Let It Go! An Ode to Starting Fresh And Free of Clutter in 2022

By Holly Haber
Special Contributor

Decades ago I saw a photography book that depicted families of different nations in front of their homes along with every single item that had been inside in their residences.

A Nepalese trio stood with a few baskets. A family in Tokyo had all their belongings arranged neatly on the sidewalk in front of their narrow two-story home.

As for the Americans, their simple ranch house disgorged enough furniture and belongings to occupy the entire front lawn plus the concrete circle of their cul de sac. 

It made an impression. So, too, did a recent AARP report that the average American home contains 300,000 items.

I’m thinking they probably counted every paperclip and nail. Still, the reality is that most of us privileged Americans, myself included, have too much stuff, and it’s weighing us down. 

How to Lighten The Load

Clutter has been linked to anxiety, stress, problems with sleep and focus, and even consuming junk food and television. I guess you tune in to see neater homes?

Experts advise that the best way to get rid of clutter is to tackle a single area at a time, reviewing each item and placing it into a pile to keep, to give away (or sell), or to trash/recycle.

If that feels daunting, start small with a shelf or a drawer instead of an overwhelmingly crowded space, like my garage.

Not Everything Will ‘Spark Joy’

We’ve all heard Marie Kondo’s mandate to keep only goods that “spark joy.”

For me, an admitted pack rat, that’s a fantasy. I need some bubble wrap on hand even if it doesn’t spark joy, don’t I? But maybe not two bags of it.

Other easy buh-bye! paraphernalia includes old magazines, glass/plastic containers, excess kitchenware, anything damaged or chipped, clothing that doesn’t fit, and sentimental keepsakes that you never use or don’t particularly like. You’ll still remember grandma without that insipid Hummel she gave you, won’t you?

I’m supposed to tell you to get rid of outdated clothing, too, but I just can’t. After decades of writing about fashion, I know everything comes back.

Paring Down, Leveling Up: Removes the Weight of the World

A friend of Candy’s who downsized from an 11,000-square-foot home to 5,500 square feet after raising four children in said home says she felt liberated from “the weight of the world” after paring down, organizing, and giving stuff away.

“And,” she adds, “I was so happy to see things being used after all the years of sitting in a box.”

Those things included 150 beautiful coffee-table books for which a resale shop offered $200. 

Instead of selling them for peanuts, she invited family and friends to come over to enjoy a glass of wine and take as many books as they wanted.

She advises giving yourself plenty of time for compartmentalizing — her task was more than daunting took 10 months.

If you don’t have that luxury or inertia has set in, call a professional like my friend Michelle Whitaker of That Organized Life.

For $50 an hour, she will efficiently help you parse what to hang onto and what to let go of. Michelle has even sorted out Dallas garages in the summer. She’s passionate about this. Or try The Neat Method, as Candys’ friend did: “My splurge was using Neat Method to organize all our family photos and to set up our new storage unit.”

Me? I tackle my garage only in winter, one shelf at a time.

How To Clear an 11,000-Square-Foot Home:

• YOU gotta do it: After a lifetime of raising a family, you are usually the sole person who can decide what to save, what to discard.
• It Will Take Time: Start very early, perhaps even a year before your target date
• Divide the process into stages so as to not overwhelm
• If you have an attic, start there. (Candy’s friend had a 2000 square foot attic in addition to that huge house.)
• Make three piles every time you bring stuff down to the garage: Keep, Donate/Find a New Home, Think About.
• In a few days, circle back to that “Think About” pile to make a decision: “I ended up donating 95% of the “Think About” pile.”
• Don’t Be Too Hard on Yourself: If you like things and have spent a lifetime collecting them, it IS hard to part with items that reflect dear memories.
• Next: tackle the kitchen (including drawers), every closet, and your office, same process
• If you have children, sorting through their artwork and memorabilia is the hardest. Usually they are out of town or too busy to participate. There are many services that can digitalize artwork.

• “All four of my children told me to trash all their art work and initially I just couldn’t so I ended up taking photos of their art pieces so we would have digital photos of the memories. I’m also saving two huge boxes of memorabilia per child that they can take when they have homes.”
• Consider donating books and plants to the alma mater: “We even transplanted my sons 23’ tall live oak tree that he brought home in a styrofoam cup 17 years ago (first grade science project) to his Alma Mater, St. Marks.”
• Sometimes you can work memorabilia into a piece of art. Candy says she is doing this with crystals from her late mother’s chandelier and love letters her father sent her mother during World War II. We’ll see how that turns out!