‘Keep the Memories, Lose the Stuff’: How to Declutter for Good

A recent study says symptoms of hoarding disorder significantly worsened over the last two years, mainly because of the stress the pandemic had on our daily lives, and the extra time spent at home. Maybe you started a new collection as a distraction or feel like you can’t part with sentimental items because of the uncertainty caused by Covid-19. What keeps us holding onto clutter, why do so many Americans feel overwhelmed by the amount of disorganized “stuff” bursting from their closets and junk drawers, and how can we learn to comfortably downsize?

Are you ready to let go of your clutter – for good?

Our guest is Matt Paxton, downsizing & cleaning expert, featured cleaner on A&E’s Hoarders, host of the Emmy-nominated PBS series Legacy List, and author of, most recently, Keep the Memories, Lose the Stuff: Declutter, Downsize, and Move Forward with Your Life (@iammattpaxton)

He joins guest host Malcolm Burnley to talk about letting go of the material things that keep us bogged down, so that we can live happier, healthier, and more productive lives, free of the messes that often take up so much room in our brains.

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Philadelphia Inquirer Hoarding increased during the pandemic. Stress, isolation, and lack of visitors could be why. “For those with hoarding disorder — a clinical diagnosis that includes an extreme reluctance to part with items and a level of accrual that renders living spaces unusable — the pandemic was a perfect storm.”

The Washington Post How downsizing expert Matt Paxton helps Americans sort through their stuff “[Paxton] has sorted through a collection of 1,000 dolls and dealt with 300 cats. He has cleared paths through rooms with horrible stenches and picked through mold, dead rodents and worse.”

Legacy List with Matt Paxton is a compelling one hour series about our homes, the hidden treasures, heirlooms and the precious memories attached to those items. As millions of Baby Boomers downsize their own homes or settle the estates of family members, they will discover the most important museum in the world is in their family home. WHYY-TV viewers can find it on the PBS app.