Secrets of the five ‘clutter personalities’ revealed… and what your hoarding habits say about YOU

Secrets of the five ‘clutter personalities’ revealed… and what your hoarding habits say about YOU

A decluttering expert has revealed what your ‘clutter personality’ says about you, so that you can start to rid the chaos from your life once and for all. 

Between dresser drawers that can barely shut, overflowing closets and boxes filled with who-knows-what, eliminating the mess from your home may feel like an impossible task.

But according to Lesley Spellman – co-founder of The Declutter Hub and co-author of the new book Reset Your Home: Unpack Your Emotions and Your Clutter, Step by Step alongside Ingrid Jansen – the key to tackling the disarray is understanding your ‘clutter personality.’

She believes that if you can figure out the root of the cause, it’s much easier to get things in order.

Thankfully, Spellman spoke exclusively with the Daily Mail about the different reasons why people tend to build up clutter.

‘Clutter is rarely just about space – it’s emotional,’ Spellman said. ‘To make calm, rational decisions about what stays and what goes, we have to first understand what’s holding us back.

‘And that starts with us – our mindset, our emotions and our clutter personality. Only then can we start making real progress, clearing space not just in our homes, but in our heads and lives, too.’

Spellman strongly believes in moving forward rather than dwelling on the past, but she says ‘self-awareness is crucial’ in this decluttering process.

Between drawers than can barely shut, overflowing closets, and boxes filled with who-knows-what, people have become accustomed to living with mess in their homes (stock image) 

But according to Lesley Spellman (left) the key to tackling the disarray is understanding your 'clutter personality.' She's seen with her co-author Ingrid Jansen (right)

But according to Lesley Spellman (left) the key to tackling the disarray is understanding your ‘clutter personality.’ She’s seen with her co-author Ingrid Jansen (right)

‘Understanding your personal clutter tendencies – before they trip you up – is a powerful place to begin.’

Spellman broke down the five different ‘clutter personalities’ to help you understand the reason why you’ve let your home get disorganized, and then ultimately combat the problem.

The Happy Heaper

Has clutter built up in your home because you simply don’t have the time to go through it? 

Spellman calls these people ‘happy heapers,’ or someone who is so focused on work, their social lives, families or other various projects around their house, leaving decluttering to fall on their priority list.

‘An often deep, sometimes chaotic and possibly neurodivergent thinker, the happy heaper is likely to have a busy life with multiple people, projects and priorities to think about,’ she explained.

She added that happy heapers sometimes don’t even realize their abodes have descended into disarray because they feel like everything has a place.

‘Whilst other people may perceive their home as chaotic, they have a sense of knowing where something might be found,’ she said.

Has clutter built up in your home because you don't have time to go through it? You're a 'happy heaper,' according to Spellman (pictured)

Has clutter built up in your home because you don’t have time to go through it? You’re a ‘happy heaper,’ according to Spellman (pictured)

Spellman also noted that many of these people struggle with ‘perfectionism,’ which leads to them procrastinating on doing something ‘unless the conditions are perfect.’

The Kind Keeper

Spellman explained that those who let clutter build up in their homes because they feel too ‘sentimental’ about items to let them go are called ‘kind keepers.’

Kind keepers love to hold onto the old because it ‘reminds them of happy times,’ according to the expert.

‘They may have lived a period of their life when they had very little and consequently embrace the feeling of having more,’ she added.

‘Sentimentality is a constant barrier and they get lost in the moment when decluttering with trips down memory lane.’

She noted that when kind keepers try to get rid of old stuff, they often stop because they feel like they’re ‘not ready’ to let go.

Spellman (pictured) said 'warm weepers' keep stuff that belonged to a friend or family member who passed away

Spellman (pictured) said ‘warm weepers’ keep stuff that belonged to a friend or family member who passed away 

The Warm Weeper

If you’re keeping stuff that belonged to a family member or friend who passed away, you’re what Spellman calls a ‘warm weeper.’

‘A warm weeper is likely to have undergone loss, pain and possibly trauma in their lives,’ she told the Mail. 

‘The stuff they have chosen to keep has offered them respite from the complications of relationships or the overwhelming sense of melancholy they feel.’

‘Warm weepers’ also often feel ‘judged’ by those around them for holding on to items long after someone’s death.

But Spellman recommended focusing on ‘decluttering in your own way and in your own time,’ and not letting yourself get ‘influenced by those around you.’ 

The Harassed Housekeeper

Do you feel like you’re constantly trying to keep your house in order and clean up after your young kids? 

You, reader, are what Spellman calls a ‘harassed housekeeper.’

She explained that harassed housekeepers are those who, no matter how hard they work, can’t keep up with the mess made by big families or children.

If you're constantly trying to keep your house in order and clean up after young kids, you're a 'harassed housekeeper' (stock image)

If you’re constantly trying to keep your house in order and clean up after young kids, you’re a ‘harassed housekeeper’ (stock image) 

'Their home and the clutter in it may not be of their own making,' Spellman (left) said of 'harassed housekeepers' - pictured here with co-author Jansen (right)

‘Their home and the clutter in it may not be of their own making,’ Spellman (left) said of ‘harassed housekeepers’ – pictured here with co-author Jansen (right)

‘Their home and the clutter in it may not be of their own making,’ Spellman said.

‘They feel like they are the only person who is attempting to keep on top of things but the odds are always stacked against them. 

‘They may know exactly what to do and how to do it but just simply never seem to find the time.’

The Nostalgic Knee-deepers

Last but not least, if you've got so much clutter in your home that you simply don't know where to start, than you're what Spellman calls a 'nostalgic knee-deeper'

Last but not least, if you’ve got so much clutter in your home that you simply don’t know where to start, than you’re what Spellman calls a ‘nostalgic knee-deeper’ 

Last but not least, if you’ve got so much clutter in your home that you simply don’t know where to start, you’re what Spellman calls a ‘nostalgic knee-deeper.’

‘The nostalgic knee-deeper may be knee deep in clutter either literally or metaphorically, but the one thing that is certain is that they feel judged, embarrassed and overwhelmed,’ Spellman said.

‘The increase in clutter may have been sudden or may have been a lifelong problem but the nostalgic knee-deeper is likely to feel defined by their clutter, stuck and disillusioned. 

‘Their journey toward a life with less is likely to be a long road and may require psychological intervention.’

Spellman (right) previously spoke to the Daily Mail about how you can eliminate mess from your home for good. She's seen above with co-author Jansen (left)

Spellman (right) previously spoke to the Daily Mail about how you can eliminate mess from your home for good. She’s seen above with co-author Jansen (left)

Spellman previously spoke to the Daily Mail about how you can eliminate mess from your home for good.

She recommended facing the fact that if you haven’t used an item you bought years ago by now, you probably never will, and she suggested confronting your past impulse purchases.

She also suggested you try to get rid of any ’emotional connections’ you may have with clothes that don’t fit anymore and make yourself aware of ‘clutter blindness’ – especially with sentimental items like photographs or mementos.

Lastly, she said it’s important to break the decluttering process down into chunks so that it doesn’t feel as overwhelming.

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