Book Nook - Clutter Rehab

When Laura Wittmann’s kids were little, they had a saying that would trigger an instant flurry of activity around their house.

“As is normal for most homes, items seemed to magically wander from their normal ‘place of residence’ to another area of the house,” Wittmann said. “So when I would holler out, ‘Time for a walkabout!’ the kids knew it was time for them to walk around the house picking up any of their stray items that were out of place. It could be a stray sock, books, toys, hair elastics, paper, anything. It’s not a huge overhaul, but it simply means that items are collected from one room and put back into their proper home in another room.”

Wittman shares another 100 tips and tricks to declutter your home in her book, Clutter Rehab [Ulysses Press; April 2026]. In this compact, practical hardcover, she provides bite-size, doable strategies that help busy families regain control without spending an entire Saturday reorganizing the garage.

Here are a few parent-friendly tips from the book:

• No. 10 REMEMBER IN PICTURES: Take a snapshot of sentimental keepsakes you don’t use, then donate or even sell them for cash.
• No. 25 BE GROCERY SMART: Save fridge and pantry space—and money!—by buying only those items on your weekly meal planner.
• No. 32 GO GREEN: Repurpose empty cardboard, plastic, and glass containers into free organizers for all your stuff.
• No. 56 CHILDHOOD ARCHIVES: Sort homework, artwork, and other kid creations into easy-to-shelve, keep-forever binders.

Clutter Rehab also shows parents how to involve their children in the organizing process. Organizing is a skill (like cooking or reading) and kids need practice making decisions. Instead of secretly purging their rooms (and creating trust issues), Wittmann teaches parents to set boundaries (like a designated Lego bin that must close, or a treasure box with limited space) while empowering kids to choose what stays and what goes. Fewer power struggles. More ownership. Sometimes, surprising results.

Laura Wittmann is the founder of the popular blog I’m an Organizing Junkie (www.orgjunkie.com), a website dedicated to providing encouragement and education for organized living with a good dose of fun. She loves to help overwhelmed families learn to manage their clutter and chaos so they can experience the joy that comes with peaceful, organized homes. Laura lives in Alberta, Canada, where she is addicted to the “high” that comes from living a life of simplicity and order and is always on the lookout for her next “fix.”