The house had nowhere near enough bookcases for the volumes accumulated by me and my voraciously literate husband. Kitchen drawers held so many gizmos that large bowls and serving platters sat on the dining room floor under the buffet. But nothing rivaled the basement. Oh, perfidy, thy name is clutter, and I'd had enough. So, apparently, have thousands, perhaps millions, of fellow clutterati, judging from the books, Web sites, support groups, classes and products devoted to helping us come out of our crowded closets.
Membership requires neither course work nor credentials.
But organizers, including non-NAPO members, generally possess an iron will and a knack for neatness, common sense, creative storage strategies and a love of containers. People are overwhelmed with information, with mail. They inherit things. They are given things. There are degrees of clutter, says Rothschild.