The Clutter Fairy Weekly Survey #224 Results
Your Unique Decluttering or Organizing Challenge
Below are the results of our survey released in preparation for episode #224 of The Clutter Fairy Weekly. If you haven’t already done so, please take the survey.
Responses
To view the complete, detailed survey response from any respondent, click on their name (or “Anonymous user”) in the table below. You may also find it easier to read long responses in the detailed view.
| Name (click to view full survey response and comments) | What is your unique or unusual decluttering or organizing challenge? | Here’s your chance to ask Gayle and Ed any question you’re curious about. | Suggestions for future topics |
|---|---|---|---|
| Julie | I have a huge kitchen island. I often do projects at the counter e.g. repairing a soundbar, repairing my sewing machine. The entire kitchen piles up with dishes, purse, mail, books, etc. I would rather do the projects than clean up! P.S. I live alone, so it is too easy to procrastinate the cleanup. | How do you help your clients structure their time? I'm retired and my schedule is different every day. I am not a morning person. In my youth I could stay up and get stuff done, now I run out of steam. | Sorry just realized this is the survey for last week. Today is 9/17 |
| Suzanne | I am a homeowner without a shed or garage and so my home contains a number of items that really should not be inside a home. All repair and maintenance items, a lot of gardening items, bike, … I think I would like a good shed or garage but there are now so many property crimes/thefts in my city that I’m reluctant to get a storage structure. Police are overwhelmed and personal theft is less urgent/life-endangering than other crimes. | No question but my heart went out to so many of this survey’s respondents. 🥺 It really made me feel like a very fortunate person. | Have we clutterers forgotten that we are mortal? We act like life is eternal. |
| Anonymous user | We combined four generations into one home due to my mom being disabled and needing help and my daughter needing help with my grandson and finances. We are still weeding out hobby things, extra kitchen stuff and trying to get down to what's necessary. Mom and I both have hoarding tendencies. | Do you have guidelines and what type of personal paperwork needs to be kept and how long? | How to get past the fear of getting rid of electronic cords, etc. Or pieces to things you know you have the other piece of |
| Gabriella | During the past years I've worked hard at decluttering my home and I've been pretty successful with it too. Simultaneously, however, my partner got into the habit of accumulating stuff, thereby "compensating" for the progress I am making. Sometimes it feels like fighting windmills :o) | - overconsumption core | |
| Ginger | ▪️My mother’s suite still sits here untouched since her passing at the end of 2022. I gave myself a year to just not deal with it. We were going through a lot and both my husband and I needed time to heal. I decided I would tackle it in February 2024. Instead - I decluttered all over the rest of our home and put it all in Mom’s bedroom. It seemed like a good idea at the time. ▪️And… then there’s my art studio (off the garage) which became a storage place for some of Mom’s & Dad’s personal belongings. And… a graveyard for my earlier attempts at decluttering when I didn’t want to let go of some stuff. Like good boxes. 🙄 ▪️So, I’ve got my work cut-out for me. The good news is - I’m feeling good. My energy is much improved. I’ve lost 60 pounds in the past year. | Have either of you set any arbitrary rules or limits to keep your own possessions from becoming clutter? Do you do regular decluttering rounds thru your own homes? | |
| Cheryl | We have inherited my mother-in-law's large collection of vacation photo albums - mostly photos of her and my father-in-law on various vacations. They don't have much meaning to us. My husband has been reluctant to sort through them. It's been 3 years that they have been taking up space in our basement. What can I do ? | First of all, you two are such a delight! Ed's great sense of humor and Gayle's contagious laugh ! Love it. My question is : any advice on keeping from re-cluttering? What kind of self talk can I have when I'm heading to the store ?? Thanks. | Tips for media - photos, family videos, large Google Drive collections of photos!! How can I transfer to electronic form and thin the herd? |
| CHRISTINE | I injured one foot badly...has been months since I have been able to walk on it normally, So difficult to get things put away. ( Zero help from dementia husband). Thank goodness I have started using rolling carts before, because as previously , I can put things on the cart to put away, and wheel the cart from room to room. But now the added benefit is that now I am using the handles of this cart also as a "walker".... by putting most of my weight on the cart handles with my hands. | Airplanes, ships, trains, military, hotel rooms and hotel bathrooms, restaurant kitchens...these use some of the most efficient organizing systems.. in small tight spaces. I live in a small tight space, so I could use some of their organizing methods in my own home. I noticed airlines serve food and drinks in the most organized food rolling cart ever. The military uses those "collapsible" tables to spread out military gear. Hotel and airplane bathrooms have dispensers (like for tissues) hanging on the walls (to free counter space). Restaurant kitchens have almost all open shelving with those big metal racks...easier to see and easy to put things away. But a home kitchen is very inefficient. Closed kitchen cupboards and things in drawers make a kitchen "look" tidier, but they are very inefficient. | Winter holidays... do+ buy, less , not more. Mother Nature shows us the way in winter.. Animals hibernate. Plants go dormant. So should we humans..take some time off, and slow down in winter. It allows us the space to experience our very own+ unique+simple. reason for the season. |
| Kathy | I have more pins than days in the year ... More than days in a year noway to even wear all of them . Stumbling blocks in discerning | Cheer for me outdoor projects clutter of weeds , arrangement flows , understanding too much ... Solar lights lawn pieces etc. | |
| Peggy | I'm forgetful so I sometimes lose track of which storage space made sense when I created it | What thing were you happiest to be able to declutter (personally or for a client)? | Uses for things that will soon be discarded rather than donated (Examples: I use old socks to dust with then sometimes simply discard them or if I feel energetic, I will wash them for another dusting session. I save wet / slightly used paper towels that may have only dried my hands and use them to spot clean tile floors, etc) |
| Anonymous user | *I have multiple projects (e.g., art-related or organizing related) at various stages, so if I were to have a wall of post-it notes and threw mini bean bags at it, at least they'd hit SOMETHING (i.e., no matter what I do I'm getting SOMETHING done). I tend to go with the Gail method of "What bothers you the most?" (that it hasn't gotten done yet). *Having a DH who likes to lecture me every once in awhile (when my clutter exceeds his comfort zone) which only delays the process. I feel that if he'd leave me alone, I'd get more done. | (Both) What is YOUR current area of challenge...either an area or a discipline you need to revisit? | |
| Celina | I own ball jointed dolls (6) and barbies (7) and a whole LOT of their accessories, sorted into separate boxes by type: shoes, jackets and overcoats, bottoms and lingerie, wigs, long dresses, (Barbies only have two small boxes for now). BESIDES I have another LOT of sewing supplies with the ambitious plan to downsize on that by actually using it up. In accordance with your advice (I've been following the CF for at least 7 years now), I've downsized only to the pieces I shall use and love and want and need. Still, the lack of time for crafting for my dolls (I make all their clothes) gets me. Also, I plan to downsize on the boxes (that are now filled with threads, lace, beads (Hi Gayle!), fabric, etc.) by simply using up the supplies inside them. I may then be able to reorganize my dolly things into these boxes (especially the tiny Barbie accessories, because the boxes have tiny compartments), but for now I don't want more boxes upon boxes lol. On top of that, Im still on a rental, so until I become a tiny-flat-home owner (we're talking ca. 180 sq. foot) I have to have the furniture that the landlords had provided. It's a visual struggle, let me just say. | I love you guys! | I love everything you're doing! |
| Suzy q | Thousands of photos real and digital/ unopened mail/ important papers/ sentimental stuff from mom and my kids | Gayle, Do you like your new house? Congratulations on your purchase!!! Do you have a separate place for your bead store? Ed, what spaces do you deal with at home? What are your hobbies? | Tackling storage units! |
| Mamizu | I have PTSD, so *everything* is emotional. Therefore, I get bogged down easily. | ||
| Jean | I feel like I live a very ‘temporary’ life. Is this normal to rather not have piles of anything? Sometimes I feel like a nun. Or a refugee. I do like books, the rest of the stuff could just pile up without me. | Does anyone make a manual can opener that actually works? they are hard to use and why do they get rusty? It seems silly to have an electric one sitting on the counter., | How do you think houses will look in fifty years? |
| Sandra | My well-meaning husband says he will fix items that are broken but never does. For instance, we have a humidifier he must check out, a floor lamp he wants to fix (18 years and counting), Christmas lights he needs to test, and so on. Lots of broken things are now littering his home office. I don't know how he does it but he doesn't seem to see the clutter. My win is that he knows I will throw those things away if he tries to stash them elsewhere inside the house. | Go over the concept of Swedish Death Cleaning. I loved this book and the author's approach, especially about not leaving too many very personal items behind you (old letters anybody ?). | |
| Granny | I have a collection of toys for my grandchildren (and for visiting children), some of which are too big/bulky to live in the cabinet they're supposed to. I need to go through and get rid of broken toys and those that are past their prime. Then, maybe, everything will fit???? | ||
| Bernie | I have a couple of sheds but I can't use them to store anything particularly valuable or portable because of the opportunistic theft that is very common in our area. So all my valuable tools are cluttering up my house instead. | How to declutter when you have a very limited amount of energy? | Decluttering the pantry - aka how long can you keep spices really?! |
| Tonya | NOT A QUESTION BUT AN IDEA FOR LEGO COLLECTIONS: I had 4 boys who asked for LEGOs for all birthdays and Christmas so I had a bunch. Here are some of my suggestions: 1. Put a sheet/blanket on the floor to place the LEGOs (makes clean up easy) 2. Put the directions to sets in a Ziploc or file folder to keep (yes you can get them online IF you remember what the set is called) 3. Use large tubs to hold the pieces when not in use 4. Place finished works on a shelf to display | ||
| Pat - Michigan | Wow, That other people never face? Suddenly that puts the day to day tasks in perspective that I'm normal. | ||
| C | In the city we live in, there aren't very many places one can take donations to. (Nor many second hand shops) There's no tradition of yard sales. Sometimes a parish near one will hold a flea market. (Twice a year if lucky) So setting aside non-clothes donations AND remembering to take them at the assigned times means accumulated stuff lingering in one's small(er) home, for months at a stretch. I tried doing "street-side" deposits, like some do, but got told off. | What would you do if you started decluttering or re-setting an area and you either run out of oomph or some other matter rises, calling you away? Too often I start but cannot complete a task... could also be ADHD. | Decision fatigue. How to plan for it and deal with it, and all the poor decisions one tends to make if under pressure. |
| Cee | Travel mugs and cups | How long is too long to hold items from clearing parents home, intended to find new homes for. Lack of time has prevented | |
| Anita | Our house has a lot of repairs that need done(roof) which was fixed has leaked again!! So places I would put books are not available. I had to dismantle the one book shelf. Also my husband and I are not very good at D.I.Y so I need a drawer put up to house some clothes but I have had it since January and I still can't assemble it properly.Its up but drawers don't fit. | I think I have asked this before but I think I might just need a knudge in the right direction; I have books that I love but sadly with age the pages have got that mottled brown colour now.... should I just put them in paper recycling? | I can't think of anything this time 🤔 but love your show and just like listening to you both. Maybe something on time management? I never seem to have enough time I'm up early in the morning for work at 4.30am so it's not like I can get up much earlier and by late afternoon I'm exhausted!!! |
| Evelin | I used to be a maximalist with hoarding tendencies, did a lot of work until I finally considered myself a minimalist. One pandemic later I'm drowning in all kind of art supplies, stationary and crafting supplies. | end-of-summer decluttering/ seasonal decluttering | |
| Narelle | Hi, I’ve moved from Queensland back to New South Wales. Finding a rental is proving difficult and Airbnbs very expensive. I packed for winter but the warm weather followed us! Us includes my daughter and granddaughter. I have stuff in storage in Queensland. My daughter’s and her daughter’s stuff in storage in South Australia. Naturally because we couldn’t get to our stuff we want to sort it. I imagine that the desire to sort it will dissipate on site. Not having a place to live makes us pretty special. I hope it doesn’t for much longer though. Regional Country Australia x | ||
| Dorothy | I have piles everywhere. On my couch, dining room table, on my bedroom floor, on the living room floor and on the dining room floor. I have paths to walk on but they’re narrow. My kitchen waslls have piles of stuff but my stove, counter and sink are clear as I love a good cooking space. My hallway space is also full of piles of stuff. My bathroom is mostly clear and functional. I guess you could say I’m a bit of a hoarder. That said, I find your show very inspiring and entertaining. You keep our hearts light. | Maybe a session on how to develop an organizing system and ways to stay motivated to follow the system. Some ways of gamifying our efforts and tasks. Could you offer something like that? Thank you. | |
| Danetta | I like a simple, clear area, but if I don’t see a project it doesn’t exist. | ||
| Carrie | I’m a music teacher and have lots of musical instruments in my home studio. | ||
| Jeni | Due to severe depression and health issues, my house has piles everywhere. I had 2 older cats that had gone potty on a lot of things a couple of years ago. I thought that I'd found all of this stuff, but now I have 2 other cats that have taken to the same thing. One needs to go to the vet and the other needs to be neutered. I've been diagnosed again with cancer and am trying as hard as I can to clean up, clean the house, cook, and all of the other chores. It just feels like I'm not even making a dent. | I have severe depression and now my cancer that we thought was gone has metasticized. I had 2 cats that peed everywhere that I had to help over the Rainbow Bridge 2 years ago. I thought that I'd gotten everything. Now I have 2 others doing the same. One needs to see the vet and the other needs to be neutered. I have to do all of the cleaning, cooking, and other chores on top of cleaning up all of the piles. My husband won't help me. I just feel like I'm not even making a dent. Any suggestions? | Mental illnesses and clutter |
| Lela | I live in a duplex. My MIL built onto our house right after we bought it 20 years ago. She passed away last year, & I’ve been decluttering that side. It’s hard to decide sometimes what should stay or go because I’m not sure how that sude will be used in the future. Right now it’s just extra cleaning & maintenance for me. | ||
| Anonymous user | No matter how often my partner and I clean, declutter, and organize our only storage closet (tools, pets supplies, gardening supplies), it always ends up a mess within a week | What advice to you have to help neurodivergent folx (Asperger's and ADHD in particular) maintain a decluttered space and make cleaning a less overwhelming and disruptive process? | |
| Barbara | I inherited lots of tools after my father passed. Right now they are cluttering my basement. I keep them because my son-in-law is very handy with tools. I don't give them to him because I'm not sure the marriage will last. I | What's the easiest way to display hundreds of photos that are currently on digital devices? Making photo books is too time intensive. | Keeping unused stuff because it may be useful and I may need it someday. |
| Susan Marie | My genealogy papers, computer printouts, photos, notes scribbled on scraps of paper, etc. are all jumbled and unorganized, filling something like 4 copier sized containers. Nobody in the family seems interested in any of this stuff, yet I can’t let it go. It’s very special to me, and I feel close to my father (who passed in 2019) when I occasionally work on it as he & I both worked together and separately to discover hidden & forgotten info about his family. Sigh. | How to get over procrastination! How to empower yourself to just throw stuff in a dumpster instead of exhausting yourself w trying to find someone or an organization that might use it - how to give yourself permission to just TRASH stuff & get it out! | |
| Jeanne | I keep have to play musical rooms with people coming and going, the function change is challenging in a little house. I do no think this unique but uses a lot of my energy . I am still in the acute grief stage and had to rehome a large research library and important research papers, plus His fam history items( he was the family historians with many many photos and document. The usual flotsam and jetsam of a llife lost, such as clothing, medicines, memorabilia have been swept into the river of stuff over the past year. I was hanging onto his winter coat, not facing that he would not need it until this last week, Fit a friend perfectly and he would have like that. | I like that you encourage sizing down the belongings. It brings happiness to see items used and appreciated by others. save your loved ones the grief and fatigue of dealing with your belongings. | |
| Anonymous user | Blankets! I keep getting blankets as gifts, hand made and store bought. They are very nice but I don't need or want any more blankets. | Please tell us more about Gayle's decluttering as she unpacks and finds or doesn't find a place for her things. | |
| Anonymous user | My old kitchen has illogical cabinets and two that collect wood shavings from the drawers above (rendering a constant mess to use) so my counters always have too much stuff. I need to prioritize a kitchen remodel. But I’m cheap. 🤣 | Would you object to followers using the Facebook page to set up periodic challenges with each other with us checking in to report our progress? Might be helpful motivation and satisfying to connect with others. | Not sure if this can be a whole topic but are there guidelines as to quantity of items a wardrobe should contain, ie, pairs of trousers, warm sweaters, casual/lounge clothing, blouses, tees. |
| Andrea | Clothing and shoes I never use or like but ca't get rid of them because they seem useful. | My friend has a car trunk full of new things she has never removed for years. How can I help her with these things. | How to avoid over buying things |
| Eve | 1. Work at home clutter 2. Husband retired from scientific career and cant let go of books, journals, equipment he will never use again 3. inherited items/sentimental clutter 4. Prepper clutter - fear of end of the world | I am an overwhelmed breadwinner for my family and also care for disabled family member. Between work and family duties there is no time to address the clutter. What strategies can I employ to get my loved one to let go of career-related clutter -- a career that was left 16 years ago? Their identify is tied to these items even though they haven't been touched in years. There is also a fear that some of the items may be valuable and a fear of making a mistake by letting go of the items without receiving compensation for them. | |
| Brenda | My place is about 750 square ft I have only 4 SMALL closets (my previous place had a LARGE walk in closet that could fit anything) Trying to sort out what is not getting used but still taking up space | ||
| Ellen in W Michigan | My situation isn't unique, but I am having trouble packing to move. I feel like I have ruthlessly decluttered, including furniture. I have packed things like books, pictures, extra bedding, and decorative items. I will be moving in approximately 2 months and I feel like nearly everything still left out is in active use or will be in that time (changing of seasons here in Michigan). I still need to cook/eat, etc. There may be a few odds and ends, but it would mean packing them in a miscellaneous box instead of with other items going to a like spot in the new apartment. After hearing Gayle's report of her move, I am panicking a bit that I won't be ready. How do I decide about when to pack? I've already gone into packed boxes multiple times looking for something I need. | ||
| rowan | Eyes on the Prize - keeping up the momentum on your decluttering project in the midst of life's constantly changing demands and priorities. The Snowball Effect - Declutter one small area, see how wonderful that is and use this to propel you one to the next area. It is hard to feel anything except "time for a long vacation in Tahiti!" when faced with a home that needs a forklift to excavate, so don't wait to feel enthusiastic before you start. It's a Never Ending Cycle - the myth that decluttering is a never ending cycle so why bother to start? In almost all cases, there is a first huge declutter, and then later one just takes a quick look every few months to see if there are some things to discard. And actually after making so many keep/toss decisions one starts to automatically notice when something is no longer beneficial (neither useful or beautiful). | ||
| Anonymous user | I have been overwhelmed with being the only survivor of my birth family and I have other people's stuff, that has caused me to lose interest in the stuff I love.... my stuff. | What do I do with all the Christmas stuff from a lifetime, plus my Mom and Dad's.... and I just turned 73 and need to downsize. Is there a magic formula for what to keep and what to get rid of? I raised two sons, who do not have any interest in such things. | How to unpack after a move, without just parking boxes in a forever parking spot. |
| Becky | The mail. If I don’t get to it all, it becomes clutter | ||
| Name (click to view full survey response and comments) | What is your unique or unusual decluttering or organizing challenge? | Here’s your chance to ask Gayle and Ed any question you’re curious about. | Suggestions for future topics |
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