How To Trim Your Clutter

Not surprisingly, Patricia Burris has organized her clutter-busting principles into an orderly list, “The Five C’s of Clutter.”

Clear out: Haul garbage bags for things to toss. Get a box for things to donate to charity. Get rid of all those things you don’t need. That includes the shirts you don’t wear, the lamp never worth fixing, the yellowed newspaper articles stashed in a desk drawer.

Categorize: Store similar items together. A dresser drawer or a large basket could be devoted to keeping together gift-wrapping supplies. That way, scissors and tape all are in one place. Stationery, stamps and pens are grouped in another spot.

Cluster: Burris considers these to be oneof-a-kind items that belong together: Two examples: cleaning supplies and cooking utensils. A plastic caddie under the kitchen sink could hold cleaning sprays, sponges and rags. In one kitchen drawer, a long, narrow container with serving spoons could nestle next to a similar container holding spatulas and a third with paring knives.

Corral: Store supplies such as spare light bulbs or extra batteries in their own, larger containers, labeled if possible. Don’t let spare combs, dental floss, aspirin and lipstick roll around together in one cluttered bathroom drawer. Give each item its own container or compartment.

Compact: Sort through any piles of paper spread across desks and tables. Then put the papers in file folders. Papers take up far less space when they are vertical, in filing cabinets. Plastic crates or stand-up file folders are a good place to keep frequently used files. File folders likely to get a weekly workout are “Action,” “Bills to Pay,” “To File,” “Pending” and “To Read.”

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