Top 10 Clutter Items From a Professional Organizer

Curious about the most common clutter offenders I find when working as a professional organizer? I’ve rounded up the top 10 categories I find when delving into the closets and basements of the average American home.

 

Working as a professional organizer can be fascinating. I love sifting through gadgets and memorabilia in basements, attics, and spare rooms. It is a fun part of the job! My husband jokes that I get the same thrill out of organizing as I do out of browsing thrift stores and antique marts. It’s just interesting to see what matters to people and what they’ve held onto on their journey through life.

For every “look at this stuff, isn’t it neat!” moment I have when organizing…

there are 100 times where I can predict exactly what a cabinet or drawer will hold because I’ve seen the same drawer in every other home I’ve organized.

So for educational and entertainment purposes, here are my top 10 clutter categories in no particular order:

1. REUSABLE GROCERY BAGS

I inevitably find these guys stuffed inside drawers and crammed on shelves. I think these bags have a grip on us because they are inherently useful! We always need a bag, right?

They are absolutely useful, but, you probably have way more than you need. Try picking your favorite bag and fill it with as many other bags as you can scrunch into it. Hang that bag in your pantry or mudroom, or keep it in your car if that’s your grocery rhythm. One bag full of bags is most likely enough for your needs.

Trash any leftover bags that have holes or rips.

Use the remaining bags to collect donatable clutter from other rooms in your home.

Since you need your “donate” bag to itself be donatable, you will be all set for a trip to Salvation Army or Goodwill.

2. CORDS 

This category has a strong grip on the male brain in particular… I think there is something anxiety inducing for men about encountering a scenario in which a specific cord is needed and cannot be located in the junk drawer. Give yourself a reality check by searching Amazon to see the cost and time it would take to replace the cord in question.

You can also decide to just stuff all the “maybe” cords in a plastic bag or bin. Put the date on the container and if 6 months pass without a need arising to open the bin… you can trash the whole bag!

3. VASES

I’m talking clear glass flower vases that came with store bought or delivery flowers. Do you have an entire kitchen cabinet dedicated to freebie vases? You can recycle or donate these! They are a major space hog in many a kitchen cabinet. Ask yourself if one or two vases is sufficient to support your flower arranging needs and let. the. rest. go…

4. BEER STEINS, SHOT GLASSES AND LIQUOR '“ACCESSORIES”

This is another one I see frequently with male clients. Usually these items were gifts to groomsmen. And often there is the hope that there will one day be a basement sports bar room where they can display and enjoy these novelty mugs.

This is a case where you have to weigh your current needs against the possibility that future you would enjoy having these mugs.

You don’t have to go all or nothing. You could decide to save your top 3 special beer steins or shot glasses. If the day comes where you do have your dream basement bar you can proudly display the glasses you saved. In the meantime, you are only storing 3 beersteins instead of 20. Presumably future you will also have the budget to invest in additional glassware for your basement bar so you can let future you worry about having enough glassware.

 

5. SCENTED CANDLES

I see this category often. I think it’s because candles are such a universal gift (remember this SNL skit?) lol. I love a candle, but I don’t need a cabinet of backstock candles! You just need one or two to burn up enjoy. If you are dealing with a build up of unwanted candles you can donate them, I personally feel weird buying a candle from a thrift store so I’m inclined to toss them or list them on BuyNothing. You also have my permission to trash old candles if you don’t have time to list them on BuyNothing.

 

6. MUGS

Mugs will keep coming into your life. If you are a teacher, they will come in droves. You cannot stop the flow of mugs into your life. If you do not periodically remove mugs from your life, mugs will takeover your life. I do not make the rules. This is physics. Have every coffee drinker in your house pick their 3 favorite mugs. Put these mugs on the shelf where you keep mugs. Draft remaining mugs to the team one by one until the shelf is comfortably full, not crammed but comfortable. Donate the rest of the mugs.

7. EXPIRED FOOD

Using non scientific data collection methods, I would estimate that 1/3 of the food in your kitchen is expired. It is the food that is crammed behind the food in your pantry that you are actually eating. Throw away this expired food and move on with your life.

8. DRIED OUT MARKERS AND PENS

You are probably letting a couple hundred dried out pens and markers live rent free in your kitchen or home office. You can move towards a habit of trashing a pen or marker each time you try it and it doesn’t work (instead of putting a dud back in the pen holder.) You can also choose to do a big edit where you test each pen and marker. It’s a time consuming but mindless activity you could do while chatting on the phone with a friend. It’s also a chore you could task to a kid.

9. BOXES FROM IPADS AND IPHONES

Yes they are made of like high-end fancy cardboard and you feel like there must be a reason to keep them… there is not. Trash them.

10. OLD ELECTRONICS

These are saved because people aren’t sure what to do with them and/or they are concerned about privacy and want to make sure their data is wiped before trashing or recycling electronics.

When I first started organizing I reached out locally asking about reputable hard drive shredding services. I had multiple friends who work in IT security tell me just to physically damage the hard drive myself prior to disposal or recycling.

Hammering the hard drive with a hammer or drilling multiple holes in the plate with a power drill are both methods that have been suggested to me.

There are a lot of YouTube videos and Reddit threads out there detailing opinions and strategies. I see arguments that a hammer won’t completely destroy your data and it could still be accessed.

The counterargument I see is that the average bad actor who might come across your old hard drive wouldn’t have the resources or interest in investing the time and money it would take to get to your data if it has been smashed up with a hammer. Maybe the FBI could, but if you are concerned about the FBI trying to access your data you are probably not reading my blog for advice on what to do with your old laptop.

Staples has an electronics recycling program. I have been told by a Staples employee that they use a big magnet to wipe data prior to recycling. If you are comfortable with this, go for it. If you’d feel more secure busting up the hard drive yourself, get a hammer or a drill and go to town.

Here in Howard County, the local Alpha Ridge Landfill accepts old electronics. You can check your local city or county for items accepted for recycling on your local landfill website.

BONUS NUMBER 11 SMALL PLASTIC PRIZES

I forgot to include the clutter pictured at the top of this post! Small plastic prizes kids get from attending birthdays or doing their math homework or getting their teeth cleaned. If you are a parent you have an army of small plastic fidgets and slap bracelets residing in your home.

You have my permission to trash these items. You may or may not want to ask your child’s permission to trash these items depending on their age and stage.

You may also consider starting a “donate to teachers” bag where you toss these plastic gizmos once they have been enjoyed. If they are still in good condition there are teachers at your kid’s school who would love to have them for their prize bin!

That’s the list! Did I hit on any items you’ve been stashing?