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Rachael Ray Show

Rachael Ray: Rachael's Daytime Talkshow

Oprah's Clutter Cop

Oprah's Clutter Cop
Aired on: July 22, 2010February 24, 2010

Is clutter clogging your life? You're not alone! Oprah's clutter cop has just one day to help a messy mom get organized ... before she drives her husband crazy!

"Everybody struggles with clutter," says Peter Walsh, author of the best-selling book It's All Too Much, who shares his top tips with a couple in desperate need of an intervention:

Getting started. "One tip: The trash bag tango!" Peter says. "Everyone in the house gets two trash bags. Wander around the house and fill one with trash and one with stuff that can go to Goodwill - stuff that you no longer need, use or want. Two of you do that for 10 minutes a day, at the end of the week [you'll have] 14 bags of trash, 14 bags of stuff for Goodwill ... Easiest way to get started!"

Clear off table tops and counters. If an area of your house is clogged with clutter, simplify the sorting by dividing the items into four boxes so that you know where the stuff will ultimately end up. The boxes should be marked in these categories: Items not used in the past 12 months, items belonging to another member of the family, items that belong in another part of the house, and trash.

Laundry room or pantry shelves. Peter suggests stacking similar items together in cabinets and adhering to the "one in - one out" rule. Once the cabinet is full, you only shop for those items when one is taken out and used. "You're not going to waste," he says. "You're going to know exactly what you own!"

Overstuffed kitchen drawers. If your drawers are bursting with gadgets, take a month to assess which you really use. "Take everything out of the drawer and put it in a box, leave it on the kitchen counter. For the next month every time you use an item you put it back into the drawer," Peter explains. "At the end of the month, anything that is still in the box you've got to ask yourself are you ever going to use it and consider getting rid of it."

Start small. "Small tips yield big results," says Peter. "So start small and really you can do it."



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