Clutter Fix

by Acheson

"This practical, step-by-step resource will empower you to tackle the task of getting organized so both your home and your mind can finally become calm and chaos-free." --KAREN EHMAN, author of Reach Out, Gather In and the New York Times bestseller Keep It Shut

Create the Organized Home and Life You've Always Longed For

Living in a disorganized, cluttered home can leave you feeling chaotic, anxious, and even depressed. You want a change, but you don't know where to begin.

Home coach Shannon Acheson is here to help. She has written the only book you'll ever need to get your entire home sorted and organized for good--in a way that makes sense for you and your family's unique, God-given personalities.

In The Clutter Fix , Shannon helps you

· win the battle with all of your stuff by following her step-by-step instructions and checklists

· discover your Clutter Personality and your Organizing Personality

· create rhythms and routines to keep your home decluttered

Clutter isn't just about the stuff. It's about how you feel in your home--and in your mind. This book will give you the peaceful dwelling you've always hoped for.

Genres: Nonfiction, Self Help

224 pages, Paperback

Published September 13, 2022

Reviews

[Alicia Bayer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good book with a few caveats. The author is a traditional Christian homeschooling wife and mother with a traditional house, and she does pretty much assume that her readers are too. That's not to say that the book won't be helpful for those who aren't, but it definitely makes a lot of assumptions.

I'm a lot like the author in several of those ways but I still found that I had to adapt it. For instance, she has a 10 day start to decluttering and the first day you spend decluttering your entryway. You're supposed to put everything that belongs there in the closet to deal with on day two. I don't have a closet in my entryway. I have a mud room, basically, with no out-of-sight place to stash all that stuff and not really any room or desire to build one. Likewise, one whole day is spent cleaning off the outside of the fridge. I have no issues with the outside of my fridge. But another day is spent on the "junk drawer" and I have multiples of those and would need a week for them! The ten day assignments seem pretty random. She references making allowances if you're pregnant or have a new baby many times, but never mentions other issues like being disabled or dealing with grief (one of the issues I see coming up repeatedly in my decluttering groups) or depression. And whereas Marie Kondo kind of assumes you live in a small apartment, Acheson kind of assumes you live in a big house.

Acheson quotes and references some famous habit authors and bible verses often, but she appropriates some key tenets of other decluttering authors without ever crediting them, which I felt was a little unfortunate. For instance, she makes references to things like hot spots, done is better than perfect, objects that bring joy, and the container concept (you have this much space for each type of thing you have and that's your container, anything that doesn't fit well needs to go after you keep the best), without mentioning the authors who pioneered these like Flylady, Marie Kondo (she mentions her once elsewhere) or Dana K. White.

That said, there's a lot of meat to this book. There were no photos in my ARC but there are lots of things like figuring out what type of organizer you are. There are four types -- those who like to see everything and those who like to hide it all, and those who like to have lots of specialized compartments or general containers for each of those types. So maybe you need to have containers that are out in the open with everything viewable for you to put things away, whereas another person needs boxes stashed in cupboards, for instance. She also goes through the typical lists of what to do each season, what to do in each room, etc. She also tells you what her family does, which I always enjoy, and has some general questions and forms to get you thinking about what will work for you.

Ultimately, I didn't get anything out of this that I wouldn't get from a short blog post, but it's great for those who haven't already read a hundred decluttering books as I have. It will be especially helpful for Christian, traditional stay-at-home moms, but others are likely to find many helpful tips.

I read a digital ARC of this book for review.

[Natalie all_books_great_and_small · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an advance reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.

The Clutter Fix is a self-help workbook to help you declutter and organise your life and home. I enjoyed how this book was set out and all the worksheets included throughout the book. Divided into four parts the book helps you not only declutter and organise but to keep on top of what you have done too so it doesn't start to build up again. The four parts cover: Part 1: Get some quick wins under your belt. Part 2: Build a decluttering mindset. Part 3: Declutter and organise every room in your home. Part 4: Master Maintenance Mode. If you need some practical and easy to do and understand help and advice and love lists and worksheets, this book is definitely one you need to read.

[Janine · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.0 stars All of these declutter books have good ideas. The most important part is to be disciplined enough and to form new habits to keep things under control. This book offers that a little bit. Each one of these types of books I have read give you something original each time. The rating I gave them is based on the personality of the author and how I empathize with them or not.

[Monica H (TeaandBooks) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Do you have a clutter problem? The Clutter Fix by Shannon Acheson might just have some answers for you.

The Clutter Fix is divided into four parts:

Part 1--Get some Quick wins under your belt. Chapters includea 10-Day decluttering shortcut and 120 things to throw away--guilt free.

Part 2--Build a Decluttering Mindset. Chapters include four reasons to simplify your home, information on clutter and organizing personalities, how to handle sentimental things and how to handle family issues.

Part 3--Declutter and organize every room in your home. This section includes advice on how to purge and organize your ENTIRE house in seven easy steps, how to decide what to keep and what to toss, a step-by-step guide to decluttering, and three methods of decluttering.

Part 4--Master Maintenance Mode. This section focuses on keeping your house clutter free and maintaining what you have started.

The Clutter Fix includes a lot of worksheets and great ideas for de-cluttering your house. I like how this book is organized. I like that she is encouraging not just decluttering but maintaining what you started. I have decluttering and purged a couple of times. Mostly I keep things up but there are times when I let things go too. The maintaining section was helpful for me as I have already done some of this work. I also really appreciated that the author included a section on how to handle sentimental things as that is often a place I get stuck. In the past, I felt like I had to keep family heirlooms that I don't particularly like. I think this book has a lot to offer most people. She said that she does mainly address women as that is who she often speaks to but that anyone can make the principles in the book work for them.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher. All opinions within this review are my own.

[Joan · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are scores of books available on clearing away clutter. Why would you want to read this one? It has all the right ideas on cleaning out stuff and organizing what remains, just like lots of other books. She has a ten day plan that gives you a quick win, perhaps not something unique, but encouraging. She also begins her work with suggesting we think about what we want our home to feel like. She offers more resources on her website as do others.

There are a few aspects of this book I felt made it unique enough to read yet another book on the topic. Acheson writes from a Christian viewpoint. She reminds us we are stewards of what God has given us. That means we don't just automatically throw stuff away. That brings up another aspect of the book I like. When we decide what to do with what we no longer want, we are to consider others. Perhaps that business suit we no longer need is exactly what another does need for a crucial job interview. And another unique topic in this book is an exploration on why we accumulate stuff in the first place. Perhaps we fear we will not have enough of something we need later. Acheson encourages us to trust God, that He will supply our needs. She also recognizes different personality styles when it comes to organization and has specific suggestions for each of them.

This book contains many practical ideas to keep our homes free of clutter and for a lifestyle of organization. It also contains some thoughtful sections touching on our spiritual responsibility and our personality style. If you are desiring a home that is one without the stress of clutter, this book is recommended.

I received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher. My comments are an independent and honest review.

[Andrea Cox · Rating 2 out of 5]

FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book. These are my honest thoughts.

I saw this book on NetGalley and thought it looked like a cute, easy read that I could breeze through over a weekend. It’s not unusual for me to read a “clutter fix” book every now and then, as organization is a neat thing, something my detail-oriented brain loves, and something I enjoy seeing other people’s tips about to compare with my own ideas.

There were some pretty good tips in this book. I really appreciated the way the author broke down the decluttering into easy-to-follow steps. I can see how that would be really helpful, especially for those who, like me, get easily overwhelmed by rooms full of stuff.

While I did breeze through this book, the vast majority of it was not helpful for me personally. It was not an enjoyable book for me either.

The introduction was super lengthy. Each new paragraph seemed to get more and more cringe-worthy as the caveats and lawsuit-avoiding disclaimers piled up. These were so off-putting that I nearly didn’t read the rest of the book.

“I think we’ve all forgotten that we don’t have to agree 100% with everything someone says in order to glean some good knowledge from them…” Actually, no. We have not ALL forgotten we don’t have to agree with everything everybody says in order to get at least one good thing from a book or conversation. Personally, I’ve been using discernment, as advised in the Bible, pretty well for the last couple of decades, so this “generalization” did not apply to me; therefore, its claim was inaccurate.

“That doesn’t mean I agree with or endorse everything they have ever said or will say…” This was one of the most egregious lawsuit-avoiding disclaimers.

“I think we’ve collectively gotten a little lazy in our homes over the last several years, and our expectations are definitely a little skewed.” So everyone on the planet is lazy and has skewed expectations? That seems like wild hyperbole to me. Some of us are hardworking citizens who have solid, Bible-based expectations.

“I am not judging you…” A couple of the previous snippets and many of the “tips” included wording that felt “judgy” to me. We’ve “all” forgotten… we’ve “collectively” gotten lazy… our expectations are “definitely” skewed…

“As Christians and plain old humans who need the earth to thrive, we need to take care of it the best we possibly can. [Recycling is] just good stewardship.” So, judgment isn’t applied, but if we don’t or can’t recycle for whatever reason (such as living in a town that no longer offers recycling locations for its citizens), we are bad Christians and bad humans? That doesn’t sound like a non-judging sort of comment to me. I personally do my best to reuse items or pass them on to others who can use them when I no longer need them before I consider placing something in the garbage, but for those who don’t or can’t for some reason, I don’t think it’s right to judge them as bad Christians or bad humans just because their situation doesn’t permit them to recycle or reuse. For all we know, that very human could be currently leading lost souls to Jesus, and that task is, by far, more important than finding a recycle bin.

The insistence that certain things (such as bills and paper menus) must be tossed out because “they can be found online these days” was annoying and too bossy for my taste. This instruction did not take into account that online banking is not 100% secure. In fact, I have acquaintances whose accounts at well-recognized banks have been hacked and drained because they did frequent online banking. About the menus, some people, like myself, prefer perusing a physical menu over adding more screen time to our already screen-inundated lives. One of my jobs over the past decade has been editing books, which naturally requires hours upon hours of computer time each week. The last thing I want to do when thinking about dinner is get on my computer or phone to look up a menu. It’s so much easier to pull out a paper menu to give my eyes and brain a break from screens for a few minutes.

The tone throughout this book took turns being bossy as well as patronizing. Neither helped me have a positive outlook on this book’s content. One major way in which the tone was bossy was the insistence that we ought to get rid of multiples of items because “it’s very unlikely you will ever need both.” Actually, sometimes one does need more than one copy of something. In fact, there’s an example right in the book. In one chapter, snow shovels were used as an example of what to pare down to only one, and there was no option given to keep an extra snow shovel. However, in a later chapter, the author said she herself has three snow shovels because her kids help out with that chore. That double-standard rubbed me the wrong way and also proved that sometimes multiples come in handy.

An example of the patronizing-type comments was this: “That spaghetti sauce is not coming out, sweetie!” No matter that there was a use of an “endearment,” this comment within the context came out as patronizing rather than encouraging. In my experience, sometimes spaghetti sauce does come out. “Plastic storage containers” are made a lot better now than the ones I used in the 1990s, and a little soaking with a squirt of dish soap goes a long way.

Speaking of water, it seemed like there was lots of wasted water mentioned in this book, especially where it came to rinsing off dishes prior to putting them into a dishwasher. That sounded like it would use at least double the water that washing dishes by hand would. This seemed to be in contradiction to the earlier claim about stewardship.

If you read the section about measuring kitchen drawers for dividers and small containers, in which it was said to “measure the drawer carefully and go get them,” please remember to measure ALL the drawers in the kitchen before you go to the store instead of taking a trip to the store after every single drawer. It felt like a case for Amelia Bedelia, because she definitely would have spent hundreds of dollars in gas to take twenty-plus trips across town (or, in my case, into a larger town at least thirty minutes away) to purchase those things for each drawer separately.

It was mentioned to get rid of “flash drives (Be sure to transfer anything useful to the cloud first.)” Similar to online banking, the cloud is hackable. I personally prefer flash drives, terabyte towers, and external hard drives for digital backups, because they are more secure and less likely to be hacked, as they are not internet-based, and they don’t take up much room in a home office or other discreet location within the home. I have found it gives me more peace of mind in my editing and writing work to have those digital backups in-house rather than in a “cloud” online, where any number of computer geniuses could easily steal, delete, edit, or otherwise compromise the documents belonging to my clients or myself.

Later on, there was concern about “identity theft” via “rewards cards or old bank or credit cards,” instructing us to “make sure they’re well destroyed” before we dispose of them. Yet, there hadn’t seemed to be concern about identity theft with online banking (which is hackable, which means one’s money and identifying information, such as birthdate and social security number, could be stolen).

The breakdowns and tips were repetitive. The same sections of the house were gone over 2-3 times, in detail each time. Therefore, it was easy to skim and lose focus in the book. This made me wonder if the book wouldn’t have been better with half the pages and only going through each room’s process one time.

I liked how the author mentioned working the “zones” of a room while getting rid of the clutter. That was a fantastic tip, because it’s easy to get overwhelmed by an entire room, but working in zones helps keep that overwhelmed feeling to a minimum. I also liked that there were worksheets and checklists. Those could be incredibly helpful for keeping a person on task until the job is done and everything on the lists are checked off. One thing that was fun was that the author included anecdotes from her own family’s usage of the decluttering method she was explaining in this book. It was helpful to see how the method could work for the entire family.

I wish I could have enjoyed this book more. The book blurb had sounded like the book would be right up my organizational alley.

Content: one replacement expletive

[Caitlin (CMAReads) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thanks to Bethany House for the free book.
This was a good book for getting started on the decluttering process. I thought some of the lists and reasons behind become a clutterer was helpful. I liked how there was talk about all of the different types of ways to organize things, too. And the chapters are short and helped keep me focused on the one task at hand without worrying about the rest of the house. However, I do wish there had been some pictures or graphics for organizational ideas. I didn't mind the religious content because I knew what I was getting, but I do think readers should know that this is published by a Christian publisher, so there is going to be scripture and talks of religion in this book. Overall, I found it helpful in getting me started and for staying decluttered.

[Kirsten · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good motivator to help you get started on the decluttering you've been putting off. Took me a while to finish this book because I'd read a bit and then have to go declutter something. The clutter personalities and organizing personalities was interesting even though I feel like I have different personalities for different rooms, or certain zones and for all different reasons. I could definitely recognize a kindred spirit in the author when she talked about some of her habits. And there was a Big Comfy Couch shout out which is a show I watched when I was little and I still watch now with my niece.

Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc

[Courtney Carlson · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was super helpful in understanding how to declutter, where to start, and why my life got to this point. I found it helpful in many ways and not helpful in others. I don't own a giant home, but I felt that a lot of what she talked about assumed I did (in the first 10 days she has you spend multiple days on your entry way, which I don't have). I think this is a great foundational book to get you started in creating a declutter lifestyle.

[Flora · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found that I actually liked this book a lot even though it doesn't have any of the colorful photos and diagrams that clutter books often feature. There are a lot of detail and checklists and plans as to how to keep your house nice and tidy. I liked that she has gathered information, technique, tips and tricks from experts in all the fields that are somehow or other connected to clutter in homes. Definitely a book I will delve more into as I try again and again to keep my house neater!

[BluJeans Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

https://blujeansbooks.co.za/718-2/ see my review on our blog, www.blujeansbooks.co.za
Really a fun book to use.

[Wanda Hartzenberg · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun book to work with.

I really recommend this one.

Read more So I requested this book and a few others from Netgalley. I am not a fan of the Netgalley reading app and will not request more books to read but will most certainly request more audiobooks.

So my wife and I started. And it was FUN. Not what I expected. We recorded the first few days on TikTok so here is a link of one of those short video’s.

https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMFpgX89f/

I hope that link works.

The book does not state that it is fit for all. Or a one size fits all. It gives the reader quite a bit of space to adapt and adjust the basic principle to their schedule and their homes.

I loved the fact that the writer writes this book from a Christian POV. And shares text from the Bible to motivate the reader. That was quite an original premise for me.

So in total even though I did not manage to read nor work through the entire book, I found it very helpful and above all a fun book to use to work on that pesky clutter. !

[Dotdala_reads (Sam R) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I grabbed this because I purchased my grandparent's home (with 50+ years of STUFF with it) and thought it would be the perfect book to help me with the daunting task of making it 'my home'. Immediately I was off-put by the author almost pushing her religious values at me, the reader. I thought, well maybe I'm just being sensitive but the more I trudged through the intro (really, a de-cluttering book should not have an intro that lengthy) I was increasingly more irritated.

I don't care about what claims you are or are not making, I don't care about the legalities of this or that, I don't care about your blog or your MLM or need to know where to sign up to receive your generic mailing list emails that tell me your whole life story before I can even get to the information I signed up for in the first place (don't you say to de-clutter the junk mail?)....

Being harsh in a review is not something I enjoy doing, but I pride myself on being honest about what I'm reading. I review with the hope that it'll help other readers determine if a book is for them before they spend their hard-earned money on it. There were some really great aspects of this book, but if anyone is like me they will get bogged down with unnecessary paragraphs that felt a little....patronizing.

De=cluttering is a process that I would like not to have to read paragraph after paragraph to be able to complete to make it easier and more efficient. There was promise to this in the way the author broke down areas of the house into smaller steps and with the checklists/schedules but it was TOOOOOOO WORDY!

Simple, sweet and succinct would've been the best bet- trim down all of the excess and break down the processes with bulleted points. Less paragraphs, please!

Overall, I will take the authors advice to take what I need and leave the rest because I did find some gems of advice hidden within the almost 200 pages that this is.

If you're into hearing bible verses, reading a lot of words to get to the meat of how to de-clutter- this is for you.
Some will LOVE this- it just was not what it was purported to be in my opinion.

[Jennie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Are you looking for an all in one, detailed, how to de-clutter, with a no-fail system? Then this new book by Shannon Acheson, The Clutter Fix – The no-fail, stress-free guide to organizing your home – is for you! Also, she is a homeschooling mom and Christian, so it makes it even more relatable. I love all the lists and details she provides, she provides options to help make it easy and quick or do a full house de-clutter. She also includes areas such as files on computers, for digital de-cluttering! In addition, there is an assessment, explanation on reasons to simplify your home, about our clutter personalities and organizing personalities, and then once you finish de-cluttering how to maintain it, because that is important too!

I have read a couple other books on de-cluttering and so has she, so you will find some quotes she shares from those. However, I will have to say this is the best book out there on de-cluttering that I have read. She really does break it down and is great at providing step by step instructions to make it easy and not overwhelming!

“The more stuff you have, the more work you will have to do to keep track and take care of it all. Another way to look at it is that whatever you have in your home is like inventory that you have to manage.”

“A true home – one that is lived in and actively used – will require maintenance and work on the regular. If you’re a Bible-believing Christian, like I am, you now that God created the world in six days and rested for only one, and He shared this in Genesis as a model for us to follow.”

After reading the book, to review it and get a feel for it. I am now excited to work through this book, it will be a process, and it will take some time, but I can’t wait to get to the part, where I am just maintaining daily and seasonal, as she shares at the end, also with step by step instructions how to do!

[Novel Obsession · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Clutter Fix felt like the author compiled a bunch of lists about decluttering from the internet, put them into a Word document, and labelled it as a book. Throw in her very liberal sprinklings (showers?) of religious dogma and Bible verses, and lengthy ramblings, and this book was enough to turn me off. I love decluttering and organizing, and I love having good books to recommend to others. I won't be recommending this book to anyone.

Disclaimer: A copy was provided by the publisher.

[Zoe · Rating 2 out of 5]

I requested this book off NetGalley, so I received a free digital copy in exchange for an honest review...

I wanted to like this book. The author's Instagram is super cute! And she's Canadian. I read a lot of decluttering books, so I thought it would be nice to read something from my country (actually my region, she lives in the same municipality as me).

But alas, I did not enjoy this book. The introduction did warn about the religion stuff. And I was like, "It's fine, I've read Joshua Becker. He was literally a pastor, I can totally do this."

*Ron Howard in Arrested Development Voice: She could not.*

This book brings religion up for no reason. I would go a few pages, almost start liking what I'm reading and then bam! A bible verse, or a reminder of God's love or something like that. It was just so jarring.

Frankly, if I read a secular version of this book, I would have probably forgotten most of it. Since it's pretty genetic otherwise.

Also the chapters of this book are in a weird order. It starts with a decluttering challenge to 'get some wins under your belt'. But then jumps to reasons to declutter, the clutter personalities (which was actually interesting (btw: do you like open or closed storage shelving/storage units and are you into simple or detailed organizing methods)). Then it's how to declutter your whole house, and finally how to create good maintenance routines.

I think the mindsets should have been before the challenge, and before the house declutter. Why bother doing a 10-day challenge if you haven't figured out the motivation behind it?

Overall, the book wasn't for me. I found it frustrating. Even thinking about the intended audience, I don't think it was a very good book.

To her credit, I looked on her website and there isn't a massive repeat of information. So if you like her website Home Made Lovely, the book seems to be fresh content.

If you want a book about decluttering, Decluttering at the Speed of Life: Winning Your Never-Ending Battle with Stuff by Dana K. White is pretty good.

If you want faith based books about minimalism; I recommend Minimalist Moms: Living and Parenting with Simplicity by Diane Borden or The Minimalist Home: A Room-By-Room Guide to a Decluttered, Refocused Life by Joshua Becker. Although not my favorite books ever, they were much better reading experiences.



Two star, because although I didn't enjoy it. I save my one stars for worse books or DNFs.

[Victoria W. · Rating 4 out of 5]

After a bit of a summer break it somehow feels right to jump back into reading and reviews with a book on decluttering and simplifying the day to day.

For those of you who have poked around my corner of the internet for awhile, you may recognize Acheson's name, as I had the opportunity to review her last book Home Made Lovely, a how-to guide on finding your style and building a space that is welcoming and beautiful to those that live there. Now, Acheson's back helping readers organize their styles into functional and peaceful space.

There was a lot to like in here. At it's heart, this is a very practical book. Acheson really takes the time to break down each stage/room for decluttering to make the job more accessible regardless of how much clutter one is facing. I appreciated the variety of lists she includes both for keeping yourself on track an das a guideline to modify for your own needs.

Which was another thing I appreciated. Acheson spends a lot of her introduction explaining how not all points in her book will apply to everyone, something I greatly appreciated. So many how-to/fix it books are so focused on promoting their method it can feel inaccessible for those who don't meet the target audience. Acheson, though, seems much more aware, even in comparison to her first book about the reality of different familial and living arrangements fully encouraging her readers to take what fits their lives and leave what doesn't. In essence the book's first area of decluttering is it's own advice.

I also appreciated Acheson's inclusion of different organizing types and how that can affect both your decluttering phase and maintenance phases. Our home holds four people, we probably fit into 3 of the 4 organization models she outlines in chapter 5. As someone already familiar with decluttering this chapter really opened my eyes to some of the areas where our family struggles and has already helped up make some real progress.



Overall, I appreciated this book for it's honesty. Acheson presents tips and tricks that are modifiable for any organizational type or personality who wish to have some more tools for taming their space.



4 out of 5 stars.

Book was provided courtesy of Graf-Martin Communications, Inc. and Baker Publishing Group.

[Meagan | The Chapter House · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've read my share of decluttering books over the years, and will admit that--given that--I was probably disproportionately excited about this read, lol! "What could I learn that hasn't been said before? I'm sure there's something Or I need a reminder."

This book most helped me as a reminder, more than presenting "new" information, per se. It brought together a number of decluttering/organizing/etc. big-names' concepts and ideas together, a bibliography, if you will, which might prompt the reader to pursue some of those more specifically.

For being a book on decluttering, I do feel ... it could have decluttered its word count a bit? LOL. I found myself skipping to the bolded parts and skimming the rest. The author's encouragement to "change systems if needed" ended up being my biggest takeaway; there are other books/methods/authors in this genre I prefer more. I was also surprised there really weren't any pictures inside--perhaps there are in the final product vs. the eARC? Hope so!

The worksheets were the most appealing to me when I started reading, and would be my biggest reason for picking up a hard copy at the library or making my own cheat-sheets that, again, weren't so wordy. _Let me get to it rather than just read about it, thanks!_ I'm also insanely curious how these translated from eARC to hard/final copy--frankly, they looked more like word lists than checklists--something I could easily draft and improve on myself in Excel.

Interestingly, as much as I loved the prospect of worksheets, I got the most practical help out of reading the book's 2- and 3-star reviews on Goodreads, noting what worked well (or didn't) for those readers. The boots-on-the-ground (or, in author Paul David Tripp's lingo, "street level") application helped me see where best to apply my own efforts--including in pursuit of other books.

I received an eARC of the book from the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

[Lyndsie · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a person who really enjoys reading books about decluttering much more than actually decluttering, I really enjoyed this book. I love the aesthetic of Shannon’s home, and I’m a huge fan of her first book. I feel like The Clutter Fix gives a really solid plan for decluttering your home, and keeping it that way. Since not everyone’s brain works the same, I appreciated that she gives 3 different methods for decluttering, so that you can choose the one that works best for you. I was able to find the one that works for me as a sahm. I also enjoyed finding my Organizing Personality. I’m an NO/SO. That alone has changed how I see my organizing methods.
But, there were a few things I didn’t like about the book. Nothing major, but some things you may want to be aware of.
1. There are no pictures in this book. Not a big deal, but I expected it to be more like Home Made Lovely, which is full of gorgeous photography. Once I got into the book, I realized it was really necessary, but I was disappointed at first.
2. The introduction to this book is extra-long. I really wanted to get into the actual decluttering. It also seemed a bit out of order, like chapter 7 about decluttering sentimental items that tells you not to worry about them until chapter 12.
Overall, this book is great and gives a solid decluttering plan built on Biblical principles. Non-Christians can still gain lots of good info and practical advice, but it is written from a Christian viewpoint. It’s definitely one of my favorite decluttering books. (And I’ve read many!)
I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my review. All opinions are my own.

[Jessica Higgins · Rating 5 out of 5]

A super quick and easy guide to getting rid of excess and living by the mindset of “less is more.”

We live in a world of stuff; everywhere we look there is more and better stuff to have in our lives and in our homes. But does that stuff really make us happy? The short answer is no; we think it will make us happy but if we have too much we end up with chaos and disorganized clutter all around that can leave us feeling anxious and depressed.

Shannon Acheson uses the tools throughout this book to help readers learn to get rid of what they don’t need and how to organize what they do keep. Step by step instructions along with helpful checklists will give readers the tools they need to start down the path of having less so they can enjoy what they do have more. One of the nicest things about the book is it doesn’t just deal with the physical stuff, it also talks about emotional clutter and cleaning out email inboxes and such that can get over run and overlooked. I always enjoy a good cleanout and purge and using the checklists throughout this book will make for a great tool to make it so much easier. I recommend this book to everyone, even if you feel like you don’t have much to get rid of this list will show you there is more to declutter than you would think.

I received a complimentary copy of this title from the publisher. The views and opinions expressed within are my own.

[Narita · Rating 5 out of 5]

Clutter has been an ongoing challenge for me for many years. I go from organized and cleansed back to clutter. I am always looking for new ideas and help in digging out when I slip back into my old ways. There have been a lot of books written on this subject and believe me I have read a lot of them. So I was a bit skeptical but still hopeful this one might have some ways to help me approach the job that lay before me. I was pleasantly surprised!
I liked that the author was a Christian. As a believer myself and always want to approach every part of my life through the Bible. This is the first decluttering book I have seen that includes God in putting your home in order. To me that’s perfect as He is to be the center of our homes in every way.
Clutter is complicated because much of it has an emotional basis. I love the way she makes her instructions so simple and clear. It was like having her there beside me discussing many aspects involved in this huge task that I would have never thought of! She covers every angle. I learned so many new ideas and techniques I can apply to weeding out my belongings. Instead of being overwhelmed I felt it was a task I could succeed at! Once you are done she has even more suggestions to keep your house from going backwards again. A very helpful book!
I received this book from Bethany House Nonfiction/Chosen Books in exchange for an honest review. The opinions I have stated are my own.

[Danielle W · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was just ok. Definitely written for a middle/upper class Christian female, so a pretty narrow subset of the group.

The intro starts off with a “take what you’ll use, ignore what’s not helpful” attitude. Then Chapter 1 is a 10 quick tasks in 10 days to get some fast wins, some of which are reasonable, others are not at all quick. Example: declutter your entry way. Sure, a quick 10-15 mins or less. Other example: declutter all your kitchen cabinets. I don’t know how big your kitchen is, but this could take me quite a long time.

Then chapter 2 is ONE HUNDRED TWENTY “quick items”. Some like “toss any rubber boots with holes in them”. Others like “clean out your jewelry”, which for me would take hours if I were really doing it right, unless the goal is to just donate all of it without too much thought. Also on the list is “trash your toothbrush”. Like, ok, but then I’m going to need a new one so that’s not really declutterring.

Then subsequent chapters talk about cleaning styles, mindsets and other bits of encouragement, ending the book with step-by-step guide on how to clean each area of your house (take it all out, sort it into piles, deal with the piles, put what you’re keeping back).

So it wasn’t a horrible read, and if you’re looking for just a little bit of motivation to do what you were already planning to do anyway, fine. If you didn’t already have an end goal in mind, probably not so helpful.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another addition to the clutter tackling reading list…The Clutter Fix by Shannon Acheson. While the advice was not new to me, I did find it helpful for outline some steps to take to tackle the clutter problem in my house (we have Warhammer items in five different rooms…it is taking over!). The most organized room in my house is my kitchen and that is because I use zones just as the author recommends. However, I don’t really have zones in the rest of my house. It makes sense to. What I found most helpful was the outline of a 10 day declutter challenge. I think I might create my own challenge to tackle the house. While the author is religious, she acknowledges that scripture might not be for everyone, but that is who she is, so it is present in her writing. However, also present are bits from psychology experts on why we have clutter and why it is so hard to get away from. There is also advice from experts on habits and routines. I have been reading a lot about routines lately. Dana K White from A Slob Comes Clean is one of my favorite decluttering experts and her work is referenced frequently. So I have already started to utilize some of her tips, but it was nice to read about how others are using them. Still working on getting that laundry fountain, but, hey, the kitchen sink is empty! #NetGalley #sept2022

[Hilary Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you're like me, busy mom with a herd of kids, decluttering is something that has been perpetually on your to do list- you've got scads of inspiration but are to the point where you've become overwhelmed with all the possible ways, all the conflicting advice, and short on time, energy and motivation.

In The Clutter Fix, Shannon does a great job of breaking it down into easy steps. I loved the short cuts to help me get started but also multiple different ways to tackle when I'm ready- 10 min a day, every day for a month or weekend warrior. Some of us are just in seasons where a one size fits all approach is not going to meet our needs so I really loved how Shannon made room for all of us at the decluttering table. Especially love how she digs into our clutter personalities as well as our organization personalities (definitely an everything out/detailed organizer here- out of sight is definitely out of mind for my ADHD self).

I found this book not only helped me to feel empowered to tackle the clutter in my home but helped me understand some of the whys behind why it's here and some of the conflict between different family members (very different clutter and organization personalities). Shannon writes in a way that is warm and encouraging. A great read for anyone who has struggled in the past to tackle clutter once and for all.

[Shay]

I stumbled upon this book on Netgalley during a moment when I was trying to distract myself from the mess that my home was becoming that I just didn't have the energy for. I saw The Clutter Fix and thought 'why not?'. My husband and I have lived in our extremely small 1 bedroom apt for 9 years (😱) and have started outgrowing it. I am always looking for more organization and clutter tips as a result until we can one day transition into something roomier.

The first thing that was blaring was her religion which honestly is fine. She gave ample warnings and everyone is entitled to their own faith. It was nice that she wasn't all 'put it in God's hands' as I have seen from others. The second note was all the disclaimers of 'this won't work for everyone'. Once at the beginning is fine. We don't need the reminder every 3rd page.

I did however enjoy her opening chapter of disclaimers. It was well written and broken down nicely. The worksheets were very helpful for myself as well as the 'what type of [insert traits here] are you'. I'm a sucker for those in general but these were broken down clearly with detailed descriptions of each. I loved all the lists as I'm a listmaker myself. It was super helpful for someone very scattered. Overall 3.5 stars, rounding up to 4.

[Michelle Kidwell · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Clutter Fix
The No-Fail, Stress-Free Guide to Organizing Your Home
by Shannon Acheson
Pub Date 13 Sep 2022
Bethany House, Bethany House Publishers
Christian | Home & Garden | Religion & Spirituality


I am reviewing a copy of The Clutter Fix and Netgalley:


If you are living in a disorganized home and are in search of organizational tips, because a cluttered home can quickly start to make you feel chaotic anxious, and even depressed. You want a change, but you don't know where to begin.

Home coach Shannon Acheson is here to help. She has written the only book you'll ever need to get your entire home sorted and organized for good--in a way that makes sense for you and your family's unique, God-given personalities.

In The Clutter Fix, Shannon helps you to win the battle with all of your stuff by following her step-by-step instructions, as well as her checklist.

It allows you to discover your Clutter Personality and your Organizing Personality as well as to create rhythms and routines to keep your home decluttered

Clutter isn't just about the stuff. It's about how you feel in your home--and in your mind. This book will give you the peaceful dwelling you've always hoped for.


I give The Clutter Fix five out of five stars!

Happy Reading!

[Jess d'Artagnan · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was given this book as an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book is about how to declutter your home and covers a good amount of information about how to do that. The techniques provided are not necessarily anything new or different from what a reader can find elsewhere. I didn't think there was much new added to the existing literature on decluttering. But if a reader has never read anything about decluttering before, they can find a lot of value in the suggestions. What I found most interesting was the categories of clutter personality types and how to adjust your decluttering process based on your personality type. There were some weird moments of body shaming and fatphobia that I thought were REALLY unnecessary. In a book about decluttering your house, there was just no need for that whatsoever and it really turned me off the book. There were some Bible versus used but they felt "cherry picked" because the larger context around those versus and why they were included went unexplained and unexplored. This wasn't the book for me, but it could be useful to others.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have read several books on organization and decluttering over the years and I appreciated this one for several reasons. For one thing, the author suggests practical,and doable steps that allow the reader to start small in the process of decluttering her house. It was also encouraging that she is not a minimalist and had other suggestions for organizing other than just to get rid of most things. Several authors I have read lately recommend minimalism and that is not realistic for my household. The part of the book that I appreciated the most is when she went through the different organizing personalities and how to address when there are different types of organizers in a house. That has always been a big issue for me because my husband and I are very different so the author had some good suggestions of how to deal with these differences. I read the book the first time to get an overall opinion, but I will definitely be going through the book again and follow her suggestions one step at a time.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for a copy of this book. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.

[Nikki · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars
Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this ebook.
Going into some much needed PTO, I thought this book would get me in the mood to get some stuff accomplished over the holiday weekend.
Overall it did have some good tips and tricks for tackling clutter, but other points it felt like reading a Christian mom blog (which, upon reaching the ending and seeing the author does have a blog, makes sense) with the overly friendly language and use of smiley faces. Some of the language was a little off-putting, like the repeated use of sweetie and terms like that. I did like the worksheets and charts and lists, those would be something I refer back to at a later time. The repeatedly tying things back to religion got really tiring after a while, as did a lot of the disclaimer-y paragraphs.
An item of note, the worksheets/charts did end up a little funky in the format of an eBook, the font size would change a lot and I think it's just more of a formatting issue than an issue with the actual information of the book.

[Cassondra Perea · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are are struggling to maintain an organized home, The Clutter Fix by Shannon Acheson is the book for you!

This book is nothing short of phenomenal! I love how simple and easy Acheson makes things. Her approach is unique to anything that I have ever heard, but upon hearing it, it makes perfect sense. I especially loved the organizational personality quiz, checklists, and access to her additional printables.

As a Christian I appreciated her outlook on being a good steward of our things. We are charged to be appreciative and responsible for the things we have been blessed with. If and when things no longer serve a purpose for our family, donating them to others is the ideal solution.

I enjoyed this book so much, I will be buying it for myself as well as her first book. In fact, this will be a gift I give to several close relations whom I know can benefit from Acheson’s sage advice.

Special thanks to NetGalley.com and Bethany House for allowing me to read this book in exchange for my honest feedback.