Decorate with Intention: Clutter Clearing 101

midnite113 says:

These are great suggestions. However, It never fails that once I take a break, I don't get back to it 'til months later. Mainly because I can't find another space to put anything I wanted to keep that I removed from somewhere else. I simply have no closets, no draws, no space to store anything. I'm working with less than 1000 s.f., for a 3 bdrm, 1 bath house. No dining room & a tiny kitchen.
Have an attic that has enough junk in it, from combining 2 households. Have a basement, but that's a hopeless case. It's full of out of season clothing, sentimental stuff (not mine so much) tools, crap & more crap. Still no closets & no shelves that can be hidden.

orlili says:

Very aesthetic, however, the best and hardest decluttering is not accumulating.

JAN MOYER says:

Oh agreed! I would simply add that the habit of "it's in my hand, it has a place, I shall put it there" is gone from so many homes. As a designer, these are the biggest bugaboos I see, and the fix:
Paper and mail: Handle it today. Do NOT bring in catalogues and fliers and advertising. Put it in recycle at the door. Pay bills that day. There will likely not be more than two, and it will take four minutes at most. File or act on what must be saved, make a pending folder and that is it. It is the single best time and sanity saver.
Laundry: A biggie! Limit the towels!!! No more that two per person per week. Hang clothes unless actually dirty. Ninety percent of wash overload comes from kids and their perpetual laziness. So much on the floor, nobody knows clean from dirty.Back in the wash it goes!!! Many parents unfortunately fall in the same category in THEIR rooms and closets. Laundry is finished when it is dry,folded, hung, and PUT AWAY.
The kitchen: CLEAN AS YOU GO. It either goes in the dishwasher, or it needs a hand wash. When the dishwasher is done....EMPTY it. Ideally it runs after dinner, and gets emptied first thing in the am. Floating pancakes in the sink....? Not.
Clothes: You wear twenty percent of what you own. The same applies to your kids. Homes get overloaded with clothes when you buy mindlessly, and never purge. This becomes a cycle that affects LAUNDRY. Do not own more than you can manage successfully.
Coats and shoes: In a word, ridiculous. Never have so many lurked in the back hall. RIDICULOUS. You know what to do. ps.... STORE OUT OF SEASON ELSEWHERE. If it is outgrown... donate. If new comes in, old goes out.
Kid treasure/art: Yes your kid is special...for a day. Prune, crate the special, and toss the rest. He's not that special that your kitchen is his perpetual gallery.
My personal peeve: A birthday is special for three days and not a day longer. A month long parade of cards, bags, tissue and ribbon is... ridiculous, annoying, and a mess.

Jessie Chapman says:

Jan Moyer's comment above is brilliant. Write an article, please! When I work with clients on kitchens, I always address the flow of mail (AT the front door, ideally.) If it comes into the kitchen, it can turn into unsightly tumbleweeds in no time!
Your thoughts on laundry are priceless, too. Thank you.

JAN MOYER says:

Well Jessie, it seems we are of similar mind! I actually am near losing mine. I tell clients obsessed with the detail of a faucet, a pillow, a chunk of stone, THEIR MUD CUBBIES ALA POTTERY BARN THAT STILL WILL NOT FUNCTION BECAUSE THEY HAVE FOUR HUNDRED PAIR OF SHOES.........."HOW ABOUT WE CLEAN THAT GARAGE THAT IS RUINING YOUR KITCHEN FLOOR????" Never in my life have I seen so many wonderful homes "live" in a manner of "abject poverty". Never have so many had so much...and so very little. Frankly, most I see need a personal slave to follow behind, and more laughable is that these are the same folks who can find the microscopic hair my painter left trapped in a baseboard....shoot me. I am going to write a book and get seriously rich, as soon as I stop cleaning up after clients. Yeah, I have even done a few garages...once called a flatbed to haul it away. Have a great day!

whoo says:

Many people use their dishwashers to store dirty dishes until it is time to do a load. But some people choose to not have a dishwasher. When we bought our home, we chose to take the dishwasher out. If you are one of the families that prefer to hand wash (for whatever reason) A wonderful suggestion from Flylady.com is to put an empty dishpan under the sink and dirty dishes are placed there until you have enough to fill the sink. This keeps the counters and sinks presentable and makes doing the dishes a snap. Just fill your clean, shiny sink with hot, soapy water and put your dish pan of dirty dishes on the counter beside the sink. Last thing washed is the dishpan so it never gets nasty. We have found this tip so helpful. I was battling with my 16 year old step daughter to wash her dishes as she dirtied them so the counters and sink weren't always heaped with a mess. She simply couldn't manage that oh-so-difficult task (remember being 16?) but she usually can remember to put them under the counter : )

cosmicgirl22 says:

My roving eyes scan my house weekly looking for items to recycle, pack away, donate or trash. This has almost become a favorite hobby (de-cluttering) of mine. I grew up with quantity over quality, but to me less is definitely more. It looks easier than it is though. Sometimes we don't realize how much stuff we are bringing into our homes. Too much of it weighs us down. The kids grow out of things quickly. The seasons change and you don't need the bathing suits out in January. You have to stay on top of things.
If you don't have a system set up, you will end up with too much clutter. Always have a donation bag sitting out and make a point to fill it with things that have no use to you, as they may to someone else.

JAN MOYER says:

Dear Whoo,
Why on earth would ANYONE put dirty dishes in a tub under the sink? You don't even NEED to FILL the sink! Just wash the darn things in some hot soapy water, rinse and dry them and put away!!!!! We waste more time and energy trying to make a simple task SIMPLE. That is the key word. Don't make it hard when it isn't. Just do it and get on. Simply take the two minutes required to clean up the mess. Finish that task, unless the house is on fire, or someone is having a heart attack. Jeepers!

susanbf714 says:

Sorry Jan...I'm going to blow you out of the water. Being a vivid artist, I actually see some clutter as art....it's the type of clutter it is. If you see the studios of most "famous" artists, the first thing you will notice is all the clutter in their studies and art rooms. Even Eric Carle used all those left over ....what was mentioned in the article about birthday presents,boxes, tissue paper.....he used the left over tissue to create the now famous "Very Hungry Caterpillar." Have you ever seen pictures of Picasso's art studio? It was a natural collage of clutter. So I think it comes down to what clutter is in the eye of the beholder. I have over 100 coke bottle caps....and I use them in both my art collages and jewelry. And what about catalogs? They make great art collages...and it's cheap. Now don't get me wrong, i am a vivid organizer...if I wasn't, I would never find anything! My motto is "repurpose".....I do tend to "hang" on to things before throwing away, but I have also found myself using it eventually...even if it has been stored for ten years in a old bucket! And what about clothes....I catch myself hanging on to sweaters that have unravel or have holes...in a storage box...in the back of a closet. Well thanks to Martha Stewart, they were all turned into infinity (circle) scarves I used as Christmas presents. Don't get me started on old jeans!

pauli12 says:

Jan, I wash as I go too. I don't have a dishwasher, microwave or garbage disposal. Didn't want them. I love simple and I want to read that book you will write. You are priceless.
Please write that book.... I love hearing how the people worry over a hair in the paint but won't even pick up after themselves.

susanbf714 says:

Oh yeah...one more thing...just to give you an idea how my mind works.....I had my deceased father's roll top desk in my studio...and it eventually fell apart...but some of the deep drawers were salvageable. I bought pantry shelving, placed the drawers on the shelves...and use them to hold scraps of fabric and canvas. That way I have "repurposed" and still have something that belonged to my father.

2011mine says:

Backwards Buying:
A. You identify what it is you plan to buy (items,food,etc)
B. Select the location for this item to be stored.
C. Prepare that space (means check the fridge/countertop/floorspace and evaluate/act to insure the item(s) can actually be placed there. AKA: decluttering
D. Immediately upon arrival home put the item(s) away. Do not drop and run off.
These actions not only insure uncluttering but I have found items (food/stuff) that I was about to purchase again.

Laurie Bird in Hand VTG says:

Love this post - some great reminders. Great comments too!

vhershfield says:

I work on organizing and decluttering ever winter. I just told a friend who is overwhelmed by the prospect of getting rid of stuff. Start with 1 shelf in your kitchen. If you can continue that you will have your kitchen done. It makes me feel very good getting rid of stuff. I do follow the rule bring in something new get rid of something.

92viadi says:

Recently moved to a small apartment while our home was being remodeled. We've discovered the joy of less -- less stuff because there's less room, less cleaning, less time spent attending to the house and less stress because of that. We had many months to prepare for our move and I adopted my own meditation and mnemonic for deciding how to handle items to be "cleaned out" or kept. I refer to it as FASE-out (as in "phase out"):

First I have to get myself in the right mental state, and sitting with a cup of tea is a good start to make clear my intention. I really appreciate your suggestions for this, Laura. And then, as I consider each object, I ask myself:

Is it Functional - the "F"? i.e., do we need it for daily living? Think furnishing, dishes, cooking tools, laundry, etc. provided they are frequently used.

Is it Aesthetic - the "A"? Does it bring joy, serenity, comfort, amusement into our lives by its presence in our living space? Think artwork and objets d'art, music, plants, flowers, decorative objects you genuinely feel good about.

Is it Sentimental -- the "S"? Do you have such a strong attachment to the object that removing it from your home just feels wrong and is if you are taking away important elements of who you are? This is, for me, the hardest. Often, it's just a matter of time and items I couldn't part with five years ago I find I'm ready to part with now. This includes clothing I'll never wear again (but which I wore on a special occasion), photos stored in boxes which never see the light of day, term papers from college that I worked so hard on . . .

Is it Essential - the "E"? Is it an item you need to keep even though it's not used in daily living? Think emergency equipment such as the "earthquake kit" we're all supposed to keep stocked in our homes and cars.

If the answer to each of these questions is "no", then the item moves out and is donated or discarded.

When I ask myself each of these questions about an object, I find it easier to reduce my reluctance to part with it and come to terms with that reason. It definitely helps to have a partner in this process!

dancingdeer says:

"When in doubt, throw it out"!

That's my motto. I live minimally - I have what I need, but not tons of stuff gathering dust. When I buy something new, I get rid of something old - either passing it on to a friend, or donating it. Life is so much easier when you are not consumed with "stuff".

Marina Klima Goldberg, allied ASID, CAPS says:

GREAT WEBSITE: ORGANIZE.COM

rdonal says:

These posts prove several things:
1) We are truly a nation (world?) of over-indulgence. More is not always better.
2) Organization is a beautiful thing....if your mind works best that way. Mine tries.
3) Reality based living has a beginning, middle and an end.
a) In the beginning, we should be taught about the importance of understanding order vs. organized clutter. Then we can learn to identify, embrace and implement 'Needs' vs. 'Wants'.
b) In the middle, we should learn to be wise about exercising our 'wants' so that they fit into our 'needs' thus allowing our personalities (wants) to shine in our surroundings without taking over sensibility.(needs)
c) We learn to balance Purpose with whimsy, we learn to become Actively aware of our surroundings, we strive to Live with meaning so we can Sincerely appreciate the lives we create for ourselves. We become PALS with our family, our homes and our universe.
4) We learn from these posts that not everyone finds comfort in strict order and organization. Kinda like food...some run for chocolate chip cookies and some want Mom's mac'n cheese when they want to feel comforted. The same goes for our intimate surroundings. In some families, comfort means too many pillows on the sofa, a messy mud room, a dog bowl on the kitchen floor and coats overflowing at the back door. Not everyone fits into that box labeled "Organized" tho many can appreciate being taught how to manage their comfortable chaos.
5) To Thine Own Self Be True! Strive to improve your day-to-day living but remember to stop beating yourself up for not fitting into the world of photo-shoot-ready houses. Live within your means, live with integrity and intention and try to put the dishes in the sink/dishwasher and the laundry in drawers. If that doesn't work, let someone help you devise a plan that your family and you can reasonably adhere to....maybe it's okay to keep that dishpan under the sink....and maybe it's okay to keep clean clothes in a basket in each room, shoes in another. We have to make room for each of us to live in a comfortable space where we canbe who we are co-operatively and say...."I'm home. Life Is Good."....in whatever manner suits our individual needs, wants,lives and limitations.
I used to try to be picture perfect.
I stopped beating myself up for not being someone I can't be.
I'm really okay.
I embrace the fact that my life is always a work in progress.
I'll bet yours is too.
Life is a Bowl of Cherries! Live well.

rgillenwater says:

Jan: Are you sure you're not my sister? I believe clutter keeps us stressed and anxious. There is a place for everything in my house and everything should be in its place. If there's no place for it, we don't need it. Ah .... how relaxing! I hope you get started on that book SOON.

joshdirkson says:

Jan, your first and second comments are hilariously SPOT ON. I want to turn them into desktop backgrounds and sneakily put them on my fiance's computer so she gets the hint. She IS totally that person who can find the hair but leave a maze of junk all over the house.

Jan I love your ideology. This article (and comments) was awesome!

irenekapp5 says:

No offense, but I'm betting Jan Moyer has never lived with boys ages 15, 17, 19, 21 and 27 (ok man). When they were little, no problem getting the to put laundry away, clean their rooms, etc. They loved to please. Now??? Storing dirty dishes under the sink sounds like the best idea sinced sliced bread. Also...dealing with the laundry laying on the floor by the washing machine...that they USED to wash faithfully? I now load it in baskets and transport to the side of the basement with the work bench and pool table. Voila. I walk down to a an orderly, and empty laundry area to do towels. Life...at least for me, is much less stressful now. Off to put a bin under the kitchen sink. (only kidding..not there yet, but soon.)

rdonal says:

@irenekapp5 Irene....you made my day! You illustrate my point so clearly. We all have our own levels of order and tolerance to chaos. The answer isn't to demand that there is a place for everything and everything in it's place but instead to find a solution that works for everyone within our own time, space and tolerances.

I agree we function better with organization and that stress becomes less....but we can achieve that without such strict rules for order. Those rules sometimes = stress in and of themselves if they are too difficult for everyone to maintain.

Here's to allowing the "rules" to bend as life flows. Thanks Irene!

gsfg says:

the bookshelves with rolling ladder, i assume that is a custom built in. However, know what they say about "assume" I just want to double check that i can't find that somewhere for sale.
thanks

Whitney Figen says:

My husband does the "in-between" clothes thing: the items are worn once, and are therefore not spotlessly clean, so (per his logic) they don't belong in the closet with the fresh out of the laundry clothes and end up in a pile on the floor with the "can be worn again" clothes - but not in the hamper because they aren't truly soiled yet. I want to see an idea book showing how to incorporate bins of some sort into a bedroom where those "in-between" clothes can be thrown. I know I will never get him to hang them up or put them into drawers.

littlef says:

In my studio I keep a little chalkboard with the Quaker saying, "Make it do, wear it out, use it up, or do without." Words to live by!

Sheila Schmitz says:

@gsfg, you can find some shelves with rolling library ladders in the Products section here: http://www.houzz.com/photos/products/library-ladder

tallcloverfarm says:

I'm teetering on the precipice of no return, that is in the messy house department. Perhaps I start with step one and move slowly to the next step. Miracles do happen. ;-)

furpants says:

Love this post, and the comments are interesting. Anything that is not necessary becomes a burden. And it is about time we became conscious of the toll in using up resources (raw materials, energy to produce and transport, damage to our environment, and inhumane work environments) that goes into every little thing that is manufactured. Enjoy what you need but be aware that your purchases are affecting the whole.

For kids, the system of put it away or it gets taken away seems to work pretty well. 99% of kids will do what they are required to do (and not an ounce more). Parents aren't doing them any favors by not teaching them how to clean and organize in an age appropriate way.

JAN MOYER says:

This has been a ton of fun and the brutal truth of all housing, no matter how small or grand, is this: It isn't a "once and done" thing. No more than you would wash your body once, brush your teeth once, or even cut your lawn ONCE. Your home mimics the necessary cycles of life. Eating, bathing, sleeping, entertainment, social interaction. Every move you make, every time you partake in a function pertaining to your life and survival.. you make a little mess!! You can't stop that cycle of mess it up, clean it up until you die. There it is boys and girls.. the BRUTAL TRUTH. And it beats the daylights out of dead, no matter how much "work" you think it is. It's as old as time btw.

Christine says:

I just had California Closets redo my closet and when they did I took a few days to de-clutter. I made 3 piles - keep, goodwill, think on it. The think on it turned out to be only 1 large box and if I don't go in to in in one year it will go to the curb.

dbartley says:

I agree with irenekapp5's kids comment - I am an insanely organized person (just ask my poor husband), but having a 1 year old has made organization take a back seat during the day to actually living. Every night, after the kiddo is in bed and we have had 5 seconds to take a breath, we do a pass through the house and set things in order for the next day. Though I do completely agree with the concepts of minimizing stuff / and having a place for everything - I think our lack of stuff and inherent order is the only reason we can actually get things straightened up every day instead of just giving up!

Elena Vega says:

This is great! It also helps to have one hidden area where clutter is allowed, so it's easier to stick with keeping other areas neat. I have a friend who simply cannot be trained to toss junk mail right away, so I left a big drawer empty to throw it in. When it's full, he has to sort it.

Laura Gaskill says:

Wow, thanks for chiming in with so many truly passionate and helpful comments, everyone!

I know that each of us has our own threshold for clutter, and I think it is important to recognize and make peace with whatever that is for you - and sometimes it is a compromise! I know for some artists and collectors, it is really important and even inspiring to have lots of "stuff" around, while for others (like, ahem, me) we feel a bit claustrophobic or stressed if our environment is too overrun with belongings.

And having children definitely throws a wrench in even the most organized person's life - I know, I have a wonderfully active little boy at home!

Ann Allen says:

Great article; great comments! Whitney F, I feel your pain. I have that same problem of "in-between" clothes on the floor. Thankfully the pajamas can go under his pillow, but I don't think my bed could hold enough throw pillows to hide all the other stuff. And how does putting it on the floor keep it clean enough for another wear? It's hard to keep the floor vacuumed with the piles of clothes all over... *sigh*

rdonal says:

Elena: Strive to be neat and if things get a bit messy, or there's that space that is just a holding spot, you'll work something out when you must. Relax!!

Today I take a relaxed approach to my living space but for 35 years I took great pride in being an immaculate housekeeper. Things were in place and everything had a place.

My son has always been a neat-freak. Not because of me, he just is. He's now 36 and is profoundly organized in his apartment and with his business. He keeps fastidious records and loves fine clothes. It's his nature. As a kid, he never had to be told to clean his room and on a rainy day he loved to re-organize his closet. He even folded his dirty laundry and put it at the end of the bed for laundry day. (yes...roll your eyes) Today he would probably be called something more than a type A personality but he's really pretty normal, as it were. He's an artist. (I couldn't make this up, folks!)

My daughter....was the complete opposite. Her room was a war zone. Clothes covered the floor. Nothing got put away. Rarely did her bed get made. My mother, who was a meticulous housekeeper, was appalled, knowing how I kept the rest of the house. But somewhere along the way, I realized we were a "family". Put a group of people together, related or not and everyone will have different levels of "order" and chaos. If I dusted my son's desk he knew it because something may have been slightly moved. However, if I tried to impose my idea of housekeeping on my daughters' room we were in a useless battle.

That's when I realized.....her room was her only little piece of the world. The one place where she could be herself, and had full sway. That's why she had a door that we closed! That was the compromise.

Our home had furniture from fine stores. I was traditional. When my daughter was 16, she wanted to change her very girly room so we talked about it (okay...argued a bit) We eventually agreed that she could graffiti her walls. Now, that doesn't mean I fully capitulated and gave her free license....no. We talked about it and the agreement was she and her friends could express themselves as long as they didn't write anything that would offend parents and grandparents who bunked in that room when they came to visit. And the kids respected the rule. Just like there are boundaries in life, there were boundaries in her self-expression. It was a win/win.

Today she is 33, a wife and a highly successful business owner who makes couture wedding gowns. (creative, see!) She keeps her home well furnished and her clothes are hung up in the closet. She has rules and order and yet mail is deposited on the dining room table till the weekend and sometimes she forgets to use the sticky roller on the chair the cat sleeps in even tho she is particular. Her husband helps and together they run a tidy, organized home. She still does things her way and it's not perfect....and that's okay.

I think we need to remember to make room for some chaos or clutter in small measure. It leads us to remember that life isn't perfect but we can keep trying to improve. Tho I applaud the folks who bring order to our lives and help us to stay grounded by educating us how to simplify our day-to-day so we can function better, there seems to be so much emphasis put on being organized. It's like a crusade! It's written about in books, in magazines, there are stores selling just 'containers', tv shows about it and lots of people saying we need to be neat for sanity's sake. I say, there is merit in that but first we have to learn to stop consuming in excess. There are so many big stresses in life that my feeling is to simplify first....strive for order next. Why can't we go home at the end of a day, throw our pants over the chair in the bedroom and deposit our shoes at the end of the bed? It's supposed to be the one place where we can take refuge, kick back, be loose....of course within reason.

rdonal says:

(My last thought: I promise!)

I for one, don't want to be reminding others to toe the line while I'm chasing organized perfection 24/7. I'll take a little disorganization over ulcers any day!

Honestly, some of us are just the square pegs that won't fit into the round hole till time wears our corners down a bit.

I think there is so much to be gained when we agree to a win/win and sometimes that means to allow for differences....like the In-Between Husband.....Felix and Oscar. Does anyone see my point or am I out in the cold here? Hoping for peace and tranquility, a little order and a lot of self-awareness or forgiveness. Here's to making our homes function well and orderly......eventually!

jen_s says:

Whitney F ~ we grew up with clothes trees for the "in between" clothes. The clothes were tossed on the hooks &the closet & floor stayed clean. Tidy but lived in look. I wish I had some pictures. My great grandfather made them out of small trees. He built a four legged base and attached the trunk to the base. Then he cut the branches down to short stubs to use as the hooks. All the bark was removed and then varnished. Very rustic and lovely.

iseult says:

Loved the article, loved the comments. Thank you!

Jennifer Johnson says:

Great article and comments! Whitney, if you can somehow put pegboards on the wall, that is a great place to "temporarily" hang clothes. But after 3 days it needs to go in the wash or be put away. I use pegboards in the bathrooms too, so my kids can hang up their towels much more easily.

midmodfan says:

Our house (two adults, no kids, one cat) is neat and organized, but the best thing to get rid of any remaining clutter is MOVING to a smaller place. I love it. :)

jacquelinetee says:

First off,this was a great article and enjoyed it all. The comments too........except the sharp cutoff to whoo's suggestion of the under the sink pan. I have found this very practicle for rinsed dishes before doing the sink full of hot soapy water. I have a deep drawer to the left of my sink.Being one of many people in my household I can make everyone responsible to pickup,rinse and put in drawer until I am ready to do.I then save the clutter on my counters,which are small.I always laugh and say this drawer was cheaper than a dishwasher !!!!

cestode says:

@midnite113. i live in a rental with very little built-in storage space. i have 5 kids. i use multi-functional furniture: a couch with a drawer underneath; underbeds for the kids to sleep in; under-bed storage for linens; under-shelf wire baskets for a few magazines that are currently being read; a sleek bench with storage and a cushion on top to seat 3 people- the cusion can be removed to use it as a tv bench. i lean a small ladder against a wall to hang the kids clothes tidily. i NEVER keep what i don't need or haven't needed for >2 years, even if it's a new gift from someone close. i aggressively donate to charity, never keep newspapers or magazines stacked, and never bring in what i might want but don't need or cannot store. my husband has stackloads or paper from work, which i usually put away in shopping bags until he's ready to sort a few out after 2-3 months. i've gotten rid of perfectly usable but excess towels and bedlinen and use any number of baskets and bins to hold throws, toys, laundry, school books under the beds or in plain view but reasonably nicely displayed.

Emily Hurley says:

Clutter is an ever present battle. LOVE the tips. I feel like I have some new weapons to use in this war. :)

gknee says:

I hate clutter. I want a zen life.

astor818 says:

The number of comments is validating as I am a freak about clutter. My 8 year old son understands where toys belong, where to put his dirty clothes, and where to put away his books. He also likes to help clean.
My husband on the other hand has a pile of stuff on all three floors of our home, and in more than one place! It makes me mental. I've warned him that if he doesn't take care of his "papers" I am going to hire someone to kidnap them and he will have to pay a large ransom to get them back.

Caroline Wickham says:

~ wow! Great insight - Bravo Laura Gaskill
...this topic has garnered lots of comments. I have read Karen Kingston's book, "Clear Your Clutter with Feng Shui" as well as others, + even took a workshop on the topic...but, i have never heard it tackled with such honesty and poignancy. Think I will tackle mine with a beautiful brush!

Renee says:

OMG I never realised my clutter problem and my procrastination problem were the SAME problem! Thanks for opening my eyes..

maryphil says:

Great article. It really sparked conversation as seen by all the comments. I have to keep everything organized, otherwise I can't effectively function. My suggestion for those in between or clothes that can be worn again. Hang them inside out on a hanger for another wearing. I also try to hang
everything, including t shirts. I can see everything at a glance. I store my shoes in those clear salad,mixed greens containers. They work great and you are repurposing.

themagnoliatree says:

@ Jan Moyer let me know when the book comes out, I'll be purchasing a copy too

kadikene says:

For those in-between clothes: use a ladder or chair. Ladder is better, cause he can see the clothes and actually wears them twice. My Man have same problem and usually those clothes ment to be worn once again wouldnt, and if he is in need of a pair of jeans he take them from closet.

Pam D. says:

I can appreciate all these comments, but mostly rdonal's. Here's why. While I oh, so hate clutter...I have learned to accept a little. For a long time, I have felt like a failure because I couldn't keep my house looking perfect. Just as soon as I would scrub the toilet and shine the kitchen table, someone would throw their coats and books on the table and of course, someone had to poop 5 minutes after I cleaned it. So, there you go.

I had a friend (key word, "had") once whose house never even look lived in. She trained her kids to deposit their coats and bookbags in the coat closet when they walked in from school. They made their beds before school and ate dinner at the same time every single night. Boy, I envied her "togetherness" for the longest time...and every time I would leave her house, I would feel like...now why can't I do that? Then one day, it dawned on me that this particular person didn't have many of my good qualities so I started giving myself a pass on not being as together as she.

My point? well, we are all different and while we all strive to be that perfect person we would like to be, if we admit it, we might be trying to be perfect for someone or something else and that is not living.

So, I clean today and dust and clear my kitchen counters and light a candle and sit back and enjoy it for a whopping two hours before the kids come home. At least I had my two hours...not perfect always, just sometimes. That really has to be good enough, at least for me. I mean life is about compromising, really.

sdal68 says:

In the photo with the chair in the geometric print there is a print on the wall with ribbons and such......is that something that can be purchased? If so, where would I find it.

Laura Gaskill says:

@ sdal68 - The artwork in the photo is "Cakes" painted by California artist Wayne Thiebaud in 1963. The original is housed in the National Gallery of Art (see more info here: http://www.nga.gov/fcgi-bin/tinfo_f?object=72040), so I can only assume this is a poster mounted on wood or stretched on canvas, or a reproduction of some sort. Hope that helps!

nanaanne says:

What a wonderful article Laura. You offered helpful suggestions in a gentle manner. And I learned so much from the people who commented. I was reminded of an Italian book I read years ago that gave the basis for various feng shui principles. The bottom line was that feng shui principles, like keeping down clutter and having clocks that work, are meant to make our life easier. I think "making life easier" is an individual matter, and our solutions will change as we go through the different stages of our lives.

Tszuji - Storage for Life says:

Hello midnite113. I can empathise with you. Fortunately there are some very innovative storage ideas out there - think under bed and over door. These two areas are often under-utilised and can provide excellent storage for shoes, clothes, seasonal bedding and more.

Items like over door shoe racks and handbag racks, under bed shoe bags or vacuum storage bags not only help utilise these normally wasted areas but also keep your floors free from clutter.

Lesley Hartwell says:

Jan Moyer - Please write the book, I will buy it for entertainment alone and HGTV probably need to speak to you, it would be a fabulous show

ranjana roy says:

great suggestion :)

Van Wicklen Design says:

thanks for the mention!

fashionitsa says:

Off to do the dishes! You are all very inspiring!

Lisa Ward says:

I recently downsized from 2,700sq ft 4bed 31/2 bath to 12480 2bed 2bed;creating the guest room office is taking too long

JAN MOYER says:

In the end, life is nothing but choices. You choose the amount of stuff you buy. You choose how you would like to store that stuff. You choose how much/little to demand from yourself or your family. The neatniks think the slobs are crazy and vice versa. But life in our homes, despite their growing size, has taken on a truly reduced pleasure. It is not pleasant to enter some of these places. More toil goes into pushing junk out of the way, than would ever go into actually finding a place for it, or simply tossing it. I don't know when we got the idea that more is better. It simply is not. Have less stuff, and have better stuff. Clean it as you use it. Get a system, set a standard, and don't go below that standard unless someone dies or gets carted away in an ambulance. Zen your house and your mind, because the endless buying, discount shopping, "more is better" concept is depressing, and makes your home same. Nobody remembers what you or your kids were wearing last week, they are focused on themselves.
There has never been a moment in history when keeping house was easier. We have micro cloths, we have Swiffers, we have every kind of product, and aid, and appliance known to mankind. But the human body is no different than it was, there are still only 365 days in a year, and 24 hours in a day. The whole point of reducing junk, limiting the huge and accumulated messes... is to enjoy more of those 24 hours. It is either trash or treasure. It serves a function, or does not. It is clean, or it is dirty. It has a place, or needs a place to go. If you used it, put it back.... and on and on. In the end, no bins, or baskets, or vacuums will help unless you use them. It is appalling that little kids will choose a cardboard box in the yard, over all the plastic junk in the universe!!? That you wear 20% of your clothes 80% of the time? That a neatly made bed looks dreamier than one the dogs are still sleeping in? That your shiny under mounted sink looks nicer in its granite home when NOT filled with dishes? That Christmas will be no merrier for all the crates of "faux" junk in the basement, and your home no more magical in the season? That Halloween is a ONE DAY event? The whole darn thing is nothing but choice. Not some magical place you get to by accident.....or bins... or shelving.
I wish you the scent of freshly folded laundry, crisp sheets, fresh flowers, the sparkle of glass, the gleam on a table, and room to hang and store your needs in this life. Not a speck less! Or more.

rdonal says:

Bravo, Laura. This article made all of us think....and many of us act.
Our homes don't only reflect the way we live or consume or treat the art of simplification/organization but they are also the mirror of time. Our homes and attitudes towards them change as our lives move on.
Thanks for such a wonderful (and helpful) well-written article. Best to you!