Student Derrick Valenti has a confession: he is a clutter bug. The gay college student juggles his studies and two jobs and says he doesn’t always have time to keep his place neat and tidy.
“I’m busy and try to maintain a social life,” he says. “I don’t have time to do anything.
It’s easy to say that he should just douse the floors with a little Mr. Clean and make everything April fresh, but what happens when it’s time to actually change our cleaning habits?
For Valenti, the biggest challenge is getting rid of his clutter.
“I was a messy kid,” he says. “I lived in pretty much a war zone because toys and crap were everywhere. My mom was the type of mom that would go and clean my room for me.”
The challenge Valenti faces is fairly common. Keeping shoes nicely aligned in the closet—not to mention the bloody battle between clothes and their hangers—can be an ongoing battle, despite the season.
When asked if he was willing to hear some professional advice on his organizing skills, Valenti didn’t hesitate. He said he knew a few basic tips would take him far.
“It would make my life easier to de-clutter instead of having to pick through a pile of clothes and decide what I want to wear that night,” Valenti says. “If a person could organize my space and then give me tips as well as things to do that would make it a lot easier for me to maintain it, I could change. If someone says there’s an easier process then I would be more open to change.”
By organizing first, cleaning habits are more likely to evolve.
Get in the habit
Fortunately for Valenti and other clutter bugs of the world, there are ways to get a handle on the clutter besides allowing it to consume large areas of your valuable living space. Trina Gregory, a realtor with Keller Williams Advantage Realty, says making small sacrifices can make clutter disappear and make household chores run much smoother.
The Orlando-based resident not only sells homes, she helps her clients get the most of their living quarters through decorating, organizing and keeping a well kept home while maximizing their living space.
“People have a tendency to connect feelings with objects and they associate memories with keeping things in their lives,” Gregory says.
Throwing those objects away is not usually an option for most nostalgic people, but organizing them in a fun way can actually add value and preserve those memories longer. For example, for someone who is a fan of Broadway shows and collects ticket stubs and show programs, turning them into a mural of memorabilia will not only save space, but provide some wall art.
“Being able to help people separate their feelings from objects is one of the greatest things in helping people to de-clutter,” Gregory says.
In Valenti’s case, Gregory thinks he should reorganize from the ground up—literally. She suggests that Valenti take the clothes that normally litter his floor and hang them up on hangers. She advises to use only wood hangers with rubber grips because they are better at holding the shape of clothes.
“If he can tell me if he’s actually worn it in the last six months, then it gets hung up with the hanger hook facing backwards,” she says. “If he hasn’t worn it in the last six months but refuses to part with it, then he should turn it around and hang it up on the hanger hook facing forward.”
Gregory uses her “hanger system” to check back with clients and follow up on their use of clothing. She often suggests that clients who have not worn something within the last six months donate it to charity.
“If you haven’t worn it in that long, chances are you won’t wear it,” she says.
She also has another suggestion for those who are battling clutter but love to buy new clothing.
“For every one thing that you go purchase that’s new, you have to choose two things out of your closet that you are going to get rid of or donate,” she says.
Keeping it clean
Valenti took Gregory’s advice and is now living in a clutter-free environment. But, as a victim of his own childhood habits, it may be difficult for him to remain de-cluttered.
But Gregory remains optimistic.
“Everything is trainable and conditional,” she says. “If you do it for 30 days, you can do it for life.”
According to Gregory, rewarding one’s new commitment to cleanliness with redecorating the bathroom or by purchasing a new clothing item is a way to ensure the new habit sticks.
She also reminds Valenti that “it’s okay to throw it away.”
For those items we use every day, Gregory suggests finding a home for everything. Don’t just stuff shoes under the bed, she says, or toss clothes into the closet. Make a commitment to organization and a clutter-free environment will develop naturally.
