5 tips to deal with someone else's clutter in your home

Someone else's "clutter"

What do you do when someone else's clutter is driving you crazy? Maybe you would like to have kitchen counter space to make dinner, or a table where you can eat the food you have prepared? Or, maybe you would simply like to have a home that looks less cluttered? Do the things that other family members leave scattered around bother you? Try these tips to deal with someone else's clutter in your home.

1. Talk to the person whose clutter is bothering you. Yes, communication is key. Since you are sharing a home, you can try working together for a solution.

2. State your concerns as your problem not theirs. Talk about why the clutter interferes with your activities or comfort level. If you state it that way, you will be more likely to get support rather than antagonism from a family member.

3. If you would like to move their stuff, get permission to touch it and move it. It is a violation to toss or "hide" another family member's possessions. Don't go there. Instead, agree on a location where these items can be moved by you when you need to clear a spot. Pick a place where these items are out of your hair but accessable to the person who owns these things.

4. If sheer quantity is an issue, work together to pick a location, one location, where these things can be kept. It isn't fair to others in the home to let this stuff take over everywhere. Decide together if a privacy screen, partition, shelving, or cabinets need to be added.

5. Decide if the sheer quantity can be reduced. Maybe you can work together to weed out, sell, gift, donate, or recycle the extras.

These thoughts won't magically solve everything, but some of them may help you move things in a direction that is more comfortable for everyone in the household. Finally, recognize you are not alone. If you think about it, what are the odds that people under the same roof would have the same clutter, organizational, or cleaning standards anyway?