Cures for Clutterers

Don't Let Printed Matter Pile Up

• The key to keeping paper clutter from sneaking up on you is to get rid of it before it finds a home. At home, set aside a special "center" for handling mail, magazines and newspapers. This prevents mail and printed materials from being stacked at several places. Your "center" should include a shredder, small trash can and a recycling bin. If you recycle, place newspapers, magazines and similar items in a recycling bin; otherwise, toss them into the garbage. Unsolicited credit card offers and other junk mail should be shredded. After paying bills, review statements carefully to make sure charges are legitimate. Once the checks clear, shred the old statements. You can also reduce the amount of mail from creditors by paying bills online. This same practice can work for an office.

Donate or Discard Unused Items

• Classic clutterers are known to have closets of barely worn or never worn clothing and too many pairs of shoes, socks, underwear and other items. Running out of space does not discourage buying. This results in closets packed until they spill over into boxes and bins in every corner of the home. To solve this problem, it is necessary to get rid of anything that is not being worn. Obtain large boxes and label as follows: "give away," "throw away," "might keep" and "must keep." Remove everything from the closet. Determine what you can give away, what you will throw away, what you might want to keep and what you must have to wear now. If there are items that you might want to keep but are not wearing now, place them in the "might keep" boxes. When you are finished, seal and date the "might keep" boxes and store them in a garage or other place outside of the home. If items in the "might keep" boxes are not used within a year, donate the boxes to charity. Handle the other boxes as labeled, but organize "must keep" items in a closet or other storage area. This system can be used for other household items, such as books and drawers of miscellaneous items.

Establish a Place for Everything

• One solution to keeping your clutter-free space organized is to establish a place for every item brought into the home. This will take commitment, but you will be surprised at the time you will save by not having to search for what you need. Designate drawers for certain items. Kitchen drawers should hold kitchen-related items only. Resist the urge to stuff mail, condiment packets, pencils and other items in kitchen drawers. Hang clothing in closets rather than draping them over chairs or exercise equipment. Limit grooming to the bathroom and bedroom. Keeps grooming items like nail clippers, combs and brushes in a drawer in the bedroom or bathroom. Once newspapers and magazines are read, put them in a recycle bin or discard them immediately. Create a file for bills and other important mail, but shred and discard it once the items are no longer needed.

Get the Family Involved

• Clutter cures will not work if the entire family does not buy into the system. Getting family members to let go of cherished items can cause conflicts. Some people are hoarders. Hoarders develop an emotional attachment to items that other people would not think twice about discarding. If you think a family member has a hoarding problem, you might need to seek the help of a professional organizer. As an outsider, an organizer can be objective and might be able to confront the hoarder. In serious hoarding cases, professional counseling might be needed.