Inside: 10 Decluttering tips for hoarders (commonly known as pack rats). May contain affiliate links.
I am a recovering hoarder. You probably wouldn’t know it to look at my home now but I have to work really hard to stop myself from going back to my old hoarding ways. You may be a hoarder yourself, or perhaps you have a family member that has pack rat tendencies. Hopefully these decluttering tips will help you.
Hoarders have a tendency to collect items that they may need at a later date. They will struggle to get rid of items and a hoarder’s home can become overrun with so much stuff that it is suffocating. They require support to declutter their homes to return to a state where they are clear and tidy and where housework becomes manageable again.
As someone who has managed to address, manage and move beyond my hoarding disorder, I know how hard it can be. But I also know how liberating it can be to overcome habits and underlying issues. Now is a good time as any to get started.
What does it mean to be a hoarder
I first heard the term ‘pack rat’ when I was trying to help myself out of my hoarding tendencies.
Pack Rat noun
: a person who collects or hoards especially unneeded items
There is a difference between keeping a few things and a clinical disorder that prevents you from getting rid of any of your possessions. Signs that you may need professional help include:
- Fear of letting go of items
- Uncomfortable with anyone touching your items
- Obsessively organising and classifying your objects
- Buying items that you already own (multiple similar objects)
- Buying more items when you have no space left to store them.
- Your living space becomes unusable
If you have (or know anyone with) any of these symptoms then it is more than a clutter problem and you need to seek medical advice about compulsive hoarding and deeper issues surrounding the excessive accumulation of items.
Decluttering for your mental health
If you hoard items and have a hard time organising your home, you would definitely benefit from decluttering each of the rooms in your house (or perhaps a self storage unit for the overflow) with the help of creative and professional storage solutions – “tidy home, tidy mind” as they say.
Excessive clutter can have a negative effect on your mental health as you can feel overwhelmed and suffocated by the excess of items surrounding you on a daily basis. It only takes one over-stuffed utensils drawer to make you feel rage as you try to find something simple, only to be attacked by a spatula. Right?
Clutter…
– Overstimulates us
– Diverts our focus
– Inhibits relaxation
– Reminds us of our to-do list
– Makes us feel guilty and embarrassed
By reducing the amount you own, giving everything a clear space to belong, you can reduce anxiety and help yourself to feel more in control.
Best decluttering tips for hoarders
The decluttering process can feel overwhelming when you are surrounded by so much clutter. The good news is, there is a way forward. The first step is recognising that you need to make the change and start the decluttering process.
Here are my 10 favourite decluttering tips:
1. Have 3 bags ready to collect the items; a trash bag, a donation bag, and a ‘to keep’ bag.
If you have the bags ready then you can easily place each item into the right bag and make it easy to sort at the end of the process. As you clear each area, obvious trash can be binned immediately (remember to recycle as much you can such as junk mail and old magazines) and then you just need to decide whether to keep or donate the rest.
In addition to the above, there is another practical and creative little trick to aid in organization: using Iron On Patches as classification markers for your storage bags.
We can customize hot-stamping patches with various patterns and texts tailored to the content, such as attaching patches featuring the word donation to donation bags or using exclusive commemorative patterns on bags intended as keepsakes. This way, the specific purpose of each storage bag becomes instantly clear.
These boutique patches not only help alleviate the anxiety associated with searching for items but also assist us in maintaining the organizational order we have established more effectively.
2. Start small.
If you try to declutter your entire home you will become overwhelmed and give up. Even by focusing on an entire room you may feel overwhelmed – especially if that room is full to the brim. So instead, start with one pile, one surface, one drawer. Small wins will inspire you to keep going.
3. Use timers
The best way I’ve found for motivating me to get moving is to use timers. If I know there is a clock counting down then I work faster and more efficiently than if there wasn’t. For each decluttering session, I set myself a timer for either ten minutes (for a quick tidy) or half an hour. I then work until the timer goes off and then have a break. I’ll then set another timer or tidy away after myself depending on how much I want to do that day.
Breaking it down into chunks and taking regular breaks helps with the overwhelm and makes the whole process more manageable.
4. Make a plan
The first thing to do is to make an action plan – it will help keep you focused. Plan out which room you will start with, make a note of which days you will take items for donation or to the recycling centre and work out which day(s) you will do the work each week.
So much time is wasted by drifting from room to room, drawer to drawer, so sticking to a plan will make sure your hard work and precious time isn’t wasted.
5. Start with surface clutter.
For an immediate impact, start off with the obvious areas such as kitchen counters. We all have those areas that get clogged up with junk regularly, don’t we? Piles of paper, random objects, junk mail and a broken toy – it all sits there gathering dust and adding to our stress.
With those surfaces clear, you will start to see how this process will benefit you and have the strength to go deeper into cupboards and drawers.
6. Start with the main living area
If you start in a room that is barely used you won’t see or feel the benefit, will you? So, the first place to start is your main living space. For most people with will be the living room but you may well spend most of your time in your kitchen or your office – wherever you spend most of your time is the place to begin.
The benefit you’ll get from starting in this space will motivate you to continue around your home until everywhere is calm, organised and clear.
7. Set yourself a goal
When you have a lot of stuff to deal with, it can be overwhelming to even consider starting the job. You may feel like it is easier to just live with it as it is. Setting yourself achievable goals with manageable steps can help you to get motivated.
I never invited anyone to come stay at our house due to the mess. So, my goal was set when I invited a close friend to come stay for the weekend one summer. I then had 10 weeks to clear my house. Nothing sets you on fire quicker than knowing someone is coming to your house let me tell you!
Decide what your goal will be, whether it is having someone to stay, having a party or moving house and get going!
8. One in one out
Sometimes it feels like you are fighting a losing battle. You are doing your best to get rid of things and yet there are tidal waves of items entering the house all the time. Birthdays and Christmas with inevitably see new toys, books, clothes etc entering the house. The way to deal with this is by using the one in one out method.
A new toy comes in, they must choose a toy to donate to make space. Time for new clothes? Ok, let’s clear your old clothes and donate them. Have you read that book recently? Is it a favourite? No? Ok let’s donate this pile and you can have some new ones.
Some people choose to do a big declutter before big events, while others do it afterwards. It’s up to you what you do but make sure to get rid of the old to make room for the new.
And it doesn’t just apply to big events. Whenever you buy something, be it a new tea towel or a new nail varnish, know that you have to get rid of something to make space. Otherwise all of your decluttering efforts will be for nothing – you’ll be back at full capacity before you can blink.
9. Join a challenge
Having a group of people to hold yourself accountable and a way to make the process more fun will make you more likely to carry on. The challenges will be the plan you need to stay on track but they will also provide community to be your cheerleader and help you feel less alone.
I run regular decluttering challenges in my private Decluttering Motherhood Facebook Group – we’d love to have you there.
10. Clear trash as you go
This tip comes from experience… don’t make the mistake of clearing each space only to hoard the stuff that needs to be donated. For months I decluttered and chucked all of the unwanted items for donation into my garage. The result? I ended up with a garage that was full to the brim with bags!
These days, I take the bags out of the house as soon as I am done with each room. Not only do I clear the stuff out quickly, keeping my home tidy, but I also get such a sense of achievement by getting it out of the house.
A note about sentimental items…
Precious items that have sentimental value to you fall into a different category. They aren’t necessarily useful or kept out on display but you aren’t able to part with them for emotional attachment reasons only known to you.
Such items may include; baby items, clothing, inherited items and other memorabilia.
My view on sentimental items is that if you are keeping these things, you make sure that you are keeping them for the right reasons and that you store them in a way that is best for that item and your home.
For example, I have a memory box for each of my children that holds their hospital ID tags, my favourite babygrow, ‘new baby’ cards from grandparents and a couple of other bits. There is no place for these bits in my home but there is no way on earth I could part with them. Storing them in a beautiful box is the best way to keep them.
I recently inherited a beautiful tea set from my Grandmother. Right now it is sitting in a box gathering dust. It could remain that way forever but that would not be the right thing to do. I could either a) donate it for someone to enjoy and make use of or b) put it out on display for everyone to see and enjoy each day. I’ll be choosing option B.
Don’t keep things for the sake of keeping things. Ask yourself whether you need the item to retain the memory or whether you could let it go, letting someone else take joy in it while you keep the memory.
If you are keeping something, either store it in a way that respects the item or have it out on display. Hiding things in cupboards for a long time gathering dust is just a waste.
A note about storage…
I used to think that lack of storage space was the problem, that is if I just had more then I’d be ok. I now realise that storage just gives you permission to fill it up with more stuff. I know that even if I had a whole storage unit I’d still be able to fill it to the top.
Storage isn’t the problem, too much stuff is the problem.
If you are like me and live in a home with barely any storage space then you have to accept this and reduce the amount of things you own. Live within your means. Buying more IKEA units won’t fix the problem, you’ll just have more furniture clogging up space.
If you are lucky enough to have a home with plenty of cupboards and drawers, you don’t have to fill them to the brim. Space is good.
Hopefully these top decluttering tips can help you to get started on your decluttering journey towards creating a clutter-free home and giving up those pack-rat tendencies.