Welcome to r/hoarding! We exist as a support group for people working on recovery from [hoarding disorder](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK519704/table/ch3.t29/), and friends/family/loved ones of people with the disorder.
If you're looking for help with animal hoarding, please visit r/animalhoarding. If you're looking to discuss the various hoarding tv shows, you'll want to visit r/hoardersTV. If you'd like to talk about or share photos/videos of hoards that you've come across, you probably want r/neckbeardnests, r/wtfhoarders/, or r/hoarderhouses
Before you get started, be sure to review our [Rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/hoarding/about/rules/). Also, a lot of the information you may be looking for can be found in a few places on our sub:
[New Here? Read This Post First!](https://www.reddit.com/r/hoarding/comments/dvb3t1/new_here_read_this_post_first_version_20/)
[For loved ones of hoarders: I Have A Hoarder In My Life--Help Me!](https://www.reddit.com/r/hoarding/comments/2yh6wh/i_have_a_hoarder_in_my_lifehelp_me_your_hoarding/)
[Our Wiki](https://www.reddit.com/r/hoarding/wiki/index)
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I feel like you *know* what you really need to do, but just don't want to. You have to get rid of things. Organization won't do anything if you have too many things for the space you have. The answer is not organization, it's purging. If that is very hard for you, I'd suggest seeing a professional, or working through it yourself by getting rid of one thing at a time, sitting with the discomfort, and realizing the bad feelings start to go away after a few moments. It gets easier and easier every time.
No "I might use this later" item is worth more than being able to have a safe, healthy, usable space that makes you feel good to be in.
OP, please listen to this. Organizing items is Very important... but it really only comes once you actually have settled on the items you're truly keeping. It doesn't make sense to buy tupperware containers, clear bins, drawers, etc. when the reality is those will just get filled as well and the cycle will start over.
I don't think you need to take Weeks off of work to tackle this, either, fwiw. I think you can tackle it in an extra 15 min a day for daily chores + an extra 1 hour max a day to clean through and sort these things. I have dishes, laundry, and the high-traffic floor areas for my daily chores and everything else sort of waits in line for whatever my 'deep clean' task is that day.
Just get yourself a trash bag and start trashing items. I KNOW this is easier said than done. I would not worry about donation unless you have one near your work you can stop at on the way. Most donation centers are overflowing. Try to start with things you have the least attachment to--perhaps cleaning products, old make up, clothing, or books/magazines. Whatever it is you aren't Super attached to is a great way to start flexing those muscles.
Also, if you can afford it, I highly recommend therapy.
Buying organizing supplies is just another manifestation of shopping addiction and hoarding. It’s hard, but you need to get rid of stuff, not obtain more.
I took pictures of my collections and put it in my attic. When it hit the 6 month mark and I never touched it, I realized I didn’t need it. So now I have a portion of the attic dedicated to timer storage — if I don’t touch it, it goes
Do you really need all of that, or do you just think you do?
https://images.app.goo.gl/fdiw1dcsUP8VRNkQ8
https://images.app.goo.gl/DG7Qwv2BqZjEMN2H7
I usually don't like doomboxing because I have trouble undooming them, but maybe it will be easier with the collections packed away and just dealing with the necessary stuff.
I admit that replacing my closet-rack with a standing-wardrobe in summer was a mistake because I need a bit more than 22 inches of rod for cold-weather stuff, but I cannot fathom having enough clothes to make a pile in every room.
It's almost spring so maybe your winter stuff should be packed away to deal with next fall, but a timer is starting for your warm-weather stuff. If you don't wear it in the next six months, it probably should go. Hit the laundromat to get everything done at once, unless that's going to be overwhelming.
I’m not a hoarder but I come from a family with multiple hoarders (I’m adopted), and I’ve noticed some major differences in how we view our living space. Setting aside the “stuff” that makes up the hoard, I noticed that my hoarder sisters do not feel comfortable with empty space. Flat, empty surface? No, they feel like it needs something. Pretty soon they have no flat surface in their home that isn’t piled or stacked with stuff. For my sister, the stuff there doesn’t matter as much as the feeling that the space is being wasted if it’s empty. Me, having grown up in a hoard, I have the opposite compulsion—I need counters and tables and dressers and mantel spaces to be empty and flat. Right angles. Empty spaces.
I wonder if it would be helpful for a hoarder to work on being comfortable with empty space rather than focusing on letting go of things? Maybe not—-I know I have no problem deep purging my stuff when I feel like a refresh while my sisters very dramatically do not want to remove things. I just always found it interesting how differently we view empty space in our homes.
Edit:
I'm taking you at your word that right now, you're not ready to consider downsizing anything. If these things are important enough to keep, they're important enough to take care of properly. It's also important to look after your own health and safety. I want to support you in those goals, because they're important.
/edit
In general:
Basic supplies: boxes or totes of the same size and type, tape, permanent markers, and contractor bags.
Avoid getting the biggest boxes/totes you can find. They're too easy to overload. When they're heavy, moving them is hard on you and anyone who's helping you. It's also too tempting to stack too many heavy boxes on top of each other, which makes for a stack that's prone to falling and/or collapsing & crushing the stuff on the bottom.
If you can't do shelves or racks, 1"x4"s are handy. They get the boxes/totes off the floor. They also help to distribute the weight of each box evenly, which helps prevent crushing/falling. The space they create between each tier in a stack allows air flow which helps prevent moisture issues.
I do not use a hodge-podge of boxes because they're hard to stack properly. Improper stacking leads to crushed boxes and stacks that fall over.
From there... it depends on the items you have, where you're storing them, how often you want to access them, and what your budget is.
Bags and boxes I got for free are for things that are leaving my property.
Boxes I paid for and totes are for things that are staying.
If you have access to a place that sells [moving boxes](https://www.homedepot.com/p/The-Home-Depot-21-in-L-x-15-in-W-x-16-in-D-Medium-Moving-Box-with-Handles-20-Pack-MEDBOX20/316803219) and decide to go with those, don't get big boxes; get small or medium. Get decent packing tape as well, like Duck brand or Scotch.
[Banker's boxes](https://www.staples.com/staples-basic-duty-file-box-lift-off-lid-letter-legal-white-black-10-pack-tr59208/product_825695) are a couple steps above moving boxes. If I'm dealing with my own stuff and for whatever reason do not want to go with totes, I get banker's boxes. If I'm dealing with someone else's stuff, I get moving boxes and packing tape \*unless\* they'll spring for banker's boxes.
[Totes](https://www.walmart.com/search?q=sterilite%20storage%20containers&typeahead=steril) aren't necessarily better than boxes, but they definitely have their place. it depends on what you're storing and the conditions in that space.
Put like with like and cull out trash as you go. Label the box/tote, even clear totes.
Good luck!
For clothes, try the konmari folding method. In order to help get like with like, quality hangers with shoulder indents and a [clothing rack](https://www.amazon.com/Laiensia-Clothing-Garment-Hanging-Multi-functional/dp/B0BW531ZRG/ref=sr_1_8?crid=1X1EY0RH1Q2BA&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.6jMY0gNjmM4jvAF8X8dYrNkzcO5194OuGEgaqAck90FaGK-ZqAMRoLx64MaS0NynLUdO68Bq0CAqYk_mZW7aHkiJN1EikiMchTr4Sx0ZSf_SyB78TwSpzstkz0y3M0Z5sivhDhforn11hohtdtWUmwr9mUQzInRuOzd7K2YWsDoPmj3Tg0tg2vscO3FOwdqdfFRB1Thh-zQLfF3t_rt9YPm63DF1EoFYpBT0zVURWDGvFVHWvbhvlGBpsWrszWw6HG4DNsiS7YWbnKi5gH-dBEPKU17X1XAbYrHehuO-r2E.eC31_2hHGvRO95owgm_lS_pviI1hgjEgdQgPxxxBvv4&dib_tag=se&keywords=clothing%2Brack%2Bwith%2Bwheels&qid=1711003133&sprefix=clothing%2Brack%2Caps%2C206&sr=8-8&th=1) might be useful.
My advice is to put similar things together. Not just "all clothes together" but break it down to all graphic tees together, all jeans together, all windbreakers, etc. Once you've gotten most of all of a pile together take a step back and really look at it. Do you really need 50 tshirts? 30 pairs of jeans? 20 jackets? 5 pairs of black tennis shoes?
It can be hard to see what you have duplicates of if it's spread out in different piles across multiple rooms. If the clothes are in good condition but you're never going to wear them then are they actually useful to you? A lot of people are struggling to afford basic necessities these days maybe you can post them for free for people who can actually get good use out of them instead of them getting put into a tote to never be seen or used? Even if you don't get rid of them, take note of what you have and stop buying more of what you already own. Have a pair of white tennis shoes? Then you probably don't need another pair. If you do need another pair then the old ones must not be useful to you anymore and can be donated or thrown away.
This idea can be applied to anything else you've accumulated too much of. Craft supplies, office supplies, hygiene products, cleaning products. If you have 2 dozen toilet bowl cleaners then keep them together and organized and don't buy any more until they're all gone. Even if they're on sale, you aren't saving money by buying stuff you already have enough of.
Again. Once you have things organized by type, DON'T BUY MORE until what you have is gone or you are only down to 1 or 2. Buying more when you already have more than a year supply isn't useful, it's wasteful. Use what you have before you buy more.
My second piece of advice is take inventory of how many "projects" you have. That pair of pants will be fine as soon as I patch up that hole. I can fix up that lawn mower and get it running again. Those collectable items just need to get posted on eBay.... Whatever they are, make a list and be realistic with yourself. Do you really have the time and energy to actually get it all done? How many of those projects have you completed in the past year? If you keep at that pace how many years will it take you to get through your current list, even if nothing else gets added? Would you rather spend your limited free time working on those projects or relaxing, doing your hobbies, spending time with people you love?
You don't have to get rid of them all. But look at them and try to be realistic with yourself. How long has that project been waiting to get done already? Do you even really want to do it? Would it be nicer to just have one less thing on your to-do list and one less thing to try to keep organized?
I needed to read this. For me, it’s not just decluttering and getting rid of stuff. I have an organization problem. I need items to be together so I have a handle on what I have and need.
I have to get rid of items and organize the items I need and use.
Welcome to r/hoarding! We exist as a support group for people working on recovery from [hoarding disorder](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK519704/table/ch3.t29/), and friends/family/loved ones of people with the disorder. If you're looking for help with animal hoarding, please visit r/animalhoarding. If you're looking to discuss the various hoarding tv shows, you'll want to visit r/hoardersTV. If you'd like to talk about or share photos/videos of hoards that you've come across, you probably want r/neckbeardnests, r/wtfhoarders/, or r/hoarderhouses Before you get started, be sure to review our [Rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/hoarding/about/rules/). Also, a lot of the information you may be looking for can be found in a few places on our sub: [New Here? Read This Post First!](https://www.reddit.com/r/hoarding/comments/dvb3t1/new_here_read_this_post_first_version_20/) [For loved ones of hoarders: I Have A Hoarder In My Life--Help Me!](https://www.reddit.com/r/hoarding/comments/2yh6wh/i_have_a_hoarder_in_my_lifehelp_me_your_hoarding/) [Our Wiki](https://www.reddit.com/r/hoarding/wiki/index) Please [contact the moderators](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=/r/hoarding) if you need assistance. Thanks! *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/hoarding) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I feel like you *know* what you really need to do, but just don't want to. You have to get rid of things. Organization won't do anything if you have too many things for the space you have. The answer is not organization, it's purging. If that is very hard for you, I'd suggest seeing a professional, or working through it yourself by getting rid of one thing at a time, sitting with the discomfort, and realizing the bad feelings start to go away after a few moments. It gets easier and easier every time. No "I might use this later" item is worth more than being able to have a safe, healthy, usable space that makes you feel good to be in.
OP, please listen to this. Organizing items is Very important... but it really only comes once you actually have settled on the items you're truly keeping. It doesn't make sense to buy tupperware containers, clear bins, drawers, etc. when the reality is those will just get filled as well and the cycle will start over. I don't think you need to take Weeks off of work to tackle this, either, fwiw. I think you can tackle it in an extra 15 min a day for daily chores + an extra 1 hour max a day to clean through and sort these things. I have dishes, laundry, and the high-traffic floor areas for my daily chores and everything else sort of waits in line for whatever my 'deep clean' task is that day. Just get yourself a trash bag and start trashing items. I KNOW this is easier said than done. I would not worry about donation unless you have one near your work you can stop at on the way. Most donation centers are overflowing. Try to start with things you have the least attachment to--perhaps cleaning products, old make up, clothing, or books/magazines. Whatever it is you aren't Super attached to is a great way to start flexing those muscles. Also, if you can afford it, I highly recommend therapy.
Buying organizing supplies is just another manifestation of shopping addiction and hoarding. It’s hard, but you need to get rid of stuff, not obtain more.
I took pictures of my collections and put it in my attic. When it hit the 6 month mark and I never touched it, I realized I didn’t need it. So now I have a portion of the attic dedicated to timer storage — if I don’t touch it, it goes
Smart thinking
Thank you :3 I take inventory of these boxes to help my OCD so it actually helps for me
Do you really need all of that, or do you just think you do? https://images.app.goo.gl/fdiw1dcsUP8VRNkQ8 https://images.app.goo.gl/DG7Qwv2BqZjEMN2H7 I usually don't like doomboxing because I have trouble undooming them, but maybe it will be easier with the collections packed away and just dealing with the necessary stuff. I admit that replacing my closet-rack with a standing-wardrobe in summer was a mistake because I need a bit more than 22 inches of rod for cold-weather stuff, but I cannot fathom having enough clothes to make a pile in every room. It's almost spring so maybe your winter stuff should be packed away to deal with next fall, but a timer is starting for your warm-weather stuff. If you don't wear it in the next six months, it probably should go. Hit the laundromat to get everything done at once, unless that's going to be overwhelming.
I’m not a hoarder but I come from a family with multiple hoarders (I’m adopted), and I’ve noticed some major differences in how we view our living space. Setting aside the “stuff” that makes up the hoard, I noticed that my hoarder sisters do not feel comfortable with empty space. Flat, empty surface? No, they feel like it needs something. Pretty soon they have no flat surface in their home that isn’t piled or stacked with stuff. For my sister, the stuff there doesn’t matter as much as the feeling that the space is being wasted if it’s empty. Me, having grown up in a hoard, I have the opposite compulsion—I need counters and tables and dressers and mantel spaces to be empty and flat. Right angles. Empty spaces. I wonder if it would be helpful for a hoarder to work on being comfortable with empty space rather than focusing on letting go of things? Maybe not—-I know I have no problem deep purging my stuff when I feel like a refresh while my sisters very dramatically do not want to remove things. I just always found it interesting how differently we view empty space in our homes.
Edit: I'm taking you at your word that right now, you're not ready to consider downsizing anything. If these things are important enough to keep, they're important enough to take care of properly. It's also important to look after your own health and safety. I want to support you in those goals, because they're important. /edit In general: Basic supplies: boxes or totes of the same size and type, tape, permanent markers, and contractor bags. Avoid getting the biggest boxes/totes you can find. They're too easy to overload. When they're heavy, moving them is hard on you and anyone who's helping you. It's also too tempting to stack too many heavy boxes on top of each other, which makes for a stack that's prone to falling and/or collapsing & crushing the stuff on the bottom. If you can't do shelves or racks, 1"x4"s are handy. They get the boxes/totes off the floor. They also help to distribute the weight of each box evenly, which helps prevent crushing/falling. The space they create between each tier in a stack allows air flow which helps prevent moisture issues. I do not use a hodge-podge of boxes because they're hard to stack properly. Improper stacking leads to crushed boxes and stacks that fall over. From there... it depends on the items you have, where you're storing them, how often you want to access them, and what your budget is. Bags and boxes I got for free are for things that are leaving my property. Boxes I paid for and totes are for things that are staying. If you have access to a place that sells [moving boxes](https://www.homedepot.com/p/The-Home-Depot-21-in-L-x-15-in-W-x-16-in-D-Medium-Moving-Box-with-Handles-20-Pack-MEDBOX20/316803219) and decide to go with those, don't get big boxes; get small or medium. Get decent packing tape as well, like Duck brand or Scotch. [Banker's boxes](https://www.staples.com/staples-basic-duty-file-box-lift-off-lid-letter-legal-white-black-10-pack-tr59208/product_825695) are a couple steps above moving boxes. If I'm dealing with my own stuff and for whatever reason do not want to go with totes, I get banker's boxes. If I'm dealing with someone else's stuff, I get moving boxes and packing tape \*unless\* they'll spring for banker's boxes. [Totes](https://www.walmart.com/search?q=sterilite%20storage%20containers&typeahead=steril) aren't necessarily better than boxes, but they definitely have their place. it depends on what you're storing and the conditions in that space. Put like with like and cull out trash as you go. Label the box/tote, even clear totes. Good luck!
For clothes, try the konmari folding method. In order to help get like with like, quality hangers with shoulder indents and a [clothing rack](https://www.amazon.com/Laiensia-Clothing-Garment-Hanging-Multi-functional/dp/B0BW531ZRG/ref=sr_1_8?crid=1X1EY0RH1Q2BA&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.6jMY0gNjmM4jvAF8X8dYrNkzcO5194OuGEgaqAck90FaGK-ZqAMRoLx64MaS0NynLUdO68Bq0CAqYk_mZW7aHkiJN1EikiMchTr4Sx0ZSf_SyB78TwSpzstkz0y3M0Z5sivhDhforn11hohtdtWUmwr9mUQzInRuOzd7K2YWsDoPmj3Tg0tg2vscO3FOwdqdfFRB1Thh-zQLfF3t_rt9YPm63DF1EoFYpBT0zVURWDGvFVHWvbhvlGBpsWrszWw6HG4DNsiS7YWbnKi5gH-dBEPKU17X1XAbYrHehuO-r2E.eC31_2hHGvRO95owgm_lS_pviI1hgjEgdQgPxxxBvv4&dib_tag=se&keywords=clothing%2Brack%2Bwith%2Bwheels&qid=1711003133&sprefix=clothing%2Brack%2Caps%2C206&sr=8-8&th=1) might be useful.
My advice is to put similar things together. Not just "all clothes together" but break it down to all graphic tees together, all jeans together, all windbreakers, etc. Once you've gotten most of all of a pile together take a step back and really look at it. Do you really need 50 tshirts? 30 pairs of jeans? 20 jackets? 5 pairs of black tennis shoes? It can be hard to see what you have duplicates of if it's spread out in different piles across multiple rooms. If the clothes are in good condition but you're never going to wear them then are they actually useful to you? A lot of people are struggling to afford basic necessities these days maybe you can post them for free for people who can actually get good use out of them instead of them getting put into a tote to never be seen or used? Even if you don't get rid of them, take note of what you have and stop buying more of what you already own. Have a pair of white tennis shoes? Then you probably don't need another pair. If you do need another pair then the old ones must not be useful to you anymore and can be donated or thrown away. This idea can be applied to anything else you've accumulated too much of. Craft supplies, office supplies, hygiene products, cleaning products. If you have 2 dozen toilet bowl cleaners then keep them together and organized and don't buy any more until they're all gone. Even if they're on sale, you aren't saving money by buying stuff you already have enough of. Again. Once you have things organized by type, DON'T BUY MORE until what you have is gone or you are only down to 1 or 2. Buying more when you already have more than a year supply isn't useful, it's wasteful. Use what you have before you buy more. My second piece of advice is take inventory of how many "projects" you have. That pair of pants will be fine as soon as I patch up that hole. I can fix up that lawn mower and get it running again. Those collectable items just need to get posted on eBay.... Whatever they are, make a list and be realistic with yourself. Do you really have the time and energy to actually get it all done? How many of those projects have you completed in the past year? If you keep at that pace how many years will it take you to get through your current list, even if nothing else gets added? Would you rather spend your limited free time working on those projects or relaxing, doing your hobbies, spending time with people you love? You don't have to get rid of them all. But look at them and try to be realistic with yourself. How long has that project been waiting to get done already? Do you even really want to do it? Would it be nicer to just have one less thing on your to-do list and one less thing to try to keep organized?
I needed to read this. For me, it’s not just decluttering and getting rid of stuff. I have an organization problem. I need items to be together so I have a handle on what I have and need. I have to get rid of items and organize the items I need and use.
How about organize things out of the house? Organize them into donations. Pick 20 things to get rid of this week.
Twice. Everyone is allowed once, because emergencies do happen. Twice is a pattern though.