I would love to say that I live in a clutter-less world, but I do not. I am guilty, like I am sure all of you are, of piling, hiding and boxing up junk I do not need. I do keep my clutter to a minimum though. You will not walk into my home and immediately trip over old newspapers, and if you opened my dresser drawers you would see neat piles coordinated by season, style, etc. But there are certain areas, my office for example, where piles of books are common place and the occassional piece of junk mail finds a home in the middle of my book shelf for no good reason.

Being that it is summer and having the windows open makes things feel more fresh and inviting, I have renewed my resolve to de-clutter whatever clutter is in my way.

It is no small task however. It requires throwing things away, donating, selling, and sometimes (gasp!) even returning. But the clutter must be defeated. If you let it get the better of you, it will slowly wear you down and begin to creep into other rooms and other areas of your life.

It has always been a little difficult for me to throw things away — things that are in perfectly good shape I mean. Things that have either worn out their welcome or have just become outdated. Somewhere in the back of my mind I worry that if I throw it out I will never be able to get another one, or that finally after years of having that random empty box in the closet I will suddenly need an empty box exactly that size. Oh the horror of throwing something away just to find that said object is the one thing you need!

Filing on the other hand is an easy one for me. I love to organize. Give me an empty file cabinet and a years worth of documents and get the flock out of my way! But putting things in the trash is difficult, which is why the clutter happens. But it is imperative to break the bad habits, mine = not throwing things way. The clutter must go!

Here is a short list to determine if you have a clutter problem:

1- do you have a room that you won’t let company go into because there is just too much crap in it?

2- do you have random piles of paper/mail/cards/etc that you cannot even identify and have not touched in a year but refuse to throw away?

3- do you trip over things that should not be there?

4- do your animals/children/friends have to bob and weave through your home to avoid hitting piles of random stuff?

5-if you have a pile of something that you cannot identify within 5 seconds, most likely it is junk!

So what to do? Well first you need a battle plan. Clutter can be overwhelming. Do not attempt to dismantle all the clutter at once. Start with a list. Is there one area/drawer/room in your home that needs to be de-cluttered? Which area is most important, or seen by guests most often? Start small and have a strategy. If you have a lot of old junk that is in decent shape you might be able to sell it at a garage sale or at least donate it. Is your clutter mostly paper products? Shred personal documents and recycle the rest. You can use the shreds to pack breakable objects that need to be mailed, or to make a bed for your pets.

Enlist some help. Maybe your friends would be willing to come over and help you clean out your closet. If your clutter is mostly old clothes, consider a clothing swap with friends. Encourage your friends to clean out their old clothes as well and then compare each others’ findings. What might seem like an ugly old college sweatshirt to you might be the perfect knock around/paint in it/use for camping sweatshirt to someone else. Also consider taking clothes that are in good condition to a consignment shop. The rules are different from shop to shop but it is a good way to make some extra cash off of your old clothes.

Whatever form clutter takes in your life, do your best to combate it. Removing clutter from your environment will do wonders for you. Not only will you have more space but you will find a new appreciation for the space that you do have.

Here are a few general tips for removing clutter.

Happy cleaning people!

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