The Clutter Fairy Weekly #87
Unintentional Collections: The Stashes We Gather Without Even Trying
When we talk about collecting, we usually mean the deliberate accumulation of items in a narrow category, like shot glasses, postcards, or Beanie Babies. But sometimes we end up with a “collection” without even trying: a cupboard full of coffee mugs, 17 kinds of body wash, or enough wrapping paper to last the next 20 Decembers. In episode #87 of The Clutter Fairy Weekly, Gayle Goddard, professional organizer and owner of The Clutter Fairy in Houston, Texas, identifies sources of unintentional collections and offers solutions for getting them under control.
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The Weekly Tittle is an exercise designed to focus your attention on a specific space, aspect, or challenge of decluttering and organizing your home. We assign a new tittle in each webcast/podcast, then check on your progress the following week.
The Unexamined Stash
The focus of this week’s assignment is to identify, clarify, and manage an “unintentional collection”:
- Search your home for any unintentional collections that have sprung into being. This step might entail gathering related items from the various spaces where they’ve settled into one spot.
- Reflect on what habits or behaviors might be contributing to the growth of the collection. Is there a shift you could make to break the pattern of unwanted accumulation?
- Does the collection include things that you love, need, or use frequently? If not, consider letting the whole collection go.
- For any set of items that you’ve identified as containing items of value, review and thin the collection by removing junk, unneeded duplicates, or your least-favorite elements.
- Assign a place or design a storage solution to contain the reduced collection to make it neat, accessible, and out of the way when not in use.
For the full discussion of this week’s tittle, watch the Weekly Tittle segment on YouTube.
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I had never realized how much I do the things you talked about in this podcast. I get shampoo/conditioner with my hair dye and I really don’t use it. So this is definitely an unintended collection. Spices? Yep. Pens? Yep. Vacation mugs? Absolutely. I will look at them with new eyes now. Thanks for an excellent show.
Glad you enjoyed it! I’m able to make the list of items because those collections are in every house I work in!
Oh, I did the tittle over the last few years regarding my “exercise equipment cemetery”. I did have a stepper (mechanic step thingymajig) and a rowing device (not good quality) and I gave both away. My husband had some weird handles to swing about and also got rid of them. Now we only have left a huge hula hoop, a stepping board, a yoga mat and a few little things to massage your own muscles adequately. The other things we successfully gave away. This is the right amount for us.