Hasta La Ideas

Reader Deborah e-mailed the following to Ask Unclutterer:

Deborah: My sister moved across the country eight years ago and left boxes of things at my house because she wasn’t sure if she’d stay out west. They had been stored in an extra bedroom that we weren’t using at the time. Since then, we’ve had two kids and really could use the space. I’ve asked my sister to clean out the room, and she does go through a few boxes when she visits, but basically there are boxes stacked to the ceiling. How do I get this space back in my home without causing a problem between the two of us? If I had the extra money I would just ship the boxes. I’m not working so the cost is prohibitive to me.

Every now and then, I’ll have time in my schedule to respond to readers as e-mals arrive in my inbox. A couple weeks ago, one of those days popped up on the schedule, so I sent Deborah back the following response:

Unclutterer: Explain to her exactly what you just explained to me. Then, tell her that by X date if the boxes aren’t gone, you’ll start going through them for her. You’ll sell the more expensive and not-very-sentimental items on Craigslist, and use that money to ship to her the few boxes of what you believe to be very sentimental stuff (photographs, favorite childhood stuffed animal).

Hopefully, she’ll come and go through the stuff. If she doesn’t, though, you’ll have a way out from under her stuff. I’m sure going through her stuff won’t be fun, but at least you’ll be able to reclaim your space.

Then, to my wonderful surprise, a week later Deborah e-mailed me again:

Deborah: Thank you so much! I have a pile of boxes to ship in my car, and three bags of shredded documents to drop at recycling. I feel like a weight has been lifted off of my shoulders!

Clutter can put a lot of strain on relationships, so I am so glad to know that these two women worked things out after eight years. I hope other readers in similar situations can find a way to have comparable conversations to reduce stress and clutter in their homes.

Thank you, Deborah, for e-mailing your question and for letting me know how things turned out in the end.

Do you have a question relating to organizing, cleaning, home and office projects, productivity, or any problems you think the Unclutterer team could help you solve? To submit your questions to Ask Unclutterer, go to our contact page and type your question in the content field. Please list the subject of your e-mail as “Ask Unclutterer.” If you feel comfortable sharing images of the spaces that trouble you, let us know about them. The more information we have about your specific issue, the better.

Like this site? Buy Erin Rooney Doland’s Unclutter Your Life in One Week from Amazon.com today.