Show us your clutter, we asked. In return, we'd track down some top-notch organizational pros for tips on how to clean out that overflowing closet, spare room, kitchen, or -- in quite a few cases -- an entire house.

Sure enough, we got plenty of responses. These days, it seems that clutter is a problem that knows no bounds. Turn on the television, and you'll find several home improvement shows specifically aimed at corralling clutter. The same is true for a slew of magazines and books.

But when it came time to name names, our volunteers got a little nervous. Mention that there would be photographs and, well, all deals were off.

We did manage to rope in one severely cluttered thirtysomething couple, with the promise that their identities would never, ever be revealed. We snapped a few photos of what we found inside their home.

Crowded bookshelves. Desks covered in papers. Bulging closets. And stacks and stacks of mail.

All in all, not that much different than the types of clutter the rest of us see somewhere in our own homes.

We know we should just clean it up, toss some things away and get organized.

Seems simple in print. In reality, though, getting rid of clutter feels really, really hard.

Why?

According to the experts we talked with, it's not just a matter of buying a file cabinet or storage bin; it's a matter of changing how we think.

"Clutter is very seldom about the stuff," said Peter Walsh, a professional organizer on "Clean Sweep," an hour-long show that tackles clutter one home at a time on the cable network TLC.

The problem for many of us, as Walsh explained, is that we just don't live in the now.

"People often hold on to things for two reasons," he said in a recent interview. "They hold on to all this stuff for some value it had in the past or some possible value it might have in the future."

Either way, these are things -- like those too-tight pants hanging in the closet -- that aren't getting any use today.

But our attitudes seem to be changing. Now, there's a big push to purge, organize and simply clean up.

Business is booming in Volusia and Flagler counties for California Closets, a company that installs organization systems throughout every room in the house, said Marni Van de Burgt from California Closets.

"We are unseasonably busy," she said. "People are taking this seriously. They need simplicity."

Why the change in attitude? Well, there's a variety of reasons, according to Vicki Norris, founder of Restoring Order, a Portland, Ore.-based organizational firm and one of the pros on "Mission: Organization" on HGTV.

"I have seen a dramatic increase in the public's interest in organizing and de-cluttering. Whether it is due to 9/11, the tenuous economy, or a shift in consciousness, I think that people everywhere feel out of control," she said. "Organizing can help you better manage your environment, information, and tasks, which imparts more freedom and peace of mind."

Apparently, keeping up with the Joneses' during the go-go, my-stock-portfolio-is-rockin' period that was the '90s, just didn't bring us happiness.

"There was this great belief that by acquiring more stuff you could create a better life," Walsh said. "Now it's exactly the opposite. We've found that we're surrounded by this stuff that's taking up space. It's causing stress, not relief. More is not necessarily better."

So, as we move on with some tips on how to clean up all that clutter, we might need to change our state of mind just as much as we need to change the state of our spaces.

michael.haun@news-jrnl.com

Stop procrastinating

Ready to tackle the clutter, but not sure where to begin? Hop on the Web, run a search on "clutter," and you'll find a host of sites that offer helpful tips on how to become clutter-free. Here's a list to get you started:

www.napo.net

This is the home page for the National Association of Professional Organizers, the pros of de-cluttering. Click on "Find an Organizer" for listings of members working in Central Florida.

www.mindoverclutter.com

Is clutter the problem? Or is it us? This site takes a look the issues that keep us from being clutter-free.

www.messies.com

Perhaps the first step is to admit we have a problem. Welcome to Messies Anonymous, an online support group for clutter-aholics.

www.clutter-recovery.com

Need even more support? Clutter Recovery is a similar online support group.

www.beclutter-free.com

This site offers good advice on how to tackle a variety of projects.

www.organizedhome.com/

This is a good place to start if you want to begin work on a specific room in your home.

-- Michael Haun

Figure out priorities

Don't know what to keep or toss? Start by figuring out what items are truly important.

"Before you begin madly purging items that appear to be clutter, make a list of the categories of things that have the greatest value to you," said Vicki Norris, of Restoring Order and "Mission: Organization" on HGTV.

Imagine there's a fire, she said. What things would you save?

"Once you know your priorities (memorabilia, special books or outdoor gear, for example), you can begin tackling the other, less meaningful categories, like old toys, clothes and household items," Norris said.

Start small

Clutter is a tricky, cunning nemesis. It can spill from one room to another. Given enough time, it can rule the entire house.

And that can overwhelm the most determined of clutter busters.

"You've got to start with something small and manageable," said Peter Walsh of TLC's "Clean Sweep." "You've got to cut it down into small chunks."

Begin with one room. Walsh recommends starting with your main living space -- the living room, family room or wherever you spend most of your time.

Begin with what he calls his "Two Garbage Bag Rule."

"Two garbage bags a day. You've got to take one out that's trash, and one that's being donated or given away," he said. "In two weeks, you'll end up getting rid of the clutter in that space."

Stick with it

De-cluttering is a lot like going to the gym -- it's going to take some time before you see results.

"You can't go one time to the gym and walk out perfectly fit," said Ingrid Timbs with Lagniappe Professional Organizers in Port Orange. "And the worse shape you're in, the longer it will take.

"To make it last, it takes some time and effort on a regular basis," she said.

Do the worst first

For Norris, the home office is public enemy No. 1. She said most of her clients pick the home office as the most cluttered room in their home.

"This room is where paper piles collide with incoming mail and unpaid bills, and the client is living with the disastrous outcome," she said.

The staff of her firm, Restoring Order, help these folks come up with organized systems of filing, storing and sorting.

Norris said that by having those detailed systems in place, homeowners can keep their home office a haven, rather than a hectic space.

Become a speed reader

How many magazines do you have lying around?

Walsh suggests you keep three, at the most. When a new one comes in, an old one must go, whether you've read it or not.

Attention eBay shoppers

Keep your collections manageable. They don't do much good if you can't even see them.

"Collections should be kept to a quantity that can be used or easily cared for," Timbs said. "You should be able to use your collection and gain pleasure from it."

Buy a container or cabinet to display these treasured items. The size of that storage unit should dictate the size of the collection, she said.

Don't forget closets

Newer homes are being built with some pretty nifty space-saving features in closets, said Marni Van de Burgt from California Closets.

Older homes, well, they're lacking in this department. "It's a space management issue," she said. "They just don't have the right systems in place."

You can call in a professional or purchase inexpensive closet storage systems.

Of course, you might also need to get rid of a few things, too.

"If you haven't touched it or used it in three months, chances are, you don't need it," she said.

Here again, keep the purging manageable. Walsh suggests coming up with a ratio of things to toss versus things to keep.

"For every three items you keep, take one out," he said. "It's a really easy way of cutting down the stuff that you have."

Big chefs, small kitchens

Clutter easily can overtake a kitchen, no matter its size. But the smaller the space, the bigger the challenge.

Timbs recommends placing the most frequently used items in easy-to-access spaces.

"Items used less frequently should be less accessible," she said. "The turkey roaster used only at Thanksgiving should be kept in a place far, far away -- maybe even in the garage or attic to make room for items used more often."

Stay away from one-function-only appliances -- rice steamers, sandwich makers and the like -- if a pot or pan can do the job just as well, Timbs said.

And make use of "air space" within your cabinets, she said. Attach hanging baskets inside the cabinet doors for additional storage.

Toys, toys and more toys

If you have children, then you have toys. And toys seem to travel more than other types of clutter, Norris said.

"Toys and books and games are strewn from bedrooms to the family room, to bookshelves, and to the playroom," she said.

So look at the big picture, in this case.

"What kinds of toys should live in the children's bedrooms? Where should games and puzzles live? Where is an appropriate home for books? Are all toys communal, or are some toys special to each child?" Norris said, adding that once you've figured this out, you can create a well-planned storage system.

"Without considering the bigger picture, and these key questions," she said, "many parents will never overcome the problem of nomadic toys and be frustrated by their repeat efforts to control the chaos."