I Hate Your STUFF, Not YOU!

Excess clutter, stuff, junk whatever you want to call it is often a hot button topic in households.

If in a household you have one person who is "neat" and one who is "messy" - it can lead to arguments and resentments on both sides.

So, what do you do if you are the "neat" one and your other half is cramping your style with clutter?

• Tell them how the clutter makes you feel.  
• Make a positive statement such as, "It would be great to be able to spend more time with you - could we work together on storing (fill in the blank) more efficiently?"
• Or if there is a safety issue (clutter covering the floor) say, "I want you to be safe.  Can we work together to store (fill in the blank) in a safer way?"
• Agree to disagree - ask your other half to  limit the clutter to one room of the house - basement, spare bedroom, etc.  

Notice I am not using the words sort, discard, recycle, remove.  I use the term "store" because that is a safe word.  Once you get your other half to agree to your help you could start sorting like items together - such as newspapers, magazines.  Once they are sorted and your other half sees what they have, they may be open to removing those items from the home.

Remember when you are working with your other half to be patient and non-judgmental.  Also realize that the clutter did not make it's way into your home overnight, so it will take some time to remove it.  Be patient.