Clutter can take many forms, but one of the most common is those items we hang on to ‘just in case’ – the random miscellaneous things that we convince ourselves will come in handy one day. Meanwhile, until that day comes they take up inexplicable amounts of space and serve absolutely no purpose.
Spoiler alert: that day is likely to never come. ‘In my experience, the most common “just in case” items tend to be things that feel practical or sensible on the surface – on paper, they’re all perfectly reasonable. But in reality, they rarely earn their keep and take up prime real estate.’ That's according to professional organiser and founder of Benella Jo Jacob.
I’ve been chatting with professional organisers who help their clients comb through their clutter on the daily, all of which name ‘just in case’ clutter as the worst culprit of all when it comes to wasting space. (It’s also the hardest type of stuff to convince their clients to part ways with). Here are their top culprits among the items you think you need that you really don’t.
Chargers and cables
When asked what the number one ‘just in case’ clutter item was, all the pro organisers said exactly the same thing. ‘Spare cables for devices we no longer own,’ says Jo. ‘The truth is, many of these things never get used again. I regularly come across boxes that have moved house multiple times without ever being opened. One client had carefully stored a selection of cables “just in case”, only for us to realise none of them matched anything she owned any more.’ And I’d take a pretty well-educated guess that you have more than a few of those kinds of chargers cluttering up your desk drawer as we speak.
Instruction manuals
A classic bit of ‘just in case’ clutter, up there alongside old cardboard packaging, is instructions. ‘My husband won’t let me get rid of paper manuals… just in case!’ says Helen Dyson from Clear Out Clutter. ‘People keep folders of them, but the reality is anything modern can be looked up online in seconds.’
Old food containers
The kitchen is a prime zone for ‘just in case’ items, and I’m not even referring to those big, bulky items you used once then stored away never to be used again. I’m talking about those containers that seem incredibly practical on the surface, but in reality lead to cupboard Jenga. Piles of takeaway containers, Jo says, are a big problem in kitchens. Leftover food containers, like takeaway Tupperware, jam jars or those funny little Gü pots, are all kept because they appear useful. But once you start accumulating a pile of them, that useful potential tends to go out the window.
‘Another client of mine had kept dozens of glass jars for years, waiting for a moment that never came,’ recalls Jo. ‘When we really looked at them together, she laughed and said, “I think I’ve been preparing for a jam-making career I don’t actually want.”’
Plastic or tote bags
A classic. I reckon I’d be hard pressed to find a home in the UK that doesn’t have a collection of so-called ‘reusable bags’ stuffed into one another, not so discreetly hidden under the sink. ‘It’s surprising how many clients struggle to reduce their stash of reusable bags,’ says Helen. Reusable in nature, they of course are useful to have handy, but some of us take it too far. Keep one in each handbag and a maximum of three bags for life or tote bags on the coat rack – any more and you’re letting the clutter overtake the usefulness.
‘They can take up a huge amount of space. My advice is to keep them in the back of the car instead, so that when you’re out shopping, you actually have them with you, therefore reducing the need to buy another,’ suggests Helen.
Old furniture
‘I once worked with a family who’d kept an entire spare set of furniture in storage for over a decade “just in case” one of the children needed it,’ Jo shares. Now that’s commitment to procrastinating on decluttering. ‘By the time we revisited it, it was no longer their style, the children didn’t want it and had cost far more to store than it was worth. It was a gentle reminder that “just in case” can quietly become expensive – not just in space, but financially and emotionally, too,’ says Jo.
So take their mistake as a warning: unaddressed clutter can have some pretty destructive effects. You might regret parting with it in the moment, but it could save you decades of regret later.
DIY equipment
After a big DIY project, we often have plenty of resources left behind, and since we spent money on them we feel the compulsion to hold on to them. Jo says she often finds ‘half-used tins of paint from three homes ago’ in clients’ houses, cluttering up shelves in the garage, never to be used, never to be useful.
I understand these items seem worth keeping around, but if you’re struggling to decide what to let go of, Jo encourages her clients to ask themselves a question. ‘Instead of asking, “What if I need this?”, ask, “What would I do if I did need it and didn’t have it?”’ suggests Jo. ‘In most cases, the answer is simple. You’d borrow, buy, or improvise. We’re far more resourceful than we give ourselves credit for.’
Resale items
‘I often see bags full of items people intended to sell or donate but never got round to,’ says Emma Kenwrick-Meehan, pro organiser and founder of Home Nip & Tuck. ‘These things are usually kept because they feel potentially useful, even if they haven’t been touched in years.’ Holding on to something because you think it will make money only works if it actually makes some money – otherwise it’s still just clutter. Make sure you advertise your items effectively, but then be strict. Set an allotted time (like 1-2 months) for an item to sell, otherwise it’s off to be donated or recycled.
Clothes
‘Bags of clothes that almost fit or might come back into fashion’ – that’s what Jo says she often struggles to get her clients to let go of. And I can understand. When it comes to clothes, it can feel like you’re letting go of a past version of yourself, but instead reframe the thought from losing something to making space for something new – something you’ll actually wear and feel good in.
Old decorative items
‘Old curtains and blinds are another common one,’ says Emma. ‘Clients often save them in the hope they might fit a future window, when in reality sizes and fittings rarely match another space.’ I understand – these kinds of items are annoying and expensive to repurchase. But lugging them from home to home with no guarantee they’ll ever be used is surely worse.
Spare linen
Jo says she often finds old bedding cluttering up the linen cupboards of her clients’ homes. And while hanging on to a few spares is perfectly normal, clinging on to sets that no longer fit any of the beds in the home (which happens more often than you’d think, according to Jo) is just a waste of space.
Handy storage solutions
