Comments on: declutter vs. unclutter

By: Arlene

Arlene — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 21:46:32 +0000

I think Julia up there needs to realize that her post added nothing to decreasing noise and clutter in our lives as well. She must have simplified her life to a level where she is now looking to find things about which to complain…

By: Christie

Christie — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 20:46:19 +0000

Oh, I just LOVE semantics. Which is what lead me right to this thread!
I wasn’t sure of the difference.
Personally, I like “unclutter”. Declutter reminds me of “de mess” this place is. Where unclutter to me is like un-doing the clutter or mess.
Great topic.
Thanks

By: logoscoaching

logoscoaching — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 15:30:44 +0000

declutter or unclutter – interesting question (of sorts) which I had not really thought about before.

Thinking on it now I would say I use declutter to describe the process and unclutter when the job is done!

all this discussion leads me to ask ~ who started using the declutter version in the first place?

By: Zee Marks

Zee Marks — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 12:27:27 +0000

I think declutter is synonymous to destress.

By: Carol

Carol — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 13:41:22 +0000

Actually I think they mean different things.

Declutter is a process, and does not necessarily imply the eradication of every last bit of clutter — you might choose to keep some knick knacks you like, for instance.

Unclutter sounds like one sweeping event, removing absolutely all clutter in a semi-permanent way.

But that’s just in my head.

By: Rose

Rose — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 16:58:36 +0000

What a great question.. I kind of knw this but ignore it all the same.
Personally, I use ‘unclutter’ed as an adjective and declutter as a verb.

~Rose

By: Linda

Linda — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 07:10:40 +0000

You can just wait for the day that ‘declutter’ is in the dictionary. Isn’t it -like- the #1 used word on TV and other media nowadays? Every other show seems to be about ‘DEcluttering’…. so I’d say it’s just a matter of time

Greetings from the netherlands!

By: Frugal Folks

Frugal Folks — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 02:05:36 +0000

I like talking about how we use words and whether or not they make any sense in our lives as they are currently being used. I agree with Meg. I use declutter basically as a verb (there goes the spellcheck to warn me again), as in “How To Declutter Your Kitchen”, and would use uncluttered as a adjective, as in “I Live In An Uncluttered Kitchen.” So, it’s basically a matter of what we eventually get used to seeing and saying.

I appreciate the topic of the use of these words as I believe a lively topic of any sort can help to declutter the mind so that our world can be less cluttered, or shall we say, uncluttered.

No topic is less worthy than any other topic when the author clearly has a little sense of humor and that goes a long way to lightening our emotional load. We humans can suffer just as much under a burden of sorrow as we can a burden of material possessions. Thank you for this engaging topic that we all, or most of us, had a little fun with.

By: FB @ FabulouslyBroke.com

FB @ FabulouslyBroke.com — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 19:26:36 +0000

Declutter. I knew it wasn’t a word. My spelling checker hates it.

And I agree with Meg.. I use it in the same way as she does. I need to declutter, that kitchen is finally uncluttered!

@Julia I agree with Meg. You’re being needlessly rude.

By: Meg

Meg — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 19:02:07 +0000

@Julia

Last time I checked, the author wasn’t writing just for your personal enjoyment. I found it interesting and certainly it was valuable enough that others decided to comment.

Perhaps you should consider whether your comment added anything positive to this discussion and whether it would have been better had you just 1. saved your time by just ignoring the post or 2. just take the blog off your reading list if it is no longer a good use of your time (no one is forcing you to read anything).

Instead, you chose to write a rude comment that goes beyond just saying that you didn’t like the post and attacks the author personally (i.e. “You must have simplified your life to a level where you are now looking to find things to fill it up.”). What does that say about you?