Woman's Blog Helps Her De-Clutter

That's why Darryle Pollack is taking her battle against disorder to an extreme length.

Pollack, an artist and writer in Carmel, California, has created a blog she calls Click for Clutter (www.clickforclutter.com). Every day, she posts one item from her overcrowded home that she wants to give away. People who view it can vote for Pollack to keep it, donate it, or give it away. To claim it, people can write to her through the site and tell her why they would like to have it.

Pollack will then pick the giftee and mail the item at no charge. At least in the beginning - after that, she says, she'll re-evaluate.

What makes the site really fun, though, is that Pollack has a story to tell about every item. Here's a sample, regarding a "High Anxiety" T-shirt:

"When I was a TV newscaster in Miami, Mel Brooks was promoting this movie and I interviewed him about it. And after the interview, I got two souvenirs - this T-shirt, and a husband. Because I'm sentimental, I kept the T-shirt.

"Even though I didn't keep the husband."

Why take her de-cluttering quest to the Internet universe? Pollack said she's struggled for years to get rid of her superfluous stuff, to no avail. Taking it public gives her a built-in support group and added impetus to stick to her promise.

"It's a way to force myself to do this," said the 14-year resident of Carmel, who said she has a hard time parting with anything, and is now in the process of cleaning out decades of accumulated objects that she's carted around.

She launched the Web site in January 2009, fittingly just after New Year's.

Pollack notes that the New Year's resolution to get rid of clutter and get organized is so common that the National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO) has designated January as "Get Organized Month."

Pollack's drastic steps to simplify her life are urgently needed, she says.

"I have a garage filled with stuff," Pollack said. "Every closet is overflowing. Every drawer is overflowing."

And many of the items she's unearthed are completely unnecessary now, except for the sentimental value.

Like the partially completed baby blanket she was going to knit for her son - 20 years ago.

Every January for some time now, Pollack has sworn she would get rid of her clutter. Until now, though, she had little luck in keeping her resolution.

What got her started on this unusual giveaway project was her blog, I Never Signed Up For This (http://ineversignedupforthis.typepad.com/) which she started last July.

"I really discovered the power of the Internet" through blogging, said Pollack. That sense of community and sharing got her to consider a blog as a way to unload her unwanted items.

Click for Clutter (the underline reads, "My Stuff. My Stories. Your Solutions") has already, in just a few short days, become a force for change.

There are comments on almost every item thus far, with the holiday nutcracker getting the most attention ("The bottom line is that I'm Jewish and we don't celebrate Christmas," Pollack writes about it.)

Before launching the site, Pollack considered giving her clutter to charity, or perhaps selling it on eBay. But she settled on this blog as a better motivational tool.

So what does her family think? Her husband thinks "it's fabulous," said Pollack, and her grown daughter and son have no problem with her giving their stuff away, too.

"Everyone trusts my judgment," she said.

Like many people who have trouble parting with an avalanche of objects, Pollack said she has emotional issues connected to many of her things. But she's come to realize that there is no longer any need to keep much of the stuff she's been storing.

Where did it all come from? Pollack has kept things she's bought for others that they didn't want, things for herself that she's never used, and even things that people have left behind and never claimed.

She's also been a mosaic artist for many years, and so art supplies are part of the mix.

Pollack, who has enjoyed several careers and many moves in her life, even has a box of items belonging to her husband's uncle, which somehow came to her after the uncle died.

Now, though, it's time to let go.

"I'm getting over the idea that things represent who you are," she said. "It's a healthy thing to do this."

Click for Clutter also has a link to a professional organizer's Web site (who happens to be Pollack's niece), which has tips for those seeking a clutter-free life.

Pollack will wait about 10 days after posting an item before she decides who should get it.

There's no catch to any of it - she's even paying the postage right now - but she does have a request: "If I give you something," she writes on the site, "please send me an e-mail and picture after you receive it."

Ultimately, Pollack says, most of her items will probably be donated to nonprofit groups. But the exercise in paring down will be there for everyone to see, when they visit her site.

"I'm hoping to motivate others to do the same thing," said Pollack. "It's really liberating - it's letting go in a profound way.

"Part of me hopes it's something that a lot of people will do."