How much new stuff comes into your house every day? Other than mail and food, that is.
From watching Hoarders and other house-cleaning shows, it seems to me that people just keep collecting stuff. Whether it is junk from garage sales, people giving them free stuff, or insufferable bargain hunting at the store it just keeps on coming. Then they run out of storage, and they can’t bear to part with anything.
If you really are cleaning up that much, stuff must be coming in to fill up the spaces you just emptied.
My non-professional advice is to stop consuming for a bit. Nothing new comes in to the house other than food and consumable household products (toothpaste, dish soap, etc). If someone desperately needs a new item, then it is to replace an old item. If they buy a new shirt, toss out/donate two old shirts. If someone offers you something for free, say no. You don’t need it.
Don’t go shopping anymore. Seriously…I am totally shrewd with my money and am not big on buying crap but going to stores ALWAYS means I come home with shit I don’t need. No more browsing the aisles of Target on a rainy Saturday, no more checking out the neighbor’s garage sale, no more bargain hunting at Goodwill. Don’t even tempt yourself.
Figure out how to properly dispose of things. I was able to help my brother de-clutter when I came up with a list of where we can dispose things. The old kitchen sink went to Habitat for Humanity. Clothing and small household stuff went to AmVets. TVs and electronics went to the Best Buy recycling center. Old paint went to the county recycling center. Newspapers and magazines went to local recycling dumpsters.
We filled up both of our cars with all of his junk, and made it a goal to drop it off at the proper places. Except for AmVets, who came to my house to pick everything up (if a charity doesn’t call you directly, you can call them to schedule a pickup. You can also drop off stuff at a local Goodwill or Salvation Army store.) Once we got everything in our cars, most of the work was already done!
Mail is the only cluttery problem I have at my house since I stopped consuming. It’s very hard to stop the mail. But one thing I did do is get a box for mail and put it right next to the trash can. EVERYTHING except important mail goes into the trash immediately. I have come to the decision that I am NEVER going to use those coupons they send me - and if I do, I can either find them online or wait a week for more. You don’t need catalogs since you’re not consuming anymore. Don’t even bother recycling that stuff because you’re never going to get around to it. Rip up all of the credit card offers and stupid credit card checks before you toss them.
De-cluttering is much like losing weight - eat less (consume less) and exercise more (throw things away). I find it much easier to de-clutter than to lose weight. Good luck!