Mail can pile up so quickly between bills, advertisements, catalogs, coupons, and even birthday cards from friends. Unless you're really motivated, your mail probably ends up on the dining room table or desk until you're ready to sort through it.
"We put it down and tell ourselves we’ll get to it later, and then more mail comes in the next day," says Charlotte Slankard, a professional organizer and owner of CHAR & CO. Professional Organizing. "Over time, the pile just gets bigger and bigger, and what could have taken a few minutes starts to feel like a much larger project."
Ahead, we spoke with professional organizers about how to stop mail clutter. The best part? All of them are small, actionable steps that you can take to help get your mail under control before it's too late.
Opt for paperless bills and unsubscribe from mailing lists
For many people, the mail typically consists of bills and unsolicited advertisements. Although you can't make bills or advertisements disappear, you can reduce how many you get. "Unsubscribe from unnecessary mailings and use paperless statements whenever possible," says Kimberly Savel, a professional organizer and founder of Room to Breathe Professional Organizing.
It might take a bit of time to find out which bills are still being sent to your door. That said, most companies offer a paperless option, so you may want to opt in to declutter.
Create a designated spot for mail
"I recommend having a designated spot for mail, such as a basket on your kitchen counter," says Slankard. "You don’t need a complicated system, but you do need one place where the mail goes until you deal with it. The goal is to keep mail from ending up all over the house. Then, as you go through it, shred what needs to be shredded, file away anything important, and throw away the junk mail."
Wendy Trunz, partner and head organizer at Jane’s Addiction Organization, says if you really don’t like seeing mail at all, opt for a lidded bin or basket so it's out of sight until it's time to go through it.
Separate junk mail from important documents
Don't assume paper mail is obsolete and throw out every piece of mail that hits your mailbox. "Separate mail that requires action from paperwork that needs to be kept," says Savel. "A simple ‘action’ folder or tray can keep time-sensitive items from getting buried."
Slankard suggests dealing with your mail every day. "We get mail almost every day, and when you take a few minutes to go through it right away because if you don’t, it can build up really quickly."
Once you have a handful of junk mail, you can shred it or simply throw it away. If it's a document with important information on it, then your best bet is to shred it to protect your private information from being discovered or stolen — unfortunately, that does happen more than you think.
Casey Clark is a freelance consultant who is interested in beauty, health, and style-related commerce content. She learned from Hofstra University with a degree in journalism. Her work has been published in Women's Health, Better Homes & Gardens, and more.
