The Minimalist's 'clutter coffin' concept helped me ruthlessly clear stubborn mess from my crowded under-bed storage – it's the best tip I've seen all year

Whilst storage bins, baskets, catch-all caddies, single banana holsters, and more solutions seem like a good idea, TV decluttering duo, The Minimalists, have warned that these run the risk of becoming 'clutter coffins' for your belongings.

The clutter coffin decluttering method, therefore, forces you to take a deep dive into your home's storage graveyards, which are simply hiding clutter, and actually deal with the contents head-on.

I gave this decluttering method a go to finally face my over-crowded under-bed storage, and was seriously surprised at how such a basic concept could fundamentally change how I view, and use, this vital storage space.

What are clutter coffins and how to do you declutter them?

In a TikTok video, New York Times-bestselling author and one-half of The Minimalists, Joshua Fields Millburn describes any container that hides clutter as a ‘clutter coffin’, a.k.a. A space where unedited stuff goes to die and be forgotten about.

There are several life lessons I have learned from The Minimalists, and the concept of clutter coffins is one of the simplest.

While we might think that we have successfully organized a home, really, we are making the terrible decluttering mistake of putting the job off for another day.

In the end, this means our home storage ideas become harder to navigate, and we are weighed down by mess.

@theminimalists

Organizing is well-planned hoarding.

♬ original sound - The Minimalists

Angelia York, VP of Saint Louis Closet Co. says this is a problem she encounters with clients all too often. She shares, ‘People buy storage bins thinking they’ll solve the problem, but they end up just hiding clutter instead of dealing with it. These bins and baskets, and containers become ‘clutter coffins’ where stuff gets put and possibly never seen again.

‘Storage should be functional and intentional, not just a way to delay decision-making. If you’re filling a container and never opening it again, that’s a sign it’s time to rethink your overall approach to home organization.’

I tried the clutter coffin decluttering method

I am certainly guilty of ‘covering up chaos’ as Angelia would phrase it. I am always testing out tips to banish procrastination, but often, decision fatigue gets the best of me and I shove stuff in boxes and corners to ‘deal with later’, or in case I eventually need it.

Nowhere is this more true than in my underbed storage ideas. This is the busiest of my small, storageless home solutions, keeping everything from out-of-season clothing to my best bed sheets out of the way.

It consists of two under-bed storage bags, similar to these Brightroom Underbed Bags from Target, two woven storage belly baskets from Walmart, and some loose large items, such as my electric blanket and extra-large lounging pillow (you can find them at Amazon, and they are seriously comfy).

While there are definitely items in there that I use regularly, such as the bedding and gym clothes, these under-bed baskets have become the perfect clutter graveyard for items I don’t want to deal with.

So, with the morbid concept of these items dying and essentially ‘rotting’ under my bed in clutter coffins, I decided to dig everything out.

In one bag, for example, I found a heap of socks and tights that I haven’t touched since I moved in two years ago, but keep hold of in case my current sets get holes, alongside tattered clothes that I hadn’t thrown out in case I could use them for DIY.

Spoiler alert – I reach for the same paint-stained top and leggings every time, with the rest left to collect dust.

In the other bag, there were blankets that I remember shoving out of the way ‘just in case’ a guest was cold (and also because I felt guilty that I had bought so many and didn’t want to ‘waste’ money by decluttering them initially). However, I already have a stockpile of blankets in my living room for that exact reason, so they definitely needed to go.

With the disturbing connotations of graveyards in mind, I found it a lot easier to be ruthless when decluttering, especially as I was eager to arrange my bedroom for good energy.

How to prevent clutter coffins accumulating

It is important to remember that containers are still vital for good home organization, so long as you use storage baskets correctly and don’t hoard bins.

As Meghan Cocchiaro, professional home organizer and owner of Organized by Meg, explains, ‘Containers and organizing products can and do serve a very useful purpose when purchased only after decluttering and then organizing, which is essentially space planning into a system. Purchasing and implementing storage products should be the last step in the organizing process.

‘If you don't go through the process of sorting, categorizing, and editing your belongings in any given space in your home, you will end up storing things that you don't need or want, therefore creating these "clutter coffins" where you box things up never to be seen again.

‘I use the REAL approach when organizing any space in the homes of my clients as well as mine:

• R – Remove items from the space: Empty out the drawer, a closet, a basement shelving unit, whatever space you are tackling at that time, and sort all of those things into broad categories according to how you use them in your life.
• E – Edit: This is the most important part, but also the hardest. You then go through each broad category and pull out things you no longer need or want. Some will be trash, some you can donate, some you may want to sell, and some things belong in other areas of the home and should be moved there. Use Post-It Note decluttering or painter's tape to identify these piles. This part of the process ensures that you are only left with things you need, want, or love.
• A – Assign: Choose a home within your home and/or within that very space you are reorganizing for each category of items you are keeping to "live." Once you can determine the proper placement for that category according to its frequency of use and weight, only then will you know if you need something to actually contain it (is it loose? is it bulky? Is it fine to sit on a shelf alone? Will it collect dust? what would help it stay in its place?).
  If it's a category of goods, such as memories or seasonal items that you don't need easy access to, you can contain those in clear bins with latches and labels and store them away. I do encourage clients to display memories and mementos whenever possible so the item is seen and appreciated.
  The whole key is to consciously choose what you are storing away as items you only want and contain the most important things to you. This avoids buying containers for which you then have to find a purpose for, or to mindlessly box up everything you own and don't care to take a closer look at or let go of.
• L – Label: Mark the containers or shelves to help identify the contents, because even if the bin is clear and you can see in it, if it ends up empty, you won't know what belongs back there.’

Angelia adds, ‘It is also helpful to use clear bins so you can see what’s inside. This makes it harder to ignore your items stuffed in each bin,’ remembering to, ‘Schedule mini check-ins every season, taking 15 minutes to review a shelf or drawer.’

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Meet the experts

Angelia York

Angelia has dedicated over 30 years to transforming and organizing homes. She specializes in helping clients maximize their storage through stylish, tailor-made solutions. In addition to working directly with homeowners, Angelia partners closely with builders to design custom storage systems that enhance the functionality of new homes and add long-term value.

Meghan Cocchiaro

Since being set up five years ago, Organized by Meg, an in-home full-service professional home organizing company, has helped busy women and families quit tidying habits that hinder their happiness.

If you have a backlog of ‘clutter coffins’ in your home, why not set some aside and use the expiry decluttering method to help you clear them out without having to make a manual effort.

Assign each box an ‘expiry date’, and if you do not use or think about any of the items by that date, they can be decluttered.