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Where is the line drawn for clutter vs. collecting vs. hoarding? It can be a challenge to identify, but there are few ways to know if your clutter or collecting has progressed to the stage where you could consider it to be hoarding. In Part 1, I shared these examples:

1. Your clutter is costing you money.
2. You literally do not have enough space.
3. The objects around you make you unhappy.

Here are some more signs that it is time to organize your cluttered home:

4. Your clutter is infringing on other people in your household.

In any household, everyone needs to make allowances for each other. But that does not mean that you should expect others to deal with endless piles of junk intruding on their space. It also should not go to the point where your clutter becomes a higher priority to you than the people who share your environment.

If family members or friends are expressing concern to you about your clutter, it may be worth listening. This is especially true if they have known you for a long time, and perceive that you have crossed some sort of line. They may have noticed a change in your behavior or personality which you are not conscious of.

5. You have a hard time finding the items you actually need or want.

You know you have too much clutter when you have to dig through so much stuff to get what you are looking for that you often simply give up altogether. If you cannot remember the last time you have seen a certain pair of shoes, it could be that the fifty pairs you own are simply too many. If you thrift some of them, you will likely get more use and value out of the ones you keep.

6. The items you own are not actually being taken care of and maintained.

Finally, perhaps the biggest sign that you have too much clutter in your home is if the objects you claim to feel attached to are no longer getting the care and maintenance which they require to stay in good condition. If you really care about these items, you will find a way to re- integrate them into your regular life at least well enough to take care of them, or you will pass them on to someone else who is able to do so.

If you want to get rid of clutter fast, you can find many articles in our archives which offer tips, tricks and techniques to speed up the process and get organized afterwards with the help of plastic storage containers and other versatile supplies.

For a lot of people, the hardest part is simply getting started. Once you do, you may very well find that you enjoy the process of letting go of what you no longer need while opening up more space for the objects and people in your life which matter.