8 Types of Clutter (& what to do about them)

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Do you know what type of clutter plagues you the most?

Most of us have one or a couple of types of clutter that pop up most often in our homes. Once you’ve figured out what types of clutter are your downfall, you’ll be able to work to keep them at bay much easier!

So let’s get into 8 different types of clutter and what you can do about them!

But first… I’ve got a free 4-day declutter challenge just for you! Sign up with the form below and start tackling your clutter today.

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1. Bargain Clutter

Maybe you’re a pro at getting a great deal! Are sales, clearance racks, thrift stores, and garage sales causing clutter? Specifically analyze clothes, shoes, books, and toys for this kind of clutter.

What to do: Beware of good deals. Question if you actually need it. And repeat after me: It’s not a good deal if I don’t need it!

2. Hand-Me-Down Clutter

Hand-me-downs are great, unless you don’t really need them. Clothes, furniture, and tools have been known to cause this kind of clutter for us.

What to do: Only accept hand-me-downs if you actually need the items. If possible, sort through a pile of hand-me-downs quickly, take what you need and give the rest back to the original owner immediately — or send them on to someone else who can use them.

3. It’s-Probably-Trash-but-I-Haven’t-Really-Dealt-with-It-Yet Clutter

That pile of papers on your kitchen counter, dining room table, or in your home office. . . . Yup. It’s mostly trash, right?

What to do: You need some systems in place to deal with this stuff.

Create a folder to put bills in so that when you go to pay them they’re all in one place.
Open the mail immediately instead of setting it down.
Make a weekly 15 minute appointment with yourself to do paperwork/home administration stuff.

Learn some clutter-free habits here.

4. Aspirational Clutter

Quite often, we buy things for the person we’d like to be and then those things never get used: athletic gear, unread books, craft supplies, fancy serving dishes, etc.

What to do: Set a time limit for using these items. If you haven’t touched this stuff in six months or a year, it’s unlikely you’re going to make the time.

5. Sentimental Clutter

Storage bins of family heirlooms or childhood treasures, furniture, photographs, china, and crystal tend to be some of the main culprits. Of course, sentimental items are important but they should not be causing clutter.

What to do: Set a space limit for how much space you will let sentimental items take up.

I have one big rubbermaid tub of childhood memory items. Choose a space — one drawer, shelf, closet, tub… whatever. If you accumulate more sentimental items, you need to pare down to only the best that can fit in your space limit.

Do a deep dive into decluttering keepsakes and memories here.

6. Gift Clutter

If your family, friends, or even your spouse are big gift givers, there may be some big time gift clutter.

What to do: A gift should never be a burden. And letting go a gift someone gave you says nothing about how much you love that person or appreciated the gift. Treat this kind of clutter like anything else. (Phentermine)

7. Stocking-Up Clutter

Do you have a tendency to stock up on food, cleaners, and bathroom products? Are you buying things “just in case”?

What to do: If you like to have a stockpile, decide how many of each item it actually makes sense to have and stop when you have that many. Maybe it’s two spare bottle of mustard, 20 spare rolls of toilet paper, and 1 spare bottle of multi-purpose cleaner.

Give yourself an actual limit. Donate the rest!

8. I’ll-Get-to-That-Later Clutter

Those jeans are perfectly good . . . once you hem them. That lawn mower will work perfectly . . . after you sharpen the blade. Do you have clutter from things that require action before you can use them? You say you’ll get to it, but it has yet to happen.

What to do: This is another area where a time limit works well. You can even write it on your calendar that if you haven’t hemmed those jeans by July 14, you’ll donate them. A solid deadline will either cause you to take action or realize you didn’t care that much.

Which of these types of clutter do you struggle with most?

In our house, we struggle most with “I’ll get to that later” clutter. But now that I’ve zeroed in on one of our big problem areas, I’m much better at keeping a handle on it. I set deadlines for either taking action or getting rid of it!