How to Deal with Different Clutter Types

This post may contain affiliate links which means I may receive a commission for purchases made through links. I will only recommend products that I have personally used, if still available, or a similar item if not. Learn more on my Privacy Policy page.

There are many different clutter types and understanding what they are can help you decide how to deal with them. We can get very attached to our stuff and have trouble letting things go even if they are no longer serving us. Our emotions sometimes get in the way of having good sense. Why are you keeping things that no longer serve you? Recognize why you have difficulty and then you can work through the decisions for what to keep.

Different Clutter Types...

Trash clutter...One Man's Trash is another man's treasure...

Obvious garbage or recycling that for some reason keeps hanging around… Why? Are you forgetting to put it out? Do you need to have it taken to a recycling depot or dump? Have you just not scheduled the time to do it or have a vehicle that can take it? This is the easiest type to declutter so just do it! Find a way to get it out of your spaces. If you are having trouble deciding if something is trash, it may be another type of clutter.

Aspirational clutter...

I hate waste and try to “reduce, re-use and recycle” as much as possible, so I find it really hard to throw things out that are still “good”. As a creative/semi-handy person, I also think I could make “this” out of “that”. Or I could refinish it or paint it and make it beautiful. Sometimes this is true, but a lot of times, it’s just not a priority and I never get to it. This is what they call aspirational clutter. It’s the things saved for your future, that may never come because your priorities and interests change. (It might even be trash.)

Other forms of aspirational clutter are:

Planning to sell something, that you haven’t got around to.
Saving furniture or accessories for a future home, even though you have no immediate plans to move.
Keeping that motorcycle or car that doesn’t run – for years – because “someday” you’re going to get it fixed.

It’s okay to keep a few of these things if you have the space for them but reassess them periodically. Set a date to sell an item by, to do that project, or get something done. A few months from now, you may realize that you don’t want to do that project anymore and can let them go to someone else that would appreciate it. Or you may realize that the space you have now would be more valuable to your current projects or lifestyle.

Incomplete projects clutter...

This is not aspirational clutter if you are actively, currently working on something and just haven’t put things away. Perhaps you need a better organizing system or just need to give things a temporary home. The mess in my house garage at the moment is from my deck makeover (new blog to come someday). All my exterior paint and supplies are also in here where they are handy. Soon I hope to put everything away so my car will fit in here again for winter.

Transitional clutter...

Everyday things you use, but they don’t have a home, or they just haven’t been put away are transitional clutter. Laundry that hasn’t been put away would qualify as transitional clutter, especially if it builds up over a few days. Mail might also be an example of this clutter type if not designated to a home.

Stockpile clutter...

If you are stockpiling something that you regularly use it’s okay to keep some – to a point. It needs to be designated a space and if it is something that expires, don’t have more on hand than what you can actually use. I have a little stockpile of wood, trim and drywall scraps which I pruned this time around. With my rentals, home projects, and my son’s home projects, my extra supplies have come in handy.

Expensive clutter...

Sometimes we buy things that don’t end up serving us the way we thought they would. For whatever reason we can’t return it and we probably can’t sell it to recoup our money either. (Everybody wants a deal.) So, we hang on to it… until the mice get to it, or it completely seizes up, rots or gets moldy. I think the best way to deal with this is to acknowledge the money is already spent. Be grateful for the lesson you learned and then let it go. Sell it for half price, if you can, or donate it to a charity or person who will appreciate it. And let the guilt go for spending the money in the first place.

Indecisive clutter...

This is stuff you don’t know what to do with. You don’t really want something right now, but you might need it later? Do you think something might be valuable? Maybe you have an idea where you would like them to go, but you don’t know how to go about it. This may actually be another type of clutter that you need to look at more closely. Is it sentimental or aspirational? Do you feel guilty because you spent a lot of money on it? If you can’t come up with a better excuse than, “Just in case,” or “It might be worth something someday”… Let it go.

Seasonal clutter...

Christmas decorations, yard maintenance equipment, and snow shovels that are just left lying around are clutter. They need to have a home where they can be put away so they aren’t clutter. If you have excessive amounts of these or some that are not in the best condition you could declutter them too.

Gift and Free stuff clutter...

As long as you express gratitude when you receive a gift, you shouldn’t feel guilty when it’s time to let go. If you don’t need or like something anymore, feel free to pass it on to someone else that can enjoy it. Free stuff from store promotions, hotel shampoos, can be tossed if not useful in your current life. How many event buttons do you really need? Furniture or accessories from relatives may not be your style or suit your lifestyle. Again, be grateful when you receive it and pass it on if it doesn’t serve you anymore.

Sentimental and inherited clutter...

“Sentimental” is the hardest type of clutter for most people. It represents your past – your life history, people you have known and loved. I’ve included “Inherited” clutter here because it is also sentimental to me. It’s okay to keep some things that are purely sentimental, but they should be limited to a small space. Taking a picture of something is a way of preserving the memory while freeing up your space. Some inherited items can be repurposed or upcycled to fit with your lifestyle, but you should get a valuation done first. You may not want to de-value something that you could sell and then buy something more to your liking.

For smaller sentimental items, I like to display them in shadow boxes. You can read how to make a shadow box in my post here.

Other people's clutter...

What you may think is clutter may not be clutter to the person that owns it. No one should declutter other people’s things without their knowing. As a landlord, I have been left all kinds of things when tenants have moved out. (Obviously, they didn’t want them, or they wouldn’t have left them for me to deal with.)

My sons have also contributed to the clutter in my shop and sheds. One or two things I didn’t mind storing for them – seasonal car tires and tools that didn’t fit in their homes. I didn’t even mind the e-bike the first winter it was here. Since my son got a car, he never drives the e-bike anymore, so I’ve suggested he sell it. Unfortunately, the sheds they have “taken over” look like the inside of Oscar’s trash can. When my brother was trying to move his salvage business last year, I stored some of his wood too. My sons were informed that they need to clean their things out – soon – or I will do it and they won’t be allowed to store anything here again.

How to Deal with Different Clutter Types

Different Clutter Types...