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Do you have control over your possessions or do they have control over you? Does clutter drive you crazy but you don’t know what to do about it? Here are 5 organizing ideas on how to control clutter.

Wouldn’t it be great to have a clutter control wand that was magic and you could wave it over your closet, drawers, shelf’s, filing cabinet, book cases and other places that were cluttered and it would whisk away the clutter so you didn’t have to deal with it? The problem with that is what you might not think is clutter it would think was clutter and whisk it away. Since I bet you don’t have a magic wand here are 5 organizing tips for clutter control.

1. Only keep things in your home that light you up, that make you happy, that you have a use for and you have a place for. Live in the now. Holding on to something “because you might need it someday” can lead to clutter and frustration if you don’t have a place for it and you don’t have a system for remembering where it is when you “might need it”. 

2. Buy what you need and use what you buy. I know men who have a workshop full of nails and other “stuff” but they aren’t organized in any way so when they need a nail or a screw it is off the hardware store to purchase more. And that is part of the clutter problem; they buy many more than they will need for that project and they don’t organize what is left over. They rationalize that someday they might need it so they hold on to more than they need. If you buy extras, organize them so you can find them when you need them.

3. Do you have furniture stored away that you have no use for but you don’t want to donate it, give it to a family member or sell? Maybe you could use it if you give it new life by painting it a new color or strip it and put a new coat of stain on it so it can be used. If you are storing furniture, put it out of the way so it doesn’t become a clutter magnet. Clutter gravitates to flat surfaces. While in storage take care of it by covering it so when the time comes that you want to do something with it, it will still be in good shape.

4. If you are a collector of vintage pieces they can be used to organize and store small items like jewelry, change, buttons, and food like pasta, rice or beans. They no longer just take up space and you can display them and put them to good use at the same time.

5. Are you holding on to old purses that you haven’t used in years and they are just taking up space? Is the strap broken, or is the leather shabby looking so you won’t use it? Do you have old coin purses that are just taking up space? To control clutter all you need to do is donate them, or get the strap fixed and use that purse, or give the leather a coat of leather polish. Buy a purse organizer that hangs over a door or attach hooks behind a door to hang purses from so you can see what you have and see the ones that you use. Place a basket in your closet for clutch purses or store them in a purse you don’t use.

Sometimes clutter control is just a matter of letting go of things we don’t use and keeping what we use, love, lights us up and makes us happy.

For more organizing tips click here to view my videos on clutter control.