The 1 Thing Professional Organizers Never Keep In Their Homes

When it comes to decluttering, it can be hard to decide exactly what to get rid of and how to organize so your house actually stays neat. Should you ditch souvenirs? What about product manuals and boxes? Are there particular organizing systems that can actually make maintaining tidiness more difficult?

We asked professional organizers about the one thing they refuse to keep in their own homes and why that makes a significant difference in keeping their spaces clutter-free.

Souvenir and promotional cups

Whether you’ve kept a souvenir cup from every sentimental event you’ve been to or you frequently accept promotional cups just because they’re free, a lot of us have a kitchen shelf crowded with these.

“Plastic logo cups … are cheaply made and a nightmare to contain because they come in mismatched shapes and sizes,” Mindy Godding, owner of Abundance Organizing , told HuffPost. “Because they are lightweight, they easily fall over and get rowdy inside cabinets.”

She tries to not accept something just because it’s free and considers whether it serves her before bringing it into her home.

As for keepsake cups, these can be harder to part with — even if they’re rarely used: “I’ve learned that … we project emotional importance onto inanimate objects [like souvenir cups] because the item triggers a memory or story,” Godding explained.

She finds ways to separate the story from an item, like preserving special memories through photos or videos instead.

Product boxes

Boxes for large appliances, laptops, kitchen gadgets and other products can be particularly bulky — and frankly, none of them are needed, said Jennifer Truesdale, CPO and founder of Str8Nn Up Professional Organizing Services .

“These boxes … can take up