The 9 Sources of Clutter in a Home to Tackle First

For a long time, I’ve noticed that people make problems more complicated than they really need to be. No judgement here, I do it too. It’s just easier to notice when someone else does it.

Let’s take the problem of clutter. There are many ways to tackle the project of decluttering your home, and many people seem to get overwhelmed and never actually changing anything.

A lot of that “lost” time is spend researching how to declutter and where to start– based on the many people entering those queries on Google.

The truth is, you can start anywhere. The easiest place to begin is to just walk around your home and write down the most obvious spots of clutter you see. That’s exactly what I did and what follows is the list I created as I walked from room to room in our home, noticing what stood out.

The goal of this exercise is to simply remind you of how simple it can be. It’s a reminder we all need from time to time.

Here are the 9 sources of remaining clutter in our home, which I plan to tackle first:

Paper or mail that’s left on the counter to process later

Paper clutter rarely feels like clutter when we set it down. It’s usually accompanied by a reasonable-sounding plan: “I’ll go through this after dinner,” or “I’ll file these receipts when I get a minute.” Unfortunately, those minutes don’t usually come until the pile is tipping over.

The problem is that paper tends to multiply when left unattended. A single piece of mail leads to a small pile, which leads to a bigger pile, which leads to crucial tipping point where you have summon real energy just to face the mess you unintentionally created.

One practical way to stop this source of clutter is to set up a habit where you immediately sort mail over the recycling bin, keeping only what’s absolutely necessary. If something needs further action, decide right then and there when you’re going to work on it.

Amazon boxes left near the door to be opened or returned

Every online order comes with the little thrill of anticipation, but that thrill can easily morph into clutter if we’re not careful. The boxes arrive, we take a quick peak to see what’s inside, and then we set them down “for now,” and suddenly the entryway looks like a mini-warehouse.

Returns are an even bigger problem. It’s never an ideal time to print the label, find your packing tape, and make a quick trip to the drop off. Before you know it, the return window has closed and you’re stuck with the unfortunate purchase for good.

The best habit here is a fast one: open packages the day they arrive and put things away. Place returns directly in your car so that you’re forced to deal with them, and they can’t pile up. A simple system removes the decision-making that slows us down.

Items we don’t really use but seem too valuable to get rid of

It’s funny how an object’s perceived value can trap us. For me it’s some new shirts I realized I didn’t like after the return window, or my road bike I purchased but barely used. We hold onto these things because letting them go feels like losing money.

This mindset traps us in clutter. What we often forget is that an unused item has already lost its value to us—it’s just taking up space now. Now we’re paying for it again with the loss of our peace of mind.

A helpful reframe is to see donating or selling these items not as a loss, but as reclaiming your living space. When you let go of what no longer serves you, you create more room for what actually does.

Baskets of clothes or other chores waiting for the right time

A full basket of laundry or an unfinished chore doesn’t just sit there innocently. It quietly eats at us subconsciously, cluttering our mental space along with our physical one.

We often let these piles accumulate because we’re waiting for a perfect time to deal with them—when we’re less tired, less busy, or more motivated. The perfect time rarely comes. What does come is a growing pile that feels heavier by the day.

One trick that’s helped me is the two-minute rule: if you can put away a basket or complete a small chore in under two minutes, do it right then and there. Or, another approach is to tackle one small bit of clutter in a room everytime you leave.

Toys our kids left on the ground when we called them to do something

This is one of the most understandable sources of clutter, and also one of the most avoidable once you recognize the pattern. Kids live in the moment. When you call them to dinner or bedtime, they don’t think to clean up—they just come running (or dragging their feet).

The clutter accumulates because we, the adults, are also in a hurry. We prioritize getting to the next thing over circling back to clean up the last thing. 

A simple fix is to create a micro-habit: when transitioning between activities, add 90 seconds for a quick clean-up. It certainly won’t get everything, but it does develop a good habit, and keeps things from turning into a disaster.

Random stuff that never really developed a good home

Some clutter exists not because of neglect but because of indecision. We acquire random objects—gifts, gadgets, miscellaneous gear—and never quite figure out where they belong. So they float from countertop to drawer to tabletop. I’m thinking about my bluetooth speaker that ends up wherever the last place I use it, because it really has no home.

This source of kind of clutter is particularly tricky. You can look at an item and it doesn’t seem obviously out of place. Perhaps you leave it there often. But combine enough of these “floating” objects and a room can feel cluttered.

Books and magazines we leave around with hopes to read

Books and magazines are one of the most harmless forms of clutter, in my opinion. Especially when it comes to books, which can actually look cool in stacks. But even I, a lover of books, can admit that it starts to look messy when books (and magazines) are randomly distributed on every flat surface of your home. 

Sometimes we leave them lying around because of good intentions: someday, we’ll finally read that article or dive into that novel. They represent a hopefulness about some future leisure time. But after a while, it can become a minor emotional burden— another item on our todo list that we’re not getting to.

My approach is to designate one spot where I’m allowed to keep my reading material. For me, that’s the nightstand beside my bed. It’s not perfect, but having some limit in place keeps it reasonably contained.

Bags that need to be unpacked from recent usage

Whether it’s a backpack from a weekend trip or a gym bag from your workout, unpacked bags are a surprisingly common clutter source. We bring them home, and then in our exhuastion, excitement, or laziness, leave them right by the door with the intention of getting to it later.

Later turns into days—or longer—and soon we’re stepping over bags to get to other things we need. Worse yet, the contents inside become stale, stinky, or forgotten because they weren’t promptly returned to where they belong.

Assorted items left out for regular use but are clutter nonetheless

Some clutter disguises itself as essentials. Maybe it’s a hairbrush on the bathroom counter, a charging cable running across the floor, or a water bottle left on the counter for “easy access.”

The problem is that “easy access” quickly becomes “constant visual noise.” When everything is left out in the open, nothing looks intentional. The house starts looking and feeling cluttered, even if everything technically has a purpose.

A good design tip I picked up from a blog I’ve long forgotten is to organize items like this by containing them. You could use a basket, tray, or bin where you group similar items together. You’d be surprised how much nicer three water bottles look on a tray rather than sprawled across a counter.