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10 Clever Ways to Prevent Clutter from Happening in the First Place

Stephanie Nguyen
Stephanie NguyenSenior Editor of Cleaning & Organizing at Apartment Therapy
I started off working in my college newsroom and graduated with degrees in English and Journalism from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. I made my way into local newspaper and magazine publications, then made the leap from print to digital media. I served as the Editor of Hawaii Home + Remodeling magazine before joining Apartment Therapy in May 2022. I’m proud to direct the vision and voice for Apartment Therapy's Cleaning and Organizing verticals, develop and run editorial tentpole and award programs (including the beloved Cure programs, Cleaning Awards, and Organization Awards), and work with a truly talented team of editors and writers. I am passionate about sharing stories that provide our readers with the resources they need to create a home that looks and feels good to them.
published Sep 23, 2024
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Apartment Therapy’s Decluttering Cure is a free two-week decluttering program that’ll help you achieve a tidier home. Sign up here and get all 14 assignments delivered to your inbox.

We’ve spent a lot of time actively decluttering the current state of our homes during the Decluttering Cure. And while that’s a great thing, it’s not a total fix for future problems. For that, we’ll have to take a look at our current systems and see how we can improve them so we can have a clutter-free home.

Day 8: Do one thing to prevent clutter.

For today’s assignment, we’ll be doing just one thing to help prevent clutter. Here are some ideas to get you started, and feel free to do as many as you want now or save them for later! 

  1. Cancel a subscription you no longer use or read, like a streaming service, physical magazine, or digital subscription to a newspaper.
  2. Stop catalogs. You can find a number on the back of most catalogs to call and request that you be taken off the list. 
  3. Get your address off junk mail lists. The Federal Trade Commission recommends using the website www.optoutprescreen.com to prevent letters for up to five years or permanently. 
  4. Sign up for online statements for all your banking, bills, and more.
  5. Set up a home landing strip to stop clutter at the door. This can include a surface, like a table, to hold items as they come and go; a container/bowl to hold wallets, keys, and other things; and a wastebasket to gather trash, to name a few.
  6. Unsubscribe from unwanted emails. Don’t let digital clutter pile up!
  7. Think before you print. Consider if something needs to be printed or can be kept digitally instead.
  8. Implement a one-in, one-out rule — or the more intense one-in, three-out rule — so clutter can’t grow.
  9. Declutter regularly. Along with following our annual Decluttering Cure, try to incorporate “declutter dates” on your calendar so you are constantly editing your home.
  10. Set up a permanent donate outbox and commit to monthly trips to empty it.

PRO TIP: Having tried-and-true organizational methods, systems, and tools in place can also help rein in messes. Need a new method or system? Try this one. Need some tools? Check out our 2024 Organization Awards for some of the best organizing products out there.

What else do you do to prevent clutter? Tell us in the community forum!

More ways to participate in the Decluttering Cure:

The Cure Program is a tradition here at Apartment Therapy — it happens every January, April, and September. Click here to learn more about the year-round program and when to sign up.

Join the Decluttering Cure Community