Ellen PhillipsQ: Even though I've tried numerous times, I can't seem to get my home uncluttered. Any ideas? - Clarice Clean
A: Dear Ms. Clean: I always tell folks my home is very clean but also very cluttered. Between my husband and me (mostly me), it always looks like a tornado has blown through.
Perhaps these new hints I've discovered from Bottom Line Personal can do the trick for both of us.
Let's try together.
1 Tidy all at once. Rather than doing all kitchen drawers one day and the laundry room shelves the next, take a short period of time to work on everything. Begin in early morning, right after that first cup of coffee when your mind is sharp and unencumbered.
2 Categorize the clean-up. Clear closets in all rooms first, then combine similar items. (Example: the coat closet and the bedroom closet may both store a raincoat; books may be on the den bookcase and also boxed in a guest bedroom.)
3 Keep only the things that bring you joy. Sentimental things are the hardest to let go. Bottom Line advises us to hold the item in our hands and ask, "Does this spark joy?" If the answer is no, then give yourself permission to get rid of it. I recently purged some family photos. After going through dozens of piles in bins under the bed, I divided them into envelopes to give my daughter and each older grandchild. I kept the ones that brought me joy and placed them where I can readily see them. Along this same line, it's a good idea to photograph sentimental items for safekeeping. I wish I'd done this with pictures and mementos from high school. My 50th class reunion was held in April. When I opened my senior scrapbook, many of the photos had faded too badly to recognize, and other precious objects were, basically, ashes.
4 Toss unwanted items as you come across them. You know what they are: greeting cards, never-used gifts; cords and plugs you can't identify; broken appliances; electronics packaging; promotional giveaways (are you really going to carry the key chain with Bubba's Barstools emblazoned on it?); old credit card statements and check registers (shred any with personal financial info); and user manuals. (If a question arises, you're sure to find the answer online.)
5 Forget organizing products. Under each bed in our home is a long plastic storage box filled to overflowing with you-name-it. Too many of us think we're being good storage keepers when all we're doing is maintaining trash. Get rid of whatever you don't need, use or want.
6 Be careful where and in what you store out-of-season clothing. Out of sight can definitely be out of mind. Packing up seasonable clothing frees up closet space, but we often forget what's under the bed and go out and buy replacements for things we already own. I'm lucky enough to have a huge walk-in closet with enough room to handle my and my husband's entire wardrobe. The only chore in fall and spring is to move my hanging clothes across to the other wall. Hubby exchanges his from this closet to one in another room. If clothing is folded up and packed away for several months, the pieces will probably need pressing, which is more work. In fact, the only reason to stash clothing this way is if your closet is too small for hang-up storage.
Contact Ellen Phillips at consumerwatch@times freepress.com.