Decluttering Your Home: Tips, Techniques, and Trade Secrets

Thomas, editor of From Hoarding to Hope and host of the A&E television series Hoarders, shares a decade's worth of home organization expertise in this handy guide. Following an introduction on the psychology of clutter, the book goes room by room, making it an excellent step-by-step guide for anyone wanting to declutter an entire home. But it is not only for decluttering physical space; Thomas's goal is nothing short of organizing entire lives, which, she writes, will help those who follow her advice be happier, healthier, and more productive. She shares tips for reducing digital clutter and keeping homes clean and organized. Readers will get a lot of use out of her checklists for maintaining attractive, tranquil, clutter-free spaces as well as packing for travel and seasonal home organizing. The focus of the book is on the busy, two-working-parent households, complete with chapters on children's rooms and engaging the whole household in both decluttering and maintenance. More attention could have been given to the challenges of organizing small spaces, but this book promises to be useful for readers hoping to purge any level of clutter. Photos of well-organized home interiors throughout the book offer inspiration and ideas for both neophyte and advanced organizers. (Oct.)