20 Things Professional Organizers Say Most Homes Have Too Many of

"It’s very common to see multiple vacuums—one upstairs, one downstairs, and an older one kept 'just in case'," Urban says. While the organizer states that most households could function perfectly well with just one reliable vacuum cleaner, the extras typically stay because they provide a sense of reassurance. Whether it's a vacuum or something else, Urban says, "Having multiples creates a sense of security, and honestly, it makes people feel better."

If your linen closet is overcrowded, it may be a sign you have more bed sheet sets than you need. "By following the one to use, one to wash rule, two sets of linens per bed is more than enough," says Jessica Moskal, a professional organizer and owner of Organized by JM. And if it's a guest room where no one stays permanently, Moskal says one sheet set is plenty.

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Similar to sheet sets cluttering a linen closet, Bereika says you don't need a massive collection of bath towels that only take up excessive shelf space. Her approach is to give each person in the home two bath towels. "Laundry is a major pain point for many families, and the idea of having so few linens may seem extreme at first, but once you commit, you realize how much it can simplify the laundry process and your life," Bereika says.

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While you may need to grab a water bottle and a travel mug on your way out the door, the organizing expert says there's no need for people to own 15 of each. "A simple wash makes it new again, but one for every day of the week and then some is not needed," Moskal says.

Many people have extra sets of dishes for hosting holiday meals and large gatherings, even if they haven't done so in years. "Often people will have a dish and cutlery set to host a bigger group, but to have large sets that can host 30+ people or multiple extra sets for this same reason has seemed to fade away and become a surplus," the organizer says. If you have extra sets of dishes for every season but you only host once a year, Moskal says it may be too much. "Think enough for the party, not the neighborhood," she says.

Because things like heating pads and water bottles are comfort items and frequently received as gifts, Urban says they multiply easily. "People like knowing relief is always within reach, even if they only ever use one or two," the organizer says.

Urban likes to remind clients that there is nothing wrong with wanting comfort or security. "The goal isn’t to strip that away, but to be intentional about it," Urban says. To make your home feel calmer without it feeling empty, the expert recommends keeping what truly supports you and letting go of the rest.

"Pillows tend to pile up for guests, rotation, or future use," Urban says. However, over time, they start to take up space while the same few get used over and over again. "They typically have a tendency to stick around because people don't know what to do with them," Urban notes.

Blankets are another comfort-driven, "just in case" category of items that the organizer says you don't need multiples of. "Most people reach for the same favorites, but keep extras because it feels cozy and prepared," Urban says.

"Tents are often kept for the life someone might live rather than the one they’re living now," Urban says. Realistically speaking, the organizer says most families that camp only need one tent that fits how they actually spend their time. What ends up happening however, is that people hold onto multiples, either because the tents were used in the past or because they could come in handy in the future.

"I often encounter clients who buy clothing items in multiples because they love an item so much," Bereika says. There are also those clients who purchase multiples and store the extras elsewhere so that when the original fades or gets stained, they have a back-up. "However, without fail, they rarely remember where they put the extras and end up buying more, or they eventually find something they prefer even more," Bereika says.

The organizer likes to remind people that trends change quickly and storing things is costly: "Not just monetarily, but in terms of space and sanity," Bereika says.

A collection of mismatched food storage containers and lids is a common culprit when it comes to kitchen clutter. "Buy one good set where all the containers are a similar shape and can stack along with lids that match," says professional organizer Audra N George, the owner of Pretty Neat: An Organization Solution. She explains that this will help you keep all the containers together, along with the matching lids: "Great for storage and great for function," George says.

Professional organizer Jennifer Moore of Organized Boutique, says that if you don't go through electronic chargers and cables regularly, they can become a massive tangled web. "Technology evolves pretty quickly, so a lot of these chargers are obsolete and belong to devices that are no longer owned." Moore says. The organizer recommends keeping one or two cables and donating or recycling the rest.

To prevent extra kitchen utensils from crowding your drawers, George recommends paring down the collection to one or two of each utensil. "All these extra utensils typically take up drawer space and just like our closets, we only use a couple of our faves and the rest just sit around," George says.

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Mugs are another category George says people tend to own multiples of when it's simply unnecessary. "You do not need a mug from every location you have traveled to or to keep every mug you were gifted," George says. The organizer recommends hanging onto two or three of each of these and getting rid of the rest.

"Sometimes buying in bulk results in significant cost savings, but if the items are not being used before they expire, it defeats the purpose," Moore says. To eliminate food waste, she recommends buying the right size of a product if you’re not 100% sure that you’re going to use the entire container before the expiration date.

Stocking up on multiple fabric shavers, massagers, and foot baths only takes up valuable storage space, according to Bereika, especially given how infrequently these specialty home appliances are used. "Spare the space in your home so you have room for the things you use more often," the organizer recommends.

Whether it's an upholstery steamer, specialty mops, or power scrubbers, Bereika says you can give up multiples of most specialty cleaning supplies. "These items are used less frequently and when they are used, only one person is typically using them at a time," the organizer says. If cleaning is not your favorite task as it is, having to comb through multiples of these cleaning supplies to find what you need will only add to the frustration.

"These seem to accumulate really fast and become a mountain of clutter very quickly," Moore says. To prevent clutter, take her tip and only keep what you would use in a typical shopping trip and donate or recycle the rest. "I keep my reusable shopping bags organized in the car so I always have them when I need them, and I keep a container near my trash can to collect the plastic bags and I donate them at the store drop-off when it gets full," Moore shares.

"With the various occasions throughout the years, these can multiply quickly and are bulky and hard to store," Moore says. According to the organizer, you don't have to make room for every vase you ever receive. "I recommend keeping two to three vases of varying sizes and donating the rest," Moore says.