From Glove Box to Trunk: Decluttering Your Car for a Clearer Mind

Mary Anne Ivison  0:01  
The Declutter Queen with Avery Cundill.

Avery Cundill  0:06  
Welcome back to the Declutter Queen, and today we're stepping outside the house and into a space that often becomes a rolling junk drawer. Yes, I'm talking about your car. Okay, decluttering your car. Whether you drive a compact, an SUV, or a minivan, chances are that your car is carrying more than just passengers. And what do I mean by that? So, receipts, wrappers, old masks from the COVID days, empty water bottles, food packaging, kids' toys, and that mystery item or two that is under the seat or on the floor. Your car deserves a cluttering session, and if all of this sounds way too familiar, then this episode is for you. So, what's our goal? We want to turn our cars into clean, functional, and maybe I'll even say it peaceful spaces. So, buckle up. Here we go.

Matt Cundill  1:24  
Why declutter your car?

Avery Cundill  1:26  
So, great question, Matt. Why even bother decluttering our cars? Well, your car is a relatively small space, and remember, you spend a lot of time in them, commuting, school drop-offs, errands, road trips-you name it. And when this small space is messy, it's way more noticeable. Not only does your stress go up, but also the clutter becomes right in front of your face. You can't hide from it. A cluttered car can also waste your time. So, where's my phone charger? Where's my water bottle? When it's cluttered, you're not going to be able to find stuff. A cluttered car can also add to mental overload and stress. In addition to this, a cluttered car may also lower the resale value of your car over time. So that's something to consider. And finally, yeah, a cluttered car can start to smell weird. And here's a little funny true story. I don't know how funny it is, but I remember years ago, my mother just had this smell in her car. She couldn't figure out where it was coming from. She took it in for cleaning. She looked and looked and looked. Finally, she found a raw package of chicken breasts underneath one of the seats that had slid out of her grocery bag. You can imagine what it looked like and what it smelled like. We want to avoid all of that, keeping our cars decluttered and smelling good. Decluttering your car also makes daily life smoother. So, for example, when we have less in our car, we're less distracted. When we have stuff floating around the car seats and the floors, we might start to look, and that's not safe. Might even make you feel not in control of your car.

Matt Cundill  3:37  
Quick preparation.

Avery Cundill  3:38  
So before you start this fun project, and let's call it fun because I promise you, when you're done, you'll be happy. Here's what you're gonna need: a trash bag, a recycling bag, a bin or a box for those go back in the house items, and I'll explain that in a minute. A clean cloth and an all-purpose spray. Of course, this is optional, but I highly recommend doing a cleanup while you're doing this. It just goes together. Now make sure you're parked somewhere safe. Open all the doors of your car and let's start.

Matt Cundill  4:18  
Zone by zone decluttering.

Avery Cundill  4:19  
Let's break the car up into five zones to make this manageable. Cause you know I love my sorting in zones. Zone one is going to be the front seat area. Okay, check all the cup holders, the dashboard, the center console, toss old receipts, wrappers, parking stubs, any garbage is now tossed into the trash bag or recycling. Great time to wipe down any surfaces, whether they're sticky or not. Give them a clean up, and when you restock, I want you to only keep daily use items. Sunglasses, phone charger, maybe a pen and a small little pad of paper or sticky notes. Find a designated spot for these that you can access them easily. Zone two: the glove compartment or glove box. This is always fun, depending on how much trash you have in there, take everything out. And once again, now we're doing the toss. Toss expired papers. I personally used to have three or four years of my car registration in there. Guess what? Don't need them. Garbage. Throw out outdated manuals, old insurance cards and whatever else you've got jammed in that glove box. Clean it all out. You're only gonna keep current documents, emergency info. Maybe a small flashlight is a good idea, or an emergency car kit. Everything else gone. Next zone is the doors and the side pockets. These are clutter magnets, especially for tissues, wrappers, water bottles, flyers-you name it. Empty out all of those side pockets. Only put in essentials, maybe some hand sanitizer, or if you still like a paper map. But other than that, everything is garbage, and of course, clean out that area. Next zone: back seats. Okay, this can be fun, especially if you've got kids or you carpool. These areas can go to shit. So, check for toys, snack boxes, wrappers, even a random shoe or piece of clothing. You're gonna find a lot of stuff back there, especially if you have kids. So clean it all out. You may even want to vacuum under the seats, on the floor, if you're feeling extra ambitious, do a clean out where you can wipe down areas and surfaces that can be wiped, and then another idea is to consider getting. You can buy these at the dollar store or on Bazan, a small bin or an organizer for your kids' stuff, if you want to keep stuff handy, so if you know your kids like to have a certain item in the back seat, keep it there, but have it in an organized place. Last zone I want you to consider is the trunk or the cargo area or your back of your SUV. This is often where things go to be forgotten. What can be back there? You ask. Gym gear, random bags, seasonal gear, cables, blankets, umbrella. You know what I'm talking about. So what I want you to do: take everything out, clean the whole area, and this is where probably a vacuum might come in handy. And then, if you want to restock, only restock with the essentials. Grocery bags have become a must, so those you might want to keep in one corner of the back. You might want your roadside kit, your jumper cables for an emergency, maybe even a blanket, something like that. But things that you don't need to have back there get taken back to the house. You may even want to invest in some collapsible bins or trunk organizers to prevent future chaos. A bin for emergency things, for example, one for errands even works great, and you can put your reusable shopping bags in there.

Matt Cundill  8:56  
Now it's time to set up a system.

Avery Cundill  8:59  
Your car is clear. Let's keep it that way. Number one, set car rules for yourself. For example, I'm not going to let any trash remain overnight in my car. If I make it, I'm throwing it out immediately. Everything that goes in must come out the same day. So, if you load something into your car, you bring it out. You don't leave it there for 345, days. And finally, and this one I really love, schedule a weekly quick tidy five minutes. That's all you need. Getting rid of receipts because clutter is going to happen. We live, we move around, we do things, but that five-minute weekly reset will keep everything running smoothly. Another thing that I really suggest in our system creation is to create a mini car cleaning kit, and all you need to have. And this car cleaning kit is a cloth, maybe microfiber, a small bag for trash, and maybe even some travel-sized cleaning wipes or spray. Store this little kit in your glove box or side door because when an emergency happens and you need these things, it's nice to know where they are and that you have them. And finally. a car catch all is a great idea. So you're going to keep this in your house. Maybe it's a small basket by the door or a little box, and this is where car items can land temporarily, so they don't end up cluttering your car. So, as an example, maybe you have things that a water bottle, for example, that you take in and out. Bring it in, put it in this little box, and then when you need it, you'll fill it, bring it back out, just to keep the clutter out of the small space that our cars are. And just like that, you've turned your car into a clean, calm, functional space. A clutter-free car isn't just about the esthetics; it's about how you feel every time you get in, and when your drive feels lighter, your day starts smoother. If this episode helped you reclaim your ride, share it with a friend, or better yet, declutter your cars together and make it a fun challenge. And now a special segment for Tea with the Queen. Till clutter do us part. Let's dive into how to declutter as a couple, but still stay together. Most couples are not mirror reflections of one another, and each partner brings a different perspective to the relationship, and that is usually a good thing. But problems can sometimes come in when it comes to decluttering. It is very common for one partner to be more of a collector, and the other partner to be less of a collector. How can these two types harmoniously approach decluttering in a healthy way and not clash? In addition, one partner may be more interested in streamlining and decluttering, and the other may not care as much. So let's dive into some different topics today about relationships and decluttering. I want to start with talking about the buy. New things come into the house all the time, usually more one partner than the other. How, as a couple, can you manage this so you don't have piles of collectibles and memorabilia in your home causing clutter and chaos? In my own relationship, on this one, I am guilty as charged, and I would like to say that my husband Matt brings very little into the home. So how can I manage this? Because I'm guilty of charged as the one bringing more in. Do you agree with that, Matt?

Matt Cundill  13:37  
Definitely. You're the one who brings in a lot more stuff than I

Avery Cundill  13:41  
do. Okay, thanks, Matt. But does this bother you? Be honest.

Matt Cundill  13:45  
So you have to manage that, and the way that I've decided to manage it is to never be surprised by being surprised at what's coming out of the house.

Avery Cundill  13:56  
Right. But do you think it's contributing to more clutter?

Matt Cundill  14:00  
I think there's also well, first of all, yes, but I also know that something else is going to be going because you're very good at decluttering. So even though stuff is coming in, there's also stuff going out as well. So I'm I've grown to become comfortable with this.

Avery Cundill  14:16  
Understood. So you just kind of touched on what I wanted to discuss, which is my one in one out rule. So, just as an example, I'll use me. I make a new purchase, but it applies to you too, such as a new pair of shoes or a new raincoat or even a new household item, such as a mug or a serving platter. The idea is that you have to remove a similar item from the home for donation, something that you aren't using often, or maybe one that is not in good shape. And the idea here is this will balance out things and prevent more and more clutter from inhabiting the home. So on first glance. What do you think of that idea?

Matt Cundill  15:02  
Sometimes I can get a little crusty about that, and the first question when I see a new pair of shoes come in is, I will look at you and say, "Which pair of shoes is going to be leaving now?

Avery Cundill  15:13  
Exactly. So you're basically saying exactly what I am. So if I buy a new pair of shoes, I can get rid of one of yours, right? Just kidding. No, I'm just joking. Obviously.

Matt Cundill  15:24  
Well, what am I gonna wear?

Avery Cundill  15:26  
Exactly. And truth be told, I think Matt has three pairs of shoes, but that's for another day. But what I mean is, and you know, all jokes aside, one new pair of shoes for me, one of my pairs has to go, and same principle comes for household common items. How do you think that would fly? I

Matt Cundill  15:45  
think it works really well. I do give you a little bit of a grace period, though. I'll give you about seven days before I anticipate something will be leaving, because sometimes you want to try the new thing, and if it doesn't work well, you'll return it to Amazon and wind up keeping the item you had before.

Avery Cundill  16:00  
I love how he said Amazon. Yes, guilty as charge of the Zon. I like the seven day grace period as well, but that seven days can't turn into 70.

Matt Cundill  16:11  
No, because then Amazon won't take it back.

Avery Cundill  16:13  
That's fair enough. Let's jump to another potential hotbed: older stuff. Okay, how can we manage as couples one partner keeping too much older stuff that just basically follows them around from one place to one place and is more of a memory-based keep than a useful one? Now I will say that both Matt and I may be guilty of this one. I've been carting around a lighter and ashtray set from my grandmother that a has never worked since it has been in my possession, and b perhaps more importantly, I don't smoke. Matt, on the other hand, has been carting around some of his father's items, such as a robe that he has never worn, and some jackets from past work jobs that he is not wearing. So, Matt, let me ask you: Does the prospect of getting rid of some of this memorabilia that I mentioned scare you?

Matt Cundill  17:21  
Yeah, a little bit. You know, it's really about a memory in a certain time in a certain place. I think there is some nostalgia with some of the radio station jackets that I have. I did wind up wearing one actually with an old friend who worked at that station not so long ago, and I tried it on. And I do, you know what? Bomber jackets are coming back. So the only is the

Avery Cundill  17:42  
size coming back, honey. I was gonna get to that, and the

Matt Cundill  17:46  
bomber jacket still fits. The the other stuff doesn't.

Avery Cundill  17:49  
Okay, so maybe the answer here, and I'm just kind of thinking out loud, is to strike a compromise. And just as an example, so if myself or Matt feel that we want to keep a certain amount of memorabilia, then we have to make sure we have a place to store it, and also we have to have limits. So I think it's nice that you keep your dad's robe and sweater and a few of the jackets, but maybe we can take some time to go through and limit that number of jackets, to rather than 15, maybe we get three. What do you think about that? I

Matt Cundill  18:27  
I have some jackets though that are fairly specific to specific things. So I know I've got three hunting jackets, but all three of them play a particular purpose. One of them has camouflage, so that's for a particular style of hunting. Another one has shotgun shell holdings inside, so that's for when you go partridge hunting. So I know it seems like too many jackets, and I know it seems like when was the last time you went hunting? Yeah, it was a long time ago, but still, each jacket does have a purpose of some sort, and as well, some is also for you know some deal with wetness better than others, and some deal with minus 15 to minus 30 in Winnipeg better.

Avery Cundill  19:07  
Okay, so how about this? Let's take some time in the next little while, and we'll just go through. I agree with all that you're saying. Uses and hunting stuff is expensive. Ski jackets, cold weather. Let's go through and just make sure that they're still in good shape, they fit, and that when you would want to use them, that you can. Is that a fair? Is that a fair solution?

Matt Cundill  19:28  
Yeah, I think there's going to be like two or three jackets down there that can be culled down to one. So there's two jackets that deal with with rain and wetness. We can get rid of one or two of those.

Avery Cundill  19:39  
Amazing, and that's the start of a declutter, my friends. Another thing I just wanted to add on this point is that Matt is a huge Buffalo Bills fan, and I would never ask him to get rid of any of his memorabilia items, jerseys, hats, whatever he has. But what he. Has done is he keeps them in a specific closet, and not only does this keep clutter at bay, but also he knows exactly where they are in the house when he wants to access them. How is that system working for you, Matt?

Matt Cundill  20:15  
Pretty good, actually, because that's actually the closet that I use to keep containers full of smaller trinkets and memories as well, so it's kind of like the clutter closet that can always be decluttered, but it's not taking up too much space. It represents a nice spot. So Montreal Canadiens are playing. We have our shirt ready to go. Buffalo Bills are playing. We have our choice of three different jerseys that we can pull out on on any given day, and jersey closet. Yeah, I think it's. I think it's a good idea just to keep that stuff separate so you know exactly where it is. It's the special occasion, and it's always within arm's reach.

Avery Cundill  20:51  
Yep, and I agree with you too. And luckily enough, we do have quite a bit of storage in our home, but you don't need a lot of storage. In fact, when you have less storage, you're more likely to make better decluttering decisions. So you just find a specific space, and that memorabilia or items that you're nostalgic about. Try to keep them all in one spot, and when you can agree on that, you'll both be happy.

Matt Cundill  21:20  
It's certainly easy to declutter sports paraphernalia because some of it can be attached to bad luck, and if you suffer a bad loss in a particular jersey, it's time to get rid of that jersey.

Avery Cundill  21:31  
So before Matt goes on a tangent about the Bills, let's move on.

Matt Cundill  21:35  
I'm getting a new jersey every year with that team.

Avery Cundill  21:38  
Okay, Matt, you're gonna love this one, and I was actually a little bit afraid to put it in, but we're going for it. Mail and receipts. So I'm just gonna ask you this question, Matt: Do these need to be kept, and if so, where should they be kept?

Matt Cundill  21:57  
They should be kept near a computer. Receipts should be kept near a computer because you're going to be processing them, and that's of course if you have like a QuickBooks or a FreshBooks, you want to be able to get that receipt straight into the expenses category of of your software.

Avery Cundill  22:12  
Full disclosure, and Matt has gotten way better, but there was a time where he had piles of mail just floating around his house, piles of receipts floating around the house, and not only do I personally hate that because of clutter, but also I feel like it's a stomping ground for loss. If it's just sitting there, it's going to get lost. So what I suggest, if anybody else out there has this issue, that a basket or a box or something where designated for mail that is not ready, maybe to be thrown out or dealt with or slotted or filed or even read, and receipts, and you keep that in one specific area, and that that way it never gets lost as well. If you're looking for that one receipt for gas that you got a month ago, it's going to be there. What do you think about that suggestion, Matt?

Matt Cundill  23:08  
Well, I've actually turned to using my phone quite often for this stuff. So I will take a picture with my phone and then just toss the receipt. And so now I've created a second problem, which is going to be my iCloud with pictures, and I've been doing that for quite a while, and I've looked, and I'm about ready to purge a few 100 receipts off my phone, which will be just wonderful for my iCloud storage.

Avery Cundill  23:30  
Absolutely, and I have noticed that must be happening because I've noticed way less receipts around the house and in the car and different locations. And receipts serve a purpose for sure, but I like the idea. I do that as well. I'm really into my phone, so if there's something that I know I need to keep mail-wise, I take a picture and then I throw out the hard copy just so it's not floating around and causing clutter in the house.

Matt Cundill  23:55  
Well, there's a couple things that come up here, and there's two types of mail that come in. There's the type of mail that is for your records that you will keep, and that's what really used to stack up and was piles and piles because I had to keep financial statements for up to seven years at one point, and it wasn't always easy to go back and recover this stuff. That's changed now. I think a lot of banks and institutions have, you know, as we move to a paperless society, now lets you go and and keep longer records of this stuff. The second type of mail that comes in is something like a great example is you know car insurance. So the car insurance comes in, it's due. We have to figure out what to do. Where are we going to buy our next car insurance, and what province? Which car are we going to do it with? So that letter is just sort of floating around the house here right now, and I deliberately leave it out because I know it has to be taken care of.

Avery Cundill  24:44  
Agree, and I think too that that that plays in nicely with the designated location. There's going to be some stuff. You can't live a completely paperless. There's going to be some things. So agreeing to like a box or a basket by a certain in a certain. Area and that we go through maybe after six months. Okay, I'm not using this anymore. Making sure that you cull as you go, and and this is for our viewers too. I know we've gotten pretty good at this, Matt. But for people who are really drowning in mail piles and receipts, do you think that's a system that could work?

Matt Cundill  25:19  
I think that we are blessed now to be in this day and age where you can ask people to email the receipt more often than not instead of getting bogged down in paper. This does create another problem, and I'm sure you'll reference the episode in the show notes about cleaning out inboxes and stuff. Listen, we're just moving the clutter from you know from analog to digital here. I hear you, which

Avery Cundill  25:40  
can be another problem. But when it's not physical, sometimes it's a little easier to manage.

Matt Cundill  25:46  
Yeah, and I think we also realize that a lot of it, a lot of receipts, just you just don't need them unless it's like a real, unless you're going to be returning it, or you need proof of it for for recovery in some particular way. Get that thing into your QuickBooks or FreshBooks as as quick as possible and move on with your life.

Avery Cundill  26:03  
I love that. Okay, moving on. I'd like to end our "Till Clutter Do Us Part" segment with a little game called How Many. So, Matt, here's how the game's gonna go. I'm gonna reference something, and you're gonna answer, and then we're gonna discuss. Okay, so it's the basically idea is I'm gonna reference an item, and we'll talk about how many's reasonable, reasonable to own, reasonable to have, and then we'll extend from there. Is it reasonable or unreasonable, and different practices. Okay, so I'll lead the way. How many pairs of pants is it reasonable to own, Matt?

Matt Cundill  26:50  
I would say three pairs of jeans and three pairs of long pants. So six.

Avery Cundill  26:56  
Okay, so now that many of my, I'll call them wife friends have collectively gasped. I'm going to say that that's probably fair for men, but I'm going to say women. That number is going to be bumped up to times two minimum of that. So let's discuss that. Is it is it fair for me to raise that number, or do you think that everybody can be able to manage with that number?

Matt Cundill  27:26  
I think the standard is different between men and women. I think men. I mean, listen. If we go out for for a fancy night, and I men generally wear a black tie. That's a tuxedo. It's really the same thing, and women can wear so many different variations of things, so you're going to need more to choose from. You're always going to need more closet space,

Avery Cundill  27:46  
and on the daily too. I think women are more likely to change outfits. I think men are more comfortable. You know, the same pants and a different shirt looks totally different. So, all in all, I'd say men have it easier.

Matt Cundill  27:59  
I don't know. I'm sure there's somebody saying, "Why do you need three pairs of jeans? But you know, I need a nice gray pair. I need a nice black pair. I need a nice blue pair.

Avery Cundill  28:05  
Yeah, no, I think that's that's not not excessive at all.

Matt Cundill  28:09  
And I didn't talk about shorts. It's kind of the same deal for shorts. I need four pairs of shorts.

Avery Cundill  28:14  
And you're a shorts guy, so you're going to have more shorts than pants. I bet.

Matt Cundill  28:17  
I try to wear shorts more than 50% of the year.

Avery Cundill  28:20  
How many coffee mugs is it reasonable to own, Matt? One. You can see that Matt is not being serious. No,

Matt Cundill  28:31  
I'm I'm completely serious. The answer is one.

Avery Cundill  28:34  
For a couple in a family, one mug is is enough.

Matt Cundill  28:37  
I thought you said this was just for me.

Avery Cundill  28:38  
No, I'm talking about households.

Matt Cundill  28:41  
I don't know. I mean, who drinks coffee? It's just you and me, and you and I are living together. So that's two two mugs,

Avery Cundill  28:47  
you know. And and I I want to say, no, we do have more than two mugs, and I think most people do. However, I am leaning towards less stuff than more these days. I used to be. Oh, you need you need a bunch so you don't have to continually wash. Well, I don't know if you need 16 mugs. I think maybe you could do away with eight. So I've changed my answer on this one in my head.

Matt Cundill  29:14  
Did you get to eight? Because it's probably six.

Avery Cundill  29:16  
Could be six, but if you have eight, we won't fault you.

Matt Cundill  29:20  
I say one because I worked in radio and everybody had their own mug, and so you learn to live with that one mug in that radio station.

Avery Cundill  29:28  
And I bet if we only had two mugs, you probably wouldn't even notice the other. The other we have, but for those of you who are drowning in mugs, and you might say that's ridiculous. I need more than eight, but think about how many you have and find a reasonable number. We don't need as much as we do, especially if you're culling down or your kids have moved out, and maybe your kids don't even use mugs. So you know, something to think about and ponder. How many is reasonable?

Matt Cundill  29:58  
Six.

Avery Cundill  29:59  
It is, and I'm gonna say just to be on the other side of it, I'm gonna say 12, and that's total, by the way.

Matt Cundill  30:07  
Okay, because what's gonna happen next is gonna be crazy because you don't need 12 mugs; you're only using the mugs for for a cup of coffee in the morning, maybe some maybe some tea in the afternoon. So if you need 12, if you need 12 for that, I can't wait to hear what I can't wait to hear what glasses is going to be.

Avery Cundill  30:24  
We're not luckily we're not doing glasses. How many pairs of shoes is it reasonable to own?

Matt Cundill  30:32  
Does this include sandals?

Avery Cundill  30:34  
All shoes.

Matt Cundill  30:35  
Five pair. Four, four or five pair.

Avery Cundill  30:38  
Okay. I mean, does this include

Matt Cundill  30:39  
boots? Yeah,

Avery Cundill  30:39  
everything. All shoes and boots, everything.

Matt Cundill  30:42  
Six.

Avery Cundill  30:44  
Okay, and I'm gonna say two. And I'm sorry that I'm picking on women, but that's just what's happening here in our cuddle in our couple together. But I'm gonna say that's low, and I'm gonna say that for seasons, because we tend to live in a place where there's many seasons, allowing yourself maybe two to three pairs per season, and that's not including athletic shoes. I'm gonna go with 10.

Matt Cundill  31:14  
I have a pair of sandals. I've got two pairs of running shoes, two pairs of outdoor shoes, and one pair of boots. I don't know what else you need.

Avery Cundill  31:21  
I know, and you know, for those of you who have tons of boots and tons of heels, and I'm guilty as charged, and you're not wearing them, you can start getting rid of some of them. I don't think that we need as much as we think, and you know, I also find that people are dressing more casually these days. I don't know if it's a product of COVID that people work from home a little bit more, and so a lot of the stuff that we were wearing, we're not. And don't be afraid to get rid of that stuff. Whether it's you know you want to keep some, of course you're not going to get rid of all your shoes, but think about going through and getting rid of. And I like to use I like this game because what it's showing me is in my relationship, Matt, who really doesn't-he does-he's not a clothes horse and he's not a shoe guy. He really is showing us that bare minimum. So you know you can up that number, but just see that you should be wearing all of your footwear, and if you're not, get rid of

Matt Cundill  32:22  
it. I think this conversation is good just to get you prepared for decluttering. So for anybody who's going through this, actually, what you should do, declutter queen, is you should make yourself this quiz where there's really no wrong answers, but it gets people thinking about what they need and what they're going to let go of.

Avery Cundill  32:41  
I love that. It's like a

Matt Cundill  32:41  
warm up.

Avery Cundill  32:42  
It's a warm up. It's you know what I bet I'm gonna maybe do a quiz and pop it into my newsletter. That's not a bad idea, just to get people looking at stuff. And really, it's not about. There's no magic answer. There's no right and wrong. It's really about being a witness to your behavior. Think of

Matt Cundill  33:00  
how many relationships you're going to change with this quiz? Because what happens is you get the domestic out of the way before the decluttering starts.

Avery Cundill  33:08  
Absolutely. Okay, I want to finish up with a something I called the lightning round, and I don't know if Matt's going to like it, but I know that everybody's going to be relating to this in some way, so let's have some fun with it, Matt. Don't don't take it personally, but it's important. Are you ready?

Matt Cundill  33:26  
Yes.

Avery Cundill  33:27  
Okay, it's gonna be fun. I promise. I'm gonna pose a dilemma, and you're gonna answer honestly if it is reasonable or unreasonable. Are you ready?

Matt Cundill  33:40  
Ready.

Avery Cundill  33:41  
Okay. He's already scared. Leaving clothing and towels on the floor-reasonable or unreasonable?

Matt Cundill  33:51  
For how long?

Avery Cundill  33:53  
Any amount of time.

Matt Cundill  33:56  
It's reasonable because maybe when I get up tomorrow morning, I'll put it back on me. At that point, I have to make a decision: Am I going to continue to wear this, or am I going to get rid of it? At that point, you got to move it along.

Avery Cundill  34:08  
Okay, so I'm going to give you half marks, and here's why: I agree with you that it's not always practical to have to put your clothes away or your towels, but a gathering area can help you with that-a chair, a bench. So rather than leaving things on the floor, move it to a surface, and I promise you that the clutter seems less that way.

Matt Cundill  34:36  
So the answer is not anything but a time. So nine a.m. is the time for me. At nine a.m. I find a home for it. If it's on the floor at nine a.m. that's unreasonable.

Avery Cundill  34:47  
Okay, so like you're giving yourself an overnight window. Like if as long as it's clean. Okay, fair, fair enough. I mean, I would, I would prefer it go immediately onto a gathering surface, but. You know, we're not. Rome wasn't built in a day. I'm just saying, generally speaking, I don't agree that things need to be put away all the time quickly. But I do agree that they can have a home that's not the floor.

Matt Cundill  35:14  
Yeah. So there needs to be a temporary place. So as an example, going to yoga. I'm gonna have my yoga clothes on. I'm gonna come back. I want to go back into the clothes that I was wearing before I went to yoga.

Avery Cundill  35:26  
Okay, but do you think that a chair is reasonable rather than the floor, or you still like your floor? What if

Matt Cundill  35:32  
that chair is full?

Avery Cundill  35:34  
Well, there'd have to be a lot of clothes on it to be full.

Matt Cundill  35:36  
Yeah. All

Avery Cundill  35:37  
right, moving. Maybe I need. Maybe you want to put another

Matt Cundill  35:40  
chair beside the bed. One

Avery Cundill  35:42  
chair only. Reasonable or unreasonable to leave countertop clutter in the bathroom, such as toothbrushes, toothpaste, razors, scissors, and the like. Reasonable or unreasonable?

Matt Cundill  35:59  
It's perfectly fine. Yeah, I'm going to use it again tomorrow.

Avery Cundill  36:03  
Does that mean it cannot go in a drawer?

Matt Cundill  36:06  
It might be able to go into a drawer. It again is something. If it's something that's useful, sometimes having it out visually on the counter is a good idea to use it. So I'll give you an example.

Avery Cundill  36:15  
Yes.

Matt Cundill  36:16  
Mouthwash is a great one. I think using mouthwash every day is it's a good thing. If it's a way, I'll never see it. I'll never remember to use it. I think scissors are a good thing because it reminds me I have to clip my nose. I have to clip my ears. I see my toothbrush toothpaste. It reminds me I have to brush my teeth.

Avery Cundill  36:35  
Okay, so Mattt needs a lot of reminders. But what I will say is that in our bathroom, for example, I don't have everything put away. I do have a tray on the bathroom counter, and I would think that if you need to see it, then just put it in that tray. And I know that this is an issue for a lot of people, and it could be a harried issue (pun intended) where I put this tray. I lead you to water, but yet the toothbrush is still just stranded over there on the other on the other sink. So, you know, not to dive in too much, but I I don't mind the visual. It's just can we keep the clutter down?

Matt Cundill  37:17  
Well, if you put it away, by the way, in the drawer is out of sight, out of mind. Remember also that most of this stuff taking place in the bathroom is early morning or nighttime, and most of the year that room is going to be dark. At which point, it's not visual; you can't see it. So when the sunlight comes in, you see it in a different light, and it's like, yeah, we need a new toothbrush. Yeah, we need to move that along. I

Avery Cundill  37:41  
feel like your your argument is not landing with me, but I will

Matt Cundill  37:46  
clearly not. But if but let me paint a scenario for you where I was looking for mouthwash, I opened up the cupboards down below the sink. They're dark, can't see into them. But

Avery Cundill  37:56  
you could turn a light on in the bathroom. The

Matt Cundill  37:58  
light was on. It's not. It it is just there's no light out of sight out of mind and I don't know what's on your side of the bathroom but I'm never opening that again because I don't recognize anything in that thing where should you and there's no there's no but I don't know how you find anything in there

Avery Cundill  38:14  
I know where everything is I'm the declutter queen Matt there

Matt Cundill  38:17  
you go

Avery Cundill  38:18  
so look obviously not everything is going to come to easy agreements, but the point is that firstly, throwing out all of your partner's earthly possessions is not a good idea. Compromise is key, and also, both parties can give a little. If you tend to be more of a collector and your spouse is not, then know that you may have to give up some of your things to keep your house running happily and smoothly. Each side must give and take, and also if you're more of a minimalist with a partner who likes their stuff, you may have to accept that there may be a few more things around, and that's okay. Finding spaces that things can be safely stored will really help to alleviate clutter issues and make everyone in your house happy and content.

Matt Cundill  39:23  
No, seriously, where's the mouthwash?

Mary Anne Ivison  39:27  
Thanks for listening to the Declutter Queen with Avery Cundill. For more decluttering tips and tricks, go to thedeclutterqueen.ca. Produced and distributed by the Sound Off Media Company.