box and when you lose 20 pounds, you can celebrate with a new shirt. How ’bout that?
Make a Rule (or Several)
Another effective way to avoid stockpiling things you don’t need is to make some rules to periodically revisit. Look at the item in question. Has it been ____ (period of time) since you last used it? Do you have something similar that works better? Are you planning a far-fetched DIY project with this stuff? Have you completed said DIY project in ____ (period of time)? Do you really need to go shopping because you had a stressful week at work? What exactly are you looking for at this yard sale?
Try to assess your need of a certain item with an objective outlook. Don’t stress out about it–it’s just stuff. With a few changes in your perspective, you can stop the clutter before it even starts and reap the benefits of a minimalist lifestyle!
