This article appeared in the Living Section (Home and Family), Montreal Gazette.

Clinging to clutter: Our stuff is our treasure, these unabashed pack rats say
by Annabelle King

John and Norma Yudy have rooms full of possessions, with every wall and shelf loaded to themax. Grace Keenan Prince leaves her belongings in messy piles wherever she happens to put them down.

Tornie Adu lives in organized disarray, keeping his things where he is most likely to use them.

Three different attitudes toward housekeeping, but these people all have something in common: they are clutterers and don't give a damn what others might think.

"We enjoy being surrounded by our things, and it's far easier and faster finding what we need when we want to use them,'' Norma Yudy said.

In an era when minimalist decor is the standard and magazines like Real Simple have made high art out of simplified living, the instinct for clutter, nevertheless, is still strong.

"Society has ignored the social significance of objects," said Bart Simon, assistant professor of sociology at Concordia University. "We need things around us. That's the way we interact with each other and the world.

"Most of us have a clutter streak. Some may hide it, but others don't feel guilty."

Of course, some people do feel overwhelmed by clutter and seek help finding a sense of order. In the U.S., there is Clutterers Anonymous, which has a 12-step program similar to that of Alcoholics Anonymous. Amazon.com lists more than 50 books on how to get rid of clutter. And the Internet is cluttered with Web sites dealing with the subject, from psychological advice to an assortment of consumer products to help organize stuff.

Ultimately, it's up to each of us to know our clutter tolerance. According to Ellen Lee, a counselor at the Queen Elizabeth Health Centre, there are signs that indicate it's time to consider paring down.

"Clutter becomes a problem when it is a drain on your time, energy or space and interferes with relationships,'' said Lee, a personal-growth coach who will be offering de-clutter classes in the fall.

No red flags have gone up for the Yudys, Prince and Adu.

It doesn't matter to Prince that her kitchen counter is always strewn with coffee-makers, cutting boards, knives and bowls, and that pots and pans sit idly on her stove top. Nor is she embarrassed about the chaos in her office, where baskets spill over with laundry, a vacuum cleaner leans against a chair filled with file folders and garage-sale lamps wait to be used.

While she was raising seven children Prince tried living by good housekeeping rules, but could never get it right. So she concentrated on caring for and playing with the kids.

Prince, a retired librarian and now a freelance writer, summarized her attitude toward tidying and sorting: "Why waste time doing things you don't like when there are so many things to do that you enjoy?"

The main reason Prince gives for having everything out in plain view is that that's the only way she can remember where things are, or what she owns.

Adu, a 23-year-old artist who works for an architectural firm, agrees with Prince. "If something is tucked away, I forget that I have it. I can't waste time looking for things. I need everything to be visible and nearby," he said. And that's why he has 13 pairs of shoes lined up in his hallway - footwear for walking, running, bowling, construction work, dressy occasions, cycling, gym workouts and more. "It makes sense to me: I immediately see the pair I need and step into them," he said.

Adu admits to being a pack rat and keeps funneling found objects into his 3 1/2-room apartment.

"I know if I throw out any of this stuff I will regret it later,'' he said. But not everything he owns is junk. Adu can't imagine not having music in his life and has a stereo in every room, plus eight speakers (including a set in the bathroom) scattered through the apartment. He owns around 400 CDS and more than 100 videos.

The most cluttered place is his combination bedroom, office and workshop. The space is a repository for everything that can't fit into his kitchen or living room. Here is where he keeps his computer, printer, art equipment, reference materials, guitar, power tools, stacks of paper, a few plants and salvaged items - as well as his bed.

Adu concedes he gets frustrated when he's in a hurry and can't find a specific item. After too many searches for missing keys, he hung a hook on the wall, which he has conditioned himself to use. Concerned about forgetting where he has put items he uses only several times a year, Adu is working on a computer program to index everything he owns and where it is stashed.

"It's all a matter of maximizing space. I think I an going to start hanging things from the ceiling, "he said.

The ceilings in the Yudys' Montreal apartment are the only surfaces that are stuff-free. Although they culled their belongings 10 years ago when they moved from a five-bedroom house to their two-bedroom apartment, it looks like they hardly made a dent.

Despite their tightly packed living space, John Yudy doesn't consider himself and his wife to be clutterers. "I think you could call us maximalists - that's our style. We never set about collecting things and we are not shopaholics, but we can't resist garage sales," said the retired urban-planning professor, who works part-time as a translator.

Besides having more than 500 books and a large wall covered with small mirrors, the well-traveled couple also surround themselves with memorabilia from their trips abroad.

There are few bare spots in their apartment, but somehow there is a sense of order. "I learned to be tidy, but I don't like hiding things. It would drive me crazy if things were a mess, particularly the kitchen,"said Norma Yudy, who is retired from business and now keeps busy cooking for Meals on Wheels.

Very little gets hidden away in closets. John Yudy's many hats look like decorative accents displayed on hat rack and hat stand, but are in fact used often, as are a bunch of umbrellas bought at garage sales.

The Yudys never think about lightening their load any more. "We'll let our executors take care of everything," Norma says.

-For Ellen Lee's classes and private counseling call: (514) 931-2615.

-Annabelle King can be reached at: aking@thegazette.southam.ca.

(Sidebar)
Some people aren't bugged by clutter, but Ellen Lee, a counselor at the Queen Elizabeth Health Centre, says you might need help if you:

-Have difficulty letting go of things you haven't used for a while.
-Have no place for all your possessions.
-Have a hard time keeping your home clean because you have too many objects to work around.
-Are embarrassed when you entertain visitors in your home.
-Have trouble in a relationship because your partner can't stand your cluttering ways.
-Spend a lot of time looking for things.

Does clutter make you sputter?

How do you feel about clutter? Is a propensity toward clutter a disorder or just the way most people live? Write to us. Two readers whose letters we select will be rewarded with Black and Decker's new cordless DustBuster.

Send E-mail to aking@thegazette.southam.ca. Fax Annabelle King at (514) 987-2432; or send mail to Annabelle King, The Gazette, 250 St. Antoine St. W., Montreal H2Y 3R7. Deadline for entries is Friday, Aug. 17.

Material reprinted with the express permission of: “Montreal Gazette Group Inc.”, a CanWest Partnership.

[Please note that this article appeared August 2, 2001. Ms. King is no longer on staff at The Gazette.]