Defending the Small House #7 - Controlling Clutter

Hello! After a two week hiatus, Brenda and I are back with our Small House series. This week? Controlling Clutter in a Small House. In the spirit of total transparency:

"My name is Claudia and clutter has taken over my home."

I am fighting back, however, and this week is all about sorting, tossing and organizing. Let's face it, clutter can be a problem in any home, but when you live in a small space, it can be a real big problem. We live in 1200 square feet. There are 4 of us. Two adults. Two dogs. I collect lots of things. I love books. I have stacks of them everywhere. We have a bin full of winter clothes that we have yet to hang up in the closet because....well, because we haven't. Don has tons of stuff in his office. We are gatherers. It can be a problem.

Normally, everything is under control. But the last several months have been very stressful for me. I am convinced that the amount of clutter is directly related to my stress level. When I am in that sort of state, I don't file things away, I leave stacks of things sitting around - I just don't care. I can't seem to get up enough energy to tackle it all. Thank goodness, the new year has energized me and I'm attacking it every day this week.

Scout will no longer have to cover her eyes in disgust.

All that being said, as far as I'm concerned there are 2 kinds of clutter: cozy clutter and clutter clutter.

This is cozy clutter:

Don has stacks of books, notepads and his journal on the coffee table.  I like this kind of clutter - it says 'lived in.'

Clutter clutter, on the other hand is just plain messy. It's stuff that is left out instead of being put away, or is not taken to the recycling bin, or is just plain unorganized. 

Tip#1: Each time you make a pass through the house, pick up the clutter you see and put it back in its proper place. If you make a habit of that, you will be surprised what a difference it will make in the look of your home. You can throw everything in a basket or pail and deliver each item to its rightful place.

Tip #2: Have a designated place for mail and bills. We use this hand-painted letter holder I found a few years ago. Too many times in the past, our kitchen table has become the gathering place for all mail. Hospital bills, circulars, junk mail, statements. It makes me nuts. I'm making a concentrated effort to sort through it all, make sure Don deals with his mail without me having to bug him about it, make decisions right away about what to keep and what to toss. It's amazing how quickly it can all get out of hand.

Tip #3: Take time at least once a week to file away your paid bills and correspondence. Oh, the feeling of being in control. Isn't it nice? I'll have it again by the end of the week.

Tip #4: Keep recycling bins handy and use them. This pretty little pink toile bin is right next to our front door. I toss all the paper recycling in the bin. Eventually, it makes its way to the bins we have outside.

Tip #5: Every so often, go through your books and magazines. Keep what you really want and donate or recycle the rest. I've already mentioned how much I love books. At least once a year I go through all my books and honestly assess them. What do I really love? What will I never read again? Whatever I know I will not miss gets donated to our local library's book sale. I've passed the book on for someone else to enjoy and donated to a good cause. Magazines?

I tear out all the photos and articles I want to keep and paste them into notebooks like this one. The rest of the magazine is recycled.

Tip #6: Baskets are a girl's best friend. Not diamonds. Baskets. I don't know what I would do without them. I use them everywhere:

In the den to hold throws and blankets.

In the living room to hold cell phones, glasses and Scout's ball.

In the bathroom.

In the studio.

I have them in the bedroom (holding sweaters), in the guest room (holding quilts), in the kitchen (holding dog towels). Since we have very little closet space or storage space, baskets end up being real workhorses. They corral all sorts of things and keep clutter to a minimum.

Tip#7: If you group your treasures in vignettes or with other like objects, they will make sense and not look like clutter. It's all about the way you display them. 

A lot of 'stuff', beautiful or not, scattered here and there and everywhere with no place for the eye to rest, makes for a cluttery look. Let's say you have a Hummel collection. Group them together on a shelf or in groups of three. Create a vignette. Suddenly what looked like clutter looks like a carefully thought out collection.

Tip #8: I'm all for cozy clutter. It's what makes a house a home. It shows that the home is lived in and loved. I encourage that kind of clutter. Don't worry about it. If you get the rest of your clutter under control, you've got it made!

I hope there are some helpful ideas for you here. Eliminating clutter is a battle we all wage. If you have any tips for the rest of us, please leave them in your comment - I know I'd love to read them.

And if you have any suggestions for future Small House topics, please share them.

Stop by Brenda's blog and read her tips on clutter. Thanks so much for stopping by!