A cluttered home is a common source of stress among families and parents.  We all have a lot of stuff, especially here in America.  We buy large houses with garages and then continue to add stuff to storage units and attics.  According to ClosetMaid, 1 in 3 people procrastinate throwing things away they no longer need.  There are many reasons why people keep things but not all reasons are the same.  

Some of the most cluttered items in a home are:

1. Old clothing

2. Seasonal items

3. Old footwear 

4. Books

5. Boxes

6. Clothing never worn

7. Old chargers and cables 

8. Old magazines

9. Old Movies 

10. Outdated Electronics 

Source: ClosetMaid

Many of those items will never be picked up or looked ever again.  With the exception of seasonal items, the rest can be seriously considered for donation or disposal.  

Old Clothing

“It’s estimated that 80% of your clothes are only worn 20% of the time.”

Do you still wear certain items or not?  It’s estimated that 80% of your clothes are only worn 20% of the time. (National Association of Professional Organizers study).  That’s a lot of closet space one could use to find the clothes that you actually wear.  It is said that people are late for work for many reasons, but one is that their morning routine of getting dressed takes longer because they are trying to find the right clothes.  

One tip, from the hit show Tidying Up by Marie Kondo, is to flip the hangers after you have worn something.  Then after a month or so you can easily see what items have been worn and what haven't.  

Seasonal Items

“Under the bed storage is perfect for seasonal items”

These are the items that might be justified with keeping despite going months without using or wearing.  You're not going to wear sweaters in the summer or put up your Christmas tree in July.  Although the Christmas in July might be a thing in some places.  It’s still a good idea to keep those items organized while in storage and if two seasons go by without using then think about donating.  Under the bed storage is perfect for seasonal items like sweaters and other seasonal clothes.  It's out of the way, but easy to access 

Books, Movies, and Magazines 

“Netflix has over 1 million subscribers”

The world is changing and the world of digital movies and books is growing.  The rise of Netflix and Amazon have revolutionized the world of how we read and watch both books and tv.  Netflix has over 1 million subscribers and there are over 90.5 million e-readers in the US.  

Do you really need all those DVDs and VHS movies from your childhood?  Do you even have anything to play them on?  By removing unwatched movies from your closets or shelves your living rooms will become more open and stress reducing. 

Old Chargers and Cables 

“There are now over 2 Billion apple charging cables out there in the world”

How often do you update your phone or computer.  Technology changes and so do the cables that connect them.  Do you trade in your old phones for money or do you keep them?  After a few years those old phones and cables are useless.  Even if they still work, they will be even less able to operate at full capacity.  For example a computer back in the early 90’s has a fraction of the processing power of even a mobile phone today. 

Even the iPhone has changed charging cables in its lifetime.  From the traditional pin connector, to the lightning cable, and now USB-C.  There are now over 2 Billion apple charging cables out there in the world and many of those are never even used.  If all those words mean nothing to you all you have to know is that old cables are useless after a time

When it comes to organizing your closet or even your home it can be relatively easy to start if you begin with the things you just don't use any more.  Start there and see how much space you can save and use to seamlessly organize the items you use everyday.