I blame Houzz for the piles in my houzz. :)

Clutter seriously depresses me. Out with the old, in with the new.

Oh I agree, advira. I get overwhelmed. It's pretty bad when my beautiful pottery barn desks and organizers are disastrous. NEVER TRUST THOSE PICTURES! IT'S A TRICK!!! (I fall for it a lot ; P )

I live alone so have nobody to keep me in line. I excavate the kitchen table or my desk every so often but it's remarkable how quickly the "stuff" piles up again.

I am a very tidy, clutter free person. I have 4 big dogs and I have to admit since having so many animals I'm cleaner then ever. I pay bills as soon as I get them and throw out junk mail immediately. I don't buy magazines because it's clutter, I look at them at the library for free. I put dishes in dishwasher every time I dirty one, so they don't pile up. I keep my closets immaculate so I don't have to struggle to find clothes. I do vacuum and clean hardwoods every single day and dust every 3 days. Before I had dogs I was more lax with chores but I love when I have people over and they tell me they would never believe I had so many critters if they didn't see them with their own eyes. It's really easy to stay on top of it and do a little every day. My home is my sanctuary and I feel relaxed and happy when I'm in it.

Oh and with the exception of a candle or vase with fresh flowers I have nothing on my counters or kitchen table.

Right off the bat, I like you. You have big dogs so you can't be all bad!!! LOL! I don't think I'll be inviting you over anytime soon, however. My OCD detector just went off with readings greater than 10! And my embarrassment level soared to new heights as I sit here all by myself and I'm still getting all covered up in guilt. Your dogs are gorgeous HUNKS. I notice they are laying right in the path like mine do so I have to step over them. Well, I don't HAVE to, I could tell them to move but..gosh, no! Oh Heaven's no! That's alright , dudes, I can still stretch step over you with my arms full of dirty laundry, no worries! (They lay in the doorways and pathways because of the lower, colder air as it has more movement and speed through tighter spaces). What REALLY GETS MY GOAT is when I've already bothered to almost bust my fanny getting past them when then they decide to get up. OOOOOH, I could squeeze them and squeeze them. Those big ones are my kind of dog. Wrap my arms around them and hug! Their heads come to my hip and I can pet them and kiss 'em without stooping over all the time. You seem like a super good Mom with a big heart for taking on four. I only have two now.

Decluttering is easy .......................... RENOVATE................. then it all just has to go, there are no options if you need to keep living while the work goes on. When I had to live out of a suitcase for nearly 6 months, it was amazing the clothes, shoes, jewellery and cosmetics I didn't need and out they went and I didn't have to unpack and find new homes for half the things I had when the work was done.

The lesson I learned from this is next time a room needs a clean out, remove everything bar the basic furniture from the room and spread it over another room - preferably one where it will be annoying and totally in the way. Clean the original room and then bring everything back one piece at a time, ensuring it is absolutely necessary and place neatly and tidily into proper permanent storage.

The only downside is finding just the right storage for many things - that is still a work in progress.

We are in the process of moving things to our cabin. Everything is in total disarray. I can barely walk through my office. I told a friend today that it would be easier to just burn the house than to clean it. I know that I need to do some downsizing - but not yet. I am going to take all the things I truly love to the cabin - which probably means that we will need to add another room! And, to top off my clutter - I have added all my mothers stuff. She moved to a nursing home recently. So I have all her papers, documents, and letters to go through. Top that with some of her furniture and you will see a very, very, messy, disorganized house. I am so ashamed of my home at this time. And, I won't be able to make things better for at least another month. I just pray that no one decides to visit!

Chin up, Margaretk! Just tell everyone your household is "in flux" and realize that life is a process. Don't be embarrassed! We've all been there, or will be...

My biggest clutter problem is my computer room. There isn't enough storage in the WORLD to organize this mess -- so I've just given up. It's papers. How do we accumulate so much of the stuff? Being a writer makes it worse! I envy those photos of neat little desks with just a computer -- NOT happening!

We recently decided to paint the entire interior of our house. In just a few days, there seemed to be hundreds of paint swatch cards all over the house, not to mention creating huge piles on the kitchen counter. I can only do this for a couple of days and then it all has to go. To each his own, but I can't think straight with that much clutter around. I took all the paint chips off the walls and threw away "no go's" and started all over again with a fresh mind. Helped enormously!

We have a son in college, so it's just my hubby and I and a cat at home most of the time. It's allowed me to par things down. It's not as easy when you have a home full of children.

Over the years, as I bought furniture, I always tried to select accent pieces that had drawers or doors on them. We also built several closets and when the bathroom and kitchen were remodeled, I got lots more storage with cabinets. (Our house was built in the 1920s so it had almost no storage).

I find it easiest to declutter one drawer or countertop at a time. I do have one room in the house that's a 'storage' room and it needs decluttered about once a year.

When I have a hard time getting rid of things, I will stash them away for awhile. In a year or two, I revisit the stuff and it's often easier to part with. For example, when we'd update our son's room as he grew, it wouldn't always be easy to throw out or donate some of the old stuff, probably because I wanted to hold on to those little boy memories. After a time, I am less emotional and make better choices what to keep.

I found when you edit your belongings and only keep what you really love, it's rather satisfying.

If I don't have a place for it I don't want it. Don't like to see all the stuff.

How'm I doing? Ha ha ha! My desk in the kitchen is a work in progress. Perpetually in progress. It's on my to do list, but mostly I just shove the papers into the cabinet & shut the door. The pile inside the cabinet is threatening to push the door open!

Yesterday I was finally fed up with the ski & snowboard gear on the front porch/ entrance. So I moved the gear up to the attic, swept the floor, wiped down the window sills (dang, those got dirty!), shook out the rugs & put the shoes where they belong. Did anyone notice? Nope. No worries as I didn't do that work for my family, but for me.

I'm thinking about handling the off season clothes a little differently this year. Instead of just putting the items in bins in the attic, I'll separate the ones that I didn't wear into their own bin so I can donate or sell them easily next fall. I realized that I mostly wear the same 4-5 thick sweaters in the winter, so there's little need for 10 cute, but thin sweaters. I'll get space in my drawers for the sweaters to breathe!

@jdforney, and then it's, "well, what did you do today, honey? What do you mean let's call for pizza tonight?"
I know things have been sitting too long in a space when I don't even notice it anymore! It's "progressed" PAST the point of bothering me daily (now, people, THAT'S pretty bad!)

Every six months I go through everything. Now we are building, so I'm constantly evaluating. Plus, we have no place to keep "stuff", so accumulation is minimal. But I have a lot of kid stuff that needs to go! That builds up fast. And I hate clutter and messes. Drives me nuts.

My house is a wreck right now after a week of everyone in the family having stomach flu. stuff everywhere. I can't get too worked up about the clutter because with 2 kids there is so much paper, books, toys, crafts, etc., around that it is just crazy. The kitchen is awful, stuff all over the island; the family room has school work (one kid does cyber school) all over; the living room has my son's minecraft paper craft all over the coffee table; and the kitchen table is full of sewing and fur craft stuff. I have my work cut out for me this week. At least spring is peeking its head out….

I HATE clutter but it creeps in anyway. Ever since I was young I would periodically go through my clutter starting with the "junk" drawer of either the dresser or chest of drawers. Next I go through the closet and all my clothes I no longer wear for Goodwill. Now whenever I go shopping if I buy anything I take something to give away. I also have pets (2 cats, 1 dwarf bunny, and a 24 pound rescue puppy). If I leave anything on the counter top the one cat pushes it off when I am not home and sets off the alarm; so I am forced to try and keep that clear too! LOL Other things that I don't give to Goodwill I give to friends for their school yard sales. Finally, I do make sure that if I buy a new piece of furniture it has duel functions like my coffee table that has a drawer in the front where all the junk or magazines and remotes can quickly be shoved inside for a quick last-minute clean up.

A while back, I read something that I think had to do with clutter that said "first, remove energy drains". So I sat and thought about what was draining my energy and it was a big stack of photos that I'd wanted to scan to my computer then put in photo albums (before digital cameras) but never had time to do. Every time I looked at the pile I got tired. I decided instead to get several pretty photo boxes to store them in and gave up the notion I would ever get them in albums. It was a huge help! Then when I had time, I'd do a little scanning at a time of the best pictures.

Since then, I've found it helpful to periodically ask myself "what's draining my energy" and try to tackle that first, and if necessary, be creative or flexible about how it needs to get accomplished.

@devinemrsm, excellent advise!!! Sometimes I have to simply stop the routine stuff and focus on those "drains". Those don't seem to be recurring so once I get them dealt with, I can return to the routine stuff. Believe me, it will be there waiting. It is a relief but just hard to get to but then once I'm on track with it, I'm happy with my progress. It's not usually as difficult as I had dreaded it to be. Good words of advise you gave. Thank you.

Can't stand clutter.... I go to other people's houses and have to fight the urge to clean up the carnage....

I am so proud of myself. I sorted my graniteware collection and have it all neatly displayed. No clutter in this area!

@orlldroo
Renovate is the truth i bet!
I just moved from a 1300 sq ft house, to a house that's 800! It's been so hard to downsize!
But moving is another that I would say that makes it easy to throw stuff out! I've been doing exactly what you wrote, have been putting everything that I can't find a space for, right in my way for a couple days, then it really starts showing you what you want to keep!

Cannot live with clutter. It makes me very uneasy and anxious. I feel like I'm being wasteful somehow.

Dangle the carrot scenario works best for me. Book a show or a holiday to set a deadline. Dragging my feet at the start is normal but as the clock ticks, my methods become frantic and brutal. Effective for me but not for the faint-hearted!!

Tackle a little each day. It won't get away from you. Clutter is anxiety. Proven fact. Our lives are more stressful today than they ever were. If that doesn't help, watch 'Hoarding, Buried Alive'.

LB Interiors, I am a card carrying organizer with a constant radar going from room to room. If it's proven that clutter is anxiety, then what is hoarding?

..... don't look at my desk, craft bookcase, or my bedroom floor right now, ok?
just.... just don't.


rest of the house isn't bad, really. i'm just attempting to keep up with 1 full time job and 2 part time. soooo it's getting interesting.

If clutter is anxiety, I would think hoarding is full-blown mental disorder. I would also think hoarders suffer from severe depression.

Were moving and in the process of culling out our "stuff". And what a lot of stuff there is! I started with the file cabinets. That was easy...almost everything was junk in there. Today we will bring down boxes from the attic. Luckily some of it is already marked "Yard Sale", but other things will also be put into the sale. Most likely if it's in the house or garage attic...we don't need it. So happy there are so many ways to get rid of stuff nowadays...yard sales, Craig's List, Habitat for Humanity, Salvation Army, Consignment shops, eBay, the dump, etc. The hard part is letting go but I'm being ruthless. One thing I am having a very hard time with is books. I love my books. Some are over 40 years old and I still love them. I have managed to cull out 10 boxes of ones I am willing to part with. But that still leaves about 17 boxes I'm keeping. Onward!!!!

I think hoarding is a total shutdown (as DivineMrsM says, full-blown mental illness). To get into that state they have to have some sort of mental defense/block against the clutter/dirt and the feelings it provokes. The psychologists all say they "don't see it". Yikes. I watch those shows to get me motivated to declutter, and it works great….

I need serious help, and there will be no pictures shared of my house. Lol

Hoarding is an obsessive/compulsive disorder that is very much a mental illness, but sadly is still not treaded as seriously as it should be. This is not the only form this illness takes, constant decluttering and cleaning can also be a form.

No one gets to take this stuff with them in the coffin or in the mantel urn. Collecting stuff is something I just do not understand. My husband's collecting/ keeping things causes my anxiety!!!!

Christina Lowe, I love your dogs and I hate you! Okay, not really, but I admit I am jealous that you have found being tidy to be "easy!" Retired to a new/old/smaller house 6 months ago, from a house we designed so everything had a place. Now while trying to figure out how best to allocate our limited remodel budget we live in a half-demo'd house overflowing with product literature, samples, and lots of things we probably shouldn't have moved cross-country! I have worked hard to maintain a comfortable "routine" to ease the transition for our two (large) dogs but have yet to establish any structure for myself and our stuff. Trying to ease my high anxiety with the mantra "this too shall pass." Red wine helps, too, I might add....

One area and one room at a time makes the de-clutter process a little easier. I'm hyper-organized and live within a minimalist mentality so it has never been a problem for me but I can understand how it can seem daunting for some. So take away one piece at a time and the progress you see will hopefully motivate you to keep on clearing that will make more breathing room not room to bring more stuff in.

I cannot handle clutter of any kind at any time! I installed these in my bedroom closet. It's 6 feet wide and they fit perfectly. Keep them categorized and they will work wonders for you.

Suzi, that's the ticket. Don't try to do everything in the house all at once. Pick a drawer in the kitchen, bath or bedroom, whichever bothers you the most. You'll be amazed what you'll find and how much can go bye bye, which clears space for things you frequently use.

Clutter and Hoarding has a deeper root. Many times if you can find the true reason, get professional help to discover the tools to work with to help you through. Usually it is a deprivation, loss of control, tragedy or loss that feeds the need to fill a void. It can't be helped. But it can be changed. Understanding by others looking in, will help those that need this guidance.

I am one of the minority that loves the challenge of turning clutter into a beautiful space! I am a proud member of the National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO). So, if you wish that you had a fairy to help you with your clutter, visit NAPO.net and look for an Organizer in your area!

About 30 years ago at our monthly library volunteers meeting we were asked our favorite book. I was the new volunteer -- the other eight said "Clutter's Last Stand!" and all laughed. I had to read it -- it changed my life! I considered it my other bible, and once found a copy in a religious book store ;). My house is in total renovation mode, claustrophobia follows me into each room. I will find a copy of CLS and do my best. Thanks for the topic!

elislj, thanks for mentioning this book, which I never heard of. I will try to get a copy from the library. I've read a few books on similar topics...most recently "The Hoarder In You: How to live a happier, healthier uncluttered life" by Robin Zasio, the psychologist who appears on "Hoarders". I'm not at all a hoarder but such books are interesting, and give helpful tips on decluttering.

divinemrsm, I have used "Hoarders" to help me shift just one more pile, or get another storage space figured out. That was a terrific crew.

I saved one book out of the boxes we are packing up...it's from 1991 by Don Aslett called "NOT for Packrats Only". He is actually the author of "Clutter's Last Stand" also and "How Do I Clean the Moosehead?" Lots of good advice in there with a sense of humor. The must be tons of information online too now.
and.....
http://www.amazon.com/Don-Aslett/e/B000APSSQS

His sense of humor -- wonderful!

You send the first 50 years collecting Stuff .....and the rest of your time trying to get rid of it!

tantacatho…so true! I've just shipped a couple of large boxes of household goods to a niece just starting her adult life…feels good to help her and an extra benefit for closets to lose weight!