No Shame, These 5 Types of Mess Are Prevalent in Most Homes — Here's How You Can Turn It Around for a Neater Space

A white living room with a cool stone fireplace, a large olive green sofa on a patterned terracotta-colored rug with a curved wood coffee table and a pair of wood side stools near a plush brown sofa seater and a potted indoor tree.

As much as you try, some types of mess will infiltrate your space over time. It's simply a consequence of living, and there's really no clear-cut way around it. However, that's not to say that you should let this consequential chaos evolve to the point of disruption.

Learning how to declutter your home is still my first tip for anyone who feels like they are losing control of their home. But if your home is fairly pared back and put together, and it's just the day-to-day mess that's getting to you, then let this be your guide.

With help from a couple of experts, we will discuss what the most common types of messes are and how to treat each one for a healthier living space. Starting with what might be the most frustrating of them all — countertop clutter.

1. Countertop Clutter

The easiest clutter to encounter and unfortunately, the biggest contributor of visual overwhelm. (Image credit: Omer Ozturk Interiors)

There's something about countertops draped in everyday items that makes me feel slightly annoyed, so distracted, and, in turn, less productive. But, alas, that's pretty much exactly what counters are here for.

"Daily items like mail, keys, gadgets, etc., are just a few of the biggest items that tend to accumulate on countertops," says Scott Schrader, cleaning expert at CottageCare. "The remedy? Earmark a home for these items with a catch-all tray, mail sorter, or wall hook."

Then, instead of only doing a routine seasonal declutter, like a summer reset, he also recommends practicing a nightly reset routine for the counters that tend to get especially cluttered.

Design Letters

Ray Serving Tray Medium

Color: Yellow / Lavender

Use this beautiful, colorful tray to tidy your bedside table, your entryway, or even as a kitchen counter organizer.

2. Paper Overflow

Keeping your paper, books, and magazines in order is important to the tidiness of your home. (Image credit: Ye Rin Mok. Design: Studio Keeta)

Another common type of mess that plagues many home offices and living rooms is paper overflow. Known to be one of the most popular under-the-radar items to declutter, it's unbelievably easy for loose paperwork to go from one stack to nine.

"Outdated receipts, school papers, and manuals can take over drawers," says Scott. "Set a clock for 10 to 15 minutes once a week to identify what to keep, what to shred, and what to recycle. Plus, transition everything you can to digital files."

Then, you can introduce some home office organization ideas for a clutter-free desk that's easy to maintain.

KARTELL

Magazine Rack

Color: Orange

Get yourself a fun magazine rack, like this tubular one from KARTELL, to keep paper overflow in check.

3. Surface Spills

Speedy reflexive cleaning will help your surface spills be momentary mishaps rather than forever regrets. (Image credit: Matthew Kappas. Design: Jessica Gersten)

Next, we have surface spills and stains. But, when it comes to cleaning up this type of mess, cleaning expert Taylor Riley tells me that there's one key part of the tidying-up process to pay attention to.

"From spills on the couch to red wine on the rug, speed is everything," he says. "Blot, don’t rub, to pull out as much as possible, then use a cleaner matched to the stain type (enzymatic cleaners for organic messes like food, oxygen-based cleaners for colored drinks)."

In his house, he keeps a 'stain kit' in easy reach so he never has to waste time hunting for supplies while the stain sets in. "I recommend Folex Instant Carpet Stain Remover," he adds. "It's as powerful as the commercial-grade solutions but available to everyday consumers."

4. Heaping Laundry

Take this as a sign to get that laundry out of your bathroom or closet and into your washer. (Image credit: Nicholas Caldwell. Design: Matters & Made)

"The most popular type of mess I see is related to laundry and clothing," says Amanda Rivera, founder of Tidy Red. "Clothing tends to heap up over time and is tough to get rid of since it holds memories, too."

For this category, she recommends Marie Kondo’s KonMari method. "Take everything out of your closet and drawers and put it on a clean surface like your bed. This gives you a visual of just how many items you own. Be prepared, it’s overwhelming, but also very humbling," she adds.

"When you declutter your closet this way, you're not focusing on what to let go of — you're choosing what to keep. It becomes much easier to recognize if you truly own one little black dress, or twenty."

Broste Copenhagen

Arild Laundry Basket

Color: Puce Aubergine

I am a big believer in the fact that fun organizers make tidying easier, and how gorgeous is this Arild Laundry Basket by Broste Copenhagen?

5. Digital Litter

Looming under the screen is digital clutter that is keeping you from being your most organized self. (Image credit: Bradley Van Der Straeten. Design: French + Tye)

Lastly, we have a truly modern type of mess — digital litter. As you move away from paper clutter and convert everything into virtual files, you will undoubtedly accumulate a gallery of folders and files.

Although this might not physically clutter your home, it is definitely a type of mess that needs seeing to. And having recently learned about the concept of digital minimalism, I've found that taking care of this virtual chaos can improve your productivity and help you feel less overwhelmed upon logging in.

You can start by ridding your phone, laptop, and even TV of any unnecessary old files that are no longer needed. And you can also transfer items you would like to save but don't need on the daily by storing them on an external hard drive.

This Portable 1TB External Hard Drive from Amazon is affordable, highly rated, and compatible with phones, computers, and gaming consoles. Plus, it's on sale right now.

And if you're finding it tough to wrangle the mess in your home, there could be a decluttering roadblock in your way. Or, perhaps you're relying on decluttering tricks that don't work. Either way, it's time to figure out the clutter hurdles standing in your way and how to move past them with confidence.