How to Survive Life With a Clutterer

It’s one thing to have de-cluttered your home, and another to live with someone who seems intent on moving clutter back in. That’s not to say they’re doing it deliberately, or even enjoy living in clutter, themselves. We’re talking about a housemate or partner who, through no fault of their own, is hard wired to collect junk and create visual chaos. So what can you do if you live with someone who meets this description? It turns out, there are ways to help them help themselves (and you), and they’re relatively painless for both of you. So without further ado –   let’s get the clutterer under control!

Create routines

Clutter collects when there are no clear guidelines on when and how to carry out everyday activities such as putting away groceries, unpacking bags, sorting recycling, unpacking the car … the list goes on. Don’t expect your clutterer to create these routines. Not only have they no interest in them, they are unlikely to know where to start first in establishing them. That must be your job, and the easiest way is to demonstrate. So when you come home from holiday, unpack the car together until every item has been taken out of it. Then unpack your bags together so your clutterer gets the hang of it. It will take just two or three demos, and they’ll soon have the hang of it.

Use labels

Clutterers don’t understand every item has its place, so help them by using labels until they’re familiar with what goes where. Use labels in the pantry, on the bookshelf, on clothing drawers, and in wardrobes. Make labels specific rather than general (for example, don’t label shelves: ‘sports gear’, label them: ‘tennis,’ ‘fishing’, and ‘kayaking.’ This is the degree to which clutterers require guidance.

Limit horizontal surfaces

Any unused horizontal surfaces are an invitation to clutterers to fill them with ‘stuff’. So, severely limit them in your home. If you do have a horizontal surface, discourage its use for anything other than a specific purpose. For example, if you have a sideboard, place two or three pot plants, framed family photos, or special ornaments on it (fragile items are best because even a clutterer will take care not to dump anything in the vicinity that could cause a breakage). In the dining room or kitchen, keep a clean, ironed, pale coloured table cloth (make it a family heirloom if possible) on the table. Remind your clutterer it’s delicate, and marks easily. That way, they are unlikely to put items on it.

Hooks and hangers galore!

Clutterers are naturally (for want of a better word) ‘lazy’ when it comes to ‘putting away’. However, if there are hooks handy, they’re likely to use them because they don’t have to bend down. Hooks can be used for everything from bags and sports gear, to gardening tools and charging cords. A free-standing clothes hanger in the bathroom and bedroom works like magic, too, because a clutterer can see a place to put their clothes (a wardrobe is useful, but when the door is closed, coat hangers aren’t visible). However you do it, when it comes to putting away, the golden rule is: ‘make it easy’.

Maintain access ways

Clutter takes over most easily when access ways to storage are blocked. Once the door to the garage storage cupboard has a bicycle leaning against it, for example, even a well-trained clutterer will simply dump items next to it. So if there’s one thing you decide to become slightly ‘naggy’ about, let it be the necessity of keeping access open.

Remove excess storage

While your first instinct may be to provide your clutterer with storage (so they have somewhere to put their items), don’t be tempted to do this. In fact, limit storage to just the essentials. Empty shelves and boxes are only an invitation for a clutterer to keep collecting. Instead, maintain the minimum storage your home already has so there is just a modest amount of space available in any one draw, shelf, or cupboard. This allows space for ‘putting away’ but not ‘collecting additional items’.

As you help your clutterer keep your (and their) home clutter-free, remind yourself the intolerable situation is seldom their fault. Once you’ve got them trained, they’ll be as pleased as you are to live in a calm and orderly home.