21 Quick Clutter Fixes For Your Home

By Jessica Hoelzel

REDUCE the amount of STUFF you have and LIVE GREEN

Click here for earlier posts in my blog series: 21 Quick Clutter Fixes, ways to lighten your load by cutting out clutter bit-by-bit throughout your home. Plus, solutions that keep the environment top-of-mind, so you keep your waste-impact down.

Less Clutter = Healthy Home

Less Waste = Healthy World


Throughout Your Home


21. Always be on the lookout for clutter, and be poised and ready to PURGE. This is the final tip in my 21 Quick Clutter Fixes series. The value here is not in you having a specific area in which to clear out clutter, or a typical type of clutter to keep in check. The value here is in your adopting “clutter radar”. When you see something, grab something, come in contact with something that you don’t use, love or need, IT needs to go. Either trash it, recycle it or donate it.

If you’ve gone through these tips and used them to your advantage to eliminate clutter bit-by-bit throughout your home, then you’ve gotten some practice by now. Maybe you got rid of a ton of stuff. Maybe you uncovered a few things to pitch. The important things to remember are 1) You are never going to be “done”, as things are always coming into our lives, accumulating, becoming clutter – so purging is something you’ll want to do regularly, and 2) How good it feels to be free of the burden of clutter, so you’re motivated to stay on top of it.

I pat you on the back for any and all clutter-clearing you’ve done over the course of this blog series, making your space a healthier place for you and your family. And for the future, keep the environment top-of-mind in the decisions you make about what to buy, what to bring into your home – for the sake of a healthier world for all of us.

21 Quick Clutter Fixes For Your Home

By Jessica Hoelzel

REDUCE the amount of STUFF you have and LIVE GREEN

Keep your eye on Day to Day Feng Shui for each post in my blog series: 21 Quick Clutter Fixes, ways to lighten your load by cutting out clutter bit-by-bit throughout your home. Plus, solutions that keep the environment top-of-mind, so you keep your waste-impact down.


Less Clutter = Healthy Home

Less Waste = Healthy World


In Storage


20. Keep only what you love, need and have the space for. If you’re not moving frequently, chances are you have stuff in storage, tucked way for safe-keeping…in the attic, basement, crawl space, or extra closet(s) that’s been there for years, and continues to accumulate.

Most people operate under the “out of sight, out of mind” concept. As long as things are boxed up, shelved, behind closed doors they’re not affecting you on a daily basis. They’re not part of what you need to “deal with”.

This is not so, according to feng shui. Everything you have is connected to you. Every THING can either weigh you down or lift you up. If it’s not:


something you need (serving a purpose),

something you love (positive vibration) or

something you have the space for (energy can flow freely)



then it could be endangering the feng shui – balance and harmony – of your space (and your life).

Set aside a day or a weekend, on your calendar, to give your storage space a good review, go through, and clean-out. If you get into it and find it’s going to take a LOT longer than you anticipated, break it down. Maybe only do one box or section at a time. If you’ve lived in the same space for a long time, the task can be overwhelming. Do as much as you have the energy for at one given time, then be purposeful about getting back to it. You can do it, and it’s going to feel soooo good.

Eco Tip: The less stuff you LET in your home, the less you need to get rid of, dispose of later. Making environmentally conscious choices about what you buy and keep eliminates some of the burden you place on the planet.

21 Quick Clutter Fixes For Your Home

By Jessica Hoelzel

REDUCE the amount of STUFF you have and LIVE GREEN

Keep your eye on Day to Day Feng Shui for each post in my blog series: 21 Quick Clutter Fixes, ways to lighten your load by cutting out clutter bit-by-bit throughout your home. Plus, solutions that keep the environment top-of-mind, so you keep your waste-impact down.

Less Clutter = Healthy Home

Less Waste = Healthy World


In the Entry


19. Clean UP the shoe pile. Shoes, shoes and more shoes! They can get out of control, especially if there’s more than one person living in your house. And especially if you live in a place with actual seasons, not only do you have different shoes for different purposes (outfits), you have different shoes for different types of weather too.

Lots of shoes hanging around in your entry can clog the chi. Read my last post for more about why you DON’T want this. Besides the annoyance you feel when they’re in your way, the energetics of looking at a pile of “anything” day after day will bring your energy down.

They key is to go up; use your vertical space. This idea can help you maximize space in almost any area in your home. But it’s especially important here. Get the clutter up so you can keep your energy up – so it’s not being brought down by piles of stuff.

Vertical Shoe Storage I Like:

2-Shelf Storage Stacker from The Container Store

Peva Overdoor Shoe Bag from The Container Store

Eco-Friendly Deluxe Bamboo Shoe Shelf


And speaking of weather, make sure you also have convenient places for shoes and boots to set and dry in the winter – either a boot tray or rug work well.

Tip: Minimize what you need to store by boxing up off-season shoes and storing elsewhere.

Eco Tip:  Be smart about your shoe purchases - choosing styles that are timeless, or shoes that can serve more than one purpose (outfit) both reduces what you consume, and what you eventually waste.

21 Quick Clutter Fixes For Your Home

By Jessica Hoelzel

REDUCE the amount of STUFF you have and LIVE GREEN

Keep your eye on Day to Day Feng Shui for each post in my blog series: 21 Quick Clutter Fixes, ways to lighten your load by cutting out clutter bit-by-bit throughout your home. Plus, solutions that keep the environment top-of-mind, so you keep your waste-impact down.

Less Clutter = Healthy Home

Less Waste = Healthy World


In the Entry

18. Clear the pathway. Entries are one of the most important places to keep clutter-free. According to feng shui, they are “mouths of chi”. They are where chi (life force energy) enters our inner spaces from the outside world. In order to attract that chi, and keep our homes filled with good, vibrant energy, it must be allowed in. Then once beckoned in, it must be allowed to flow freely, and circulate. Otherwise we end up with dead, stagnant energy in our homes. Yuk.

Our homes feel bad and we feel bad because clutter stops chi in its tracks. Clear, open spaces encourage it. If your entry has become a catch-all or a dumping ground of stuff, give it some good attention.

Lucky 7 Step-by-Step Guide to Clear Entry Clutter

(Can be used for Laundry/Mudrooms, too...any room in the house!)

Step 1: Grab a trash and recycling bag. Start at one end of the room and move around clockwise/counterclockwise. Get rid of garbage, dingy old things, paper you don’t need, general junk. Remove the bags from the area.

Step 2: Grab 3 boxes. Label: To Return (to other people, the library, etc.), To Donate (to charity) and To Go Elsewhere (in the house). Move around the room as you did in Step 1, sorting things into these categories. Leave the things be that stay in that area. Remove the boxes from the area.

Step 3: Take everything you’d like to keep in the area and sort it into categories. Remove from the area if possible to make room for Step 4.

Step 4: Clean the area. Dust, wipe shelves, clean windows, vacuum and mop floors. Get into the cracks and crevices.

Step 5: Move things that stay in the area back in, and place in their homes. If you find you need more for storage, this is the time to purchase containers or organizers. But be creative with what you have in the house BEFORE you go shopping. Use boxes, baskets, trays, jars, etc. that you already have on hand.

Step 6: Deal with one of the boxes from Step 2 one at a time. 1) Return the things that need to be returned. 2) Take your donation items to charity, or schedule to have them picked up. 3) Put things away elsewhere in the house.

Step 7: Take a few moments in the space to breathe deeply, and pat yourself on the back. Observe how good it feels now that the chi can enter easily and circulate. Job well done.

TIPS: With each of these steps, keep focused on exactly what you’re doing. Don’t get distracted by things you’ll do in other steps. If you’re short on time, do one step a day, or one step a week.

21 Quick Clutter Fixes For Your Home

By Jessica Hoelzel

REDUCE the amount of STUFF you have and LIVE GREEN

Keep your eye on Day to Day Feng Shui for each post in my blog series: 21 Quick Clutter Fixes, ways to lighten your load by cutting out clutter bit-by-bit throughout your home. Plus, solutions that keep the environment top-of-mind, so you keep your waste-impact down.

Less Clutter = Healthy Home

Less Waste = Healthy World


In the Laundry Room/Mudroom

17. Streamline your cleaning products. Similar to the post I wrote about streamlining your personal care products, choosing cleaning products that can do double, triple, quadruple+ duty is smart. Less bottles hanging around, less time spent digging in your cupboards for what you need.

Many eco-friendly products can do just this. There’s lots and lots of info out there on the web related to natural cleaning products, which I don’t have the space to expand upon here, but be sure to check out these two resources:

Earth Justice
Earth Easy

In my house, I like to use Thieves Household Cleaner, a Young Living product. One tiny ounce mixed with water makes 30 ounces of cleaning solution. I make up spray bottles with bottles I would normally recycle. Reusing them this way keeps bottles out of the landfill. If you buy a bottle of cleaner and dispose of it when it’s gone, then buy another, that’s more of an impact on the environment. Reuse as much as you can. Thieves can be used to clean bathrooms, countertops, appliances, floors, windows, glass and more.
The real upside of Thieves, though, is its scent. It’s awesome – a blend of lemon, cinnamon, cloves, eucalyptus and rosemary, real essential oils. It’s a new way to smell clean.

If you’d like to order some for your home, email me

21 Quick Clutter Fixes For Your Home

By Jessica Hoelzel

REDUCE the amount of STUFF you have and LIVE GREEN

Keep your eye on Day to Day Feng Shui for each post in my blog series: 21 Quick Clutter Fixes, ways to lighten your load by cutting out clutter bit-by-bit throughout your home. Plus, solutions that keep the environment top-of-mind, so you keep your waste-impact down.

Less Clutter = Healthy Home

Less Waste = Healthy World


In the Laundry Room/Mudroom

16. Set up a functional area for collecting and sorting laundry. The laundry room can look messy and cluttery for the sole reason that there are piles scattered about. When you get things set up so they’re contained, you’ll fell a whole lot better, calmer in the space. Maybe even want to come in. Maybe even not hate doing laundry that much.

However you do your laundry, you need a way to sort and separate. Some people like to separate by family member, some by color.

Great Resources for Getting the Job Done:

Antique Bronze Bag Sorter

Aluminum Frame Double Hamper

Environmentally-Friendly Bamboo Double Hamper


If you’re building or remodeling, make sure to pay special attention to this utilitarian room. Money spent on built-in sorters, adequate counter space for folding and shelf/cupboard space for storing things will be money well spent. When a space is functional, it’s so much easier to get things done – and maybe even enjoy yourself in the process.

21 Quick Clutter Fixes For Your Home

By Jessica Hoelzel

REDUCE the amount of STUFF you have and LIVE GREEN

Keep your eye on Day to Day Feng Shui for each post in my blog series: 21 Quick Clutter Fixes:  ways to lighten your load by cutting out clutter bit-by-bit throughout your home. Plus, solutions that keep the environment top-of-mind, so you keep your waste-impact down.

Less Clutter = Healthy Home

Less Waste = Healthy World

In the Office


15. Create an Active Desktop Filing System. In an earlier post I discussed eliminating the clutter of paper we don’t need. In this post, I’ll tell you about a solution for the paper you do need, that’s just lying around, waiting to get piled on top of, forgotten, even lost.

Create an Active Desktop Filing System

Let’s break down exactly what this is…

Active means that it’s for things you need to have easy access to, to take “action” on: To Do, To Pay, To Call, Event Notices or other items pending. (“Pending” meaning not done yet.)This is NOT the place for things that are to be filed for reference (“Inactive” files like bank statements or tax documents).

Desktop means that it sits on top of your desk, kitchen counter, or other workspace. They key idea being that it’s easily accessible – at your fingertips. A container with an open top is the best, but if you want it to be less conspicuous, and blend in with your décor, there are options with lids too. See specific product ideas below.

Filing means that 1) there are file folders involved and 2) you use these file folders to sort things out by category. So you can keep things separated, and keep then straight. (Less overwhelming. Orderly.) You can either just use hanging file folders, or tabbed folders with hanging, if you want to create subcategories within the categories.

System means that there’s a method, not madness. It may take getting used to (20 something days to form a habit) but once it becomes habit, it’s easy – second nature to keep up. It’s what you DO.

Product Ideas to Do It Yourself:

Silver Mesh Desktop File

Acrylic Desktop File

Bristol Desktop File (With Lid)

Environmentally-Friendly Bamboo Desktop File


OR – Get Organized INSTANTLY

With a Ready-Made Active Desktop Filing System

ONLY $36!
(plus shipping/handling)

It comes complete with:

Silver Mesh Desktop File Holder

10 Hanging File Folders
(labeled with: To Do, To Pay, Pending, To File, Activities, Events, Projects, Planning, Resources, Emergency Info)

30 Tabbed File Folders: 3 in each Hanging File Folder
(To Do includes one labeled with Urgent; To Pay includes one labeled with Urgent, one with Due 1st -15th, one with Due 16th-31st)

Order one for you, and one for a friend!


Save $10 when you buy 2 – 2 Active Desktop Filing Systems ONLY $62!!!

Both of you can GET ORGANIZED

Email me to place your order. Custom selections available at additional cost.

Hurry! $10 savings on 2 ends 1/31/12.