#687 – What’s Lurking Under Your Bed? Declutter the Forgotten Zone for Good

by Clutter Free Academy Team | Sep 16, 2025 | Clutter Free, Clutter Free Home, Clutter Free Podcast, Home, Mental Load, Organizing, Overwhelmed, Podcast, tips and ideas | 0 comments

#687 – What’s Lurking Under Your Bed? Declutter the Forgotten Zone for Good

Listen Now

The space under your bed might be the most neglected—and mysterious—storage zone in your home. In this quick, practical episode, Kathi Lipp and Tonya Kubo equip you with simple steps to declutter the hidden chaos beneath your bed. You’ll learn the best way to tackle dust, discover what actually belongs in this space (and what definitely doesn’t), and get favorite solutions for easy, clutter-free storage—even if you’re short on closet space! Whether you struggle with allergies, have kids who love hiding treasures under the bed, or just want to make the most of every inch in your home, this episode is loaded with relatable ideas and proven tips. Listen in, laugh along, and finally say goodbye to that under-bed pit of mystery—for good!

Sabbath Soup: Weekly Menus and Rhythms to Make Space for a Day of Rest

Kathi Lipp gives readers an easy-to-follow process for meal planning and prep, so that they can enjoy a full day each week of real rest and refreshment.

Could you use a break from cooking (and everything else) once a week? Not only is rest vital for your mind and body, it’s good for your soul too. God designed us to enter into Sabbath rest one day per week, but as you know, meals still need to be made. Your family still needs to be fed.

Sabbath Soup includes convenient, seasonal meal plans that take the guesswork out of shopping and cooking. More than just a collection of delicious recipes—including main dishes, breads, breakfasts, desserts, salads, sides, and yes, soups—this is your guide to establishing a weekly rhythm and routine of meal planning and prep that allows you to have a true day off.

Do something good for your soul and experience the peace that comes with a full day dedicated to spending time with God, family, and friends. Savor your Sabbath as you proudly proclaim, “Soup’s on!”

Order your copy of Sabbath Soup: Weekly Menus and Rhythms to Make Space for a Day of Rest here.

Links Mentioned:

Clutter Free Academy Facebook Group

FYI: Some product links may be affiliate links. If you buy, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thanks for your support!

Clutter Free Resources:

Support the podcast with Coffee for Kathi!

Join our Clutter Free Academy Facebook Group

Order Sabbath Soup here

Let’s stay connected

To share your thoughts:

Leave a note in the comment section below.
Leave an honest review on iTunes. Your ratings and reviews really help and I read each one.

Subscribe on iTunes or subscribe to our newsletter now.

Meet Our Co-Host

Tonya Kubo

Tonya Kubo is the illustrious and fearless leader of Kathi Lipp’s Clutter Free Academy Facebook group and the Clutter Free for Life membership program. A professional community strategist, she believes everyone deserves to have a place online where they feel like they belong. Raised by a hoarder, Tonya knows firsthand the pain and isolation that comes from living in conditions others don’t understand. She wants better for her family and her cluttery peeps, which is why she is passionate about the compassionate slow-and-steady approach that makes Clutter Free unique. She lives in the heart of California with her husband, Brian, their two spirited daughters, and one very tolerant cat. Visit tonyakubo.com to find out more about her community work, or email her at tonya@kathilipp.org to discuss the Clutter Free Academy podcast and programs.

Transcript

Kathi Lipp (00:09)

Well, hey friends, welcome to Clutter-Free Academy, where our goal is to help you take small, doable steps every day to live with less clutter and more life. And I’m here with Tonya Kubo. Hey, Tonya.

Tonya Kubo (00:20)

Hey, Kathi.

Kathi Lipp (00:22)

Today we’re talking about a place that rarely sees the light of day, the space under the bed. It’s one of those sneaky spots where clutter loves to hide, but today we are making the invisible visible and we’re making it clutter free and intentional. I’ll never forget when I was younger, my mom finally got fed up with not, you know, I’m like, I can’t find any of my clothes. I can’t find any of my clothes.

And we spent probably half an hour digging out from underneath my bed. My clutter free roots are deep and legit. Like, I mean, not my clutter free roots, my clutter roots. And so I and you would think as an adult, things would be better. And they have been better, but it’s only been through intentionality because for me, under the bed was the easiest place where of I don’t know what to do with this. How about we put it under the bed?

Tonya Kubo (00:56)

Mm-hmm.

Yeah.

Kathi Lipp (01:19)

And maybe that wasn’t best my best system now i’m gonna i’m gonna make a a bold statement here that i’m going to let you opt out of and i’ll explain that but I I think that Things that just because we don’t see it it doesn’t mean it’s not affecting our space and our peace I think it’s you know, I think it’s real

Tonya Kubo (01:31)

Mmm.

No, I agree.

Kathi Lipp (01:47)

Yeah, because if you don’t know what’s down there, then you’re always going to wonder, you’re always going to assume. And you and I were just talking about ? tripping in our own houses over clutter. And the hard part is getting back up. Can I just say, I don’t want to have to crawl under my bed more than a couple of times a year. Yeah, yeah, it does not work for me.

Tonya Kubo (02:03)

Yeah.

No, no.

Kathi Lipp (02:16)

When things get kicked under there, old shoes, off season clothes, random storage bins, forgotten items, we need to know exactly what’s down there. We need to know what’s accessible. It’s a pain to get down there, so it should only house items that truly belong. And we need to be able to clean under there. I don’t know about your house.

In my house, that can get really, really, really dusty.

Tonya Kubo (02:47)

Oh, yeah. Well, and also, you know, I’ve got kids, they shove stuff under there. It’s not pretty, Kathi. It’s not pretty.

Kathi Lipp (02:52)

It’s, yes.

So this is the thing that I’m gonna give you an out for, but I think it’s a guiding principle that many of us should think about, but to use our under the bed space solely for things that are related to the bed. So here’s what I mean by that. That most of us probably have a couple of ? sets of sheets.

Tonya Kubo (03:03)

Mm-hmm.

Kathi Lipp (03:21)

Most of us have some extra pillows, some extra blankets that we’re not using year round, those kind of things. Now, I know that you happen to use your under the bed storage also for ? out of season clothing, correct? But you know that it’s there. I think it’s really important we do not have mysteries underneath our bed.

Tonya Kubo (03:26)

Mm-hmm.

Yep.

Mm-hmm.

Oh, I agree. But I just want to jump in and say you’re giving me an idea because remember this is an old house with two closets and we keep all the bedding and the sheets and stuff in the hallway closet, but it takes up two full shelves because they’re not very big shelves. And so now I’m like, and I have so much space underneath my bed still because I don’t have a lot of non-seasonal stuff. So I’m like, ooh, I could buy a couple.

Kathi Lipp (03:55)

Mm-hmm.

Yeah.

Really?

Okay.

Tonya Kubo (04:15)

containers and I could get two whole shelves free in my hallway.

Kathi Lipp (04:20)

And I’m going to tell you

the containers you should buy. This is revolutionized. Yes. Yes. Okay. So this is a quick episode. We’re going to take a quick break. And when we come back, we’re going to talk about setting up clutter-free under bed storage. So we’re going to take a quick break and we’ll come right back.

Tonya Kubo (04:24)

I love this! I don’t have to shop, you’ll tell me what to do!

Kathi Lipp (04:42)

Okay guys, this is gonna be one of our fastest episodes ever because there’s not that much space underneath our bed. So you don’t, we don’t need to have a giant episode here. But here is, I wanna give you guys some instructions on what to do to actually clean out underneath that bed and what you should be putting down there. So the very first thing I want you to do is pull everything out. And I want, I mean everything.

Don’t leave anything that’s in that middle space there just because you can’t reach it. Get a broom, do what you have to do, pull all of that out, okay? And then I want you to sort and purge. There is stuff that probably has been living down there for a really long time because you just don’t need it. So if you haven’t been pulling it out, like one of the things I just realized, Tonya, I can’t believe this. We had three mattress pads. Why?

Why did we have three mattress pads? I don’t really understand that. It makes no sense in my house why that would be a thing. So.

Tonya Kubo (05:47)

That feels like

a, bought one, we forgot we bought one, we bought another one sort of scenario.

Kathi Lipp (05:53)

Yeah, and I think maybe

the people who left us stuff in the house, maybe there was one there too, like it kind of. It did it gives with purchase, I love that it’s so true. Yes, it’s so true. So then ? this is the time to clean out that space, OK? So you’re going to want to dust. I have I bought something recently and I wasn’t going to mention this, but I’ll mention it now. I bought a.

Tonya Kubo (05:58)

Your house came with a lot of gifts with purchase.

Kathi Lipp (06:22)

? How do I want to say this it’s a cleaner for our fan blades like our blades So it’s like a triangle that you can put over your fan blade and all The dust comes off and when I say all the dust I mean all the dust it looked like it was snowing I didn’t realize how how how in just one year how much dust

Tonya Kubo (06:50)

Does it,

I was gonna say, does it work so well it makes you feel like you’ve been living in filth?

Kathi Lipp (06:56)

I feel disgusting, disgusting. ? But I use that to kind of sweep under my bed. It was perfect. It was absolutely perfect. And I also, we have a Roomba. Like it’s not a Roomba, but it’s Roomba-like. It’s actually higher rated than the Roomba. And so ? once we had everything out, I just pulled up all of the sheets and I let Roomba go wild under there. I don’t know if you saw this yesterday on my feed.

Tonya Kubo (07:12)

Mm-hmm.

Hmm… I did.

Kathi Lipp (07:26)

Guys, my Roomba ran. Roger did not pull up the dog food. I am gonna blame him because I take enough bullets around here. I get enough shrapnel for the things that I don’t do, not from Roger, but from myself. But he didn’t pick up Moose’s dog food and it ran right over it. And it’s so gross. It took about an hour to clean that out, pulling it all apart. my goodness. Yeah, it was disgusting. Yes.

Tonya Kubo (07:44)

It was so gross. So gross.

I bet. But like everybody who commented said, right, at least it wasn’t

poop because I have seen those pictures.

Kathi Lipp (07:56)

At least it wasn’t poop.

Yeah, no, no, this was so much better than poop. Can I just, it’s always good to be thankful, isn’t it? It’s always good to be thankful. And then we’re gonna choose some functional storage. Now, what I have used and I still use in some of our bedrooms is the clear plastic bins, okay? So that has been great. But I have discovered a new thing and that’s why we’re gonna combine this.

Tonya Kubo (08:09)

Mm-hmm.

Kathi Lipp (08:24)

with our segment of things that have earned this place in my clutter free home. ? This is, it’s not clear. It’s a fabric box. It’s got the struck wires inside, but here’s the big difference. It’s on rollers. And yes, so it has a pocket so you can put what’s in there. like I have, ? I put it in that pocket, things like these are my ?

Tonya Kubo (08:35)

Mm-hmm.

Kathi Lipp (08:53)

out of season sheets. So flannel is under there right now. And then in the winter, I’ll put my spring sheets in there, but I just grabbed the handle. I pull it out from underneath my bed. I can fit four of these under my bed. You probably could fit six, but because of our nightstands, we fit four under there and it has made. And then here’s the crazy thing. I made a little map that goes inside our closet. So I know.

I don’t have to pull them all out to see which is underneath each one. It’s made such a difference. I’ll link it in the show notes, but now I know exactly what’s under my bed. It’s not a mystery anymore. So for me, I only have things under the bed that relate to the bed because we have an out of season ? bedspread.

because we have a very heavy bedspread that we use nine months out of the year, but in the summer we don’t use that. So ? we’ve got a very thin one that goes on there. ? We have extra blankets, different sheets, that kind of thing. So if it doesn’t relate to the bed, for at least for us, it doesn’t belong there. And now you’re going to adopt that as well. You have extra space. I love that. We’ve made a convert here.

Tonya Kubo (10:11)

Yes! I love this. This

makes me really happy.

Kathi Lipp (10:16)

Yeah, it.

OK, anything else that you want to say about under bed storage? Anything that you feel like has been important in your under bed storage journey?

Tonya Kubo (10:26)

Mm-hmm.

Well, so what I will say is, this hit me probably a few months ago, is if you take full advantage of the space underneath your bed, there isn’t space for other stuff to collect.

Kathi Lipp (10:46)

Yes, it’s so true. It’s so true. Your shoes can’t go under there. Your socks can’t fly under there. Yes.

Tonya Kubo (10:52)

Right.

Yes, or like the girls, know, if I put stuff underneath their bed, then they can’t shove clothes too far underneath that we can’t reach.

Kathi Lipp (11:04)

which I feel is really, really important for this time of year because at least in our household, it’s allergy season. And it’s really important to me that I don’t suffer from allergies like Roger does, but his allergies are terrible. And so I have to keep everything as dust free as possible. And you’re right, as the more items we have under there and the…

Tonya Kubo (11:12)

Mm-hmm. ?

Yeah.

Kathi Lipp (11:28)

It can’t just be shoving stuff under there. It has to be in boxes that fit together so they’re seamless. And then we can make sure that it is not collecting dust. I know I’m gonna have to at least once or twice a year go in there and just dust off the tops, but it’s not going to be every day. And here’s what I think is really, really important. When you know what’s under your bed, it’s not a

Tonya Kubo (11:48)

Mm-hmm.

Kathi Lipp (11:57)

burden anymore. It’s not a pit of mystery, which I feel like is really, really important with what we’re doing. Okay, this is a micro episode guys, but here’s the beautiful thing. It’s not going to take much for you to do this. So pull everything out, go through it, sort through what you don’t need. If it’s been under there for five years, you can donate it. You don’t need it anymore. If you have extra sheet sets that never get to, you never get to, it’s time to get rid of those.

Tonya Kubo (12:05)

Thank

Kathi Lipp (12:27)

If you have things that have just found their way down there and you don’t need anymore, or maybe you’ll find some treasures. If so, I hope that this has been a blessing to you. You’ve been listening to Clutter-Free Academy. I’m Kathi Lipp. Now, go create the clutter-free life you’ve always wanted to live.

#686 – Declutter Once and For All: Why Your Home’s Chaos Keeps Sneaking Back

Sep 9, 2025 | Clutter Free, Clutter Free Home, Clutter Free Podcast, community, Home, Mental Load, Organizing, Overwhelmed, Podcast

Are you tired of feeling like you’re living on an endless treadmill of tidying up, only to have chaos sneak right back in? This week on the Clutter Free Podcast, Kathi dives deep into the secret reason behind recurring clutter—and why baskets and labels alone aren’t...

#685 – Stuck and Overwhelmed? The Real Reason Your Clutter Won’t Budge

Sep 2, 2025 | Clutter Free, Clutter Free Home, Clutter Free Podcast, Home, Mental Load, Organizing, Overwhelmed, Podcast, Restore, tips and ideas

Are you worn out from battling clutter and not seeing the progress you’d hoped for? In this heartfelt episode, Kathi Lipp and Tonya Kubo explore the reality of declutter fatigue and why, for so many women, the journey can feel never-ending. If you’re feeling stuck,...

#684 – Decluttering for Real Life: Simple Steps for Busy, Overwhelmed Women

Aug 26, 2025 | Clutter Free, Clutter Free Home, Clutter Free Podcast, Home, Organizing, Overwhelmed, Podcast, tips and ideas

Is your clutter making a comeback…again? You tidy up, you declutter, but somehow, all those piles and projects sneak right back into your life. If you’ve ever felt defeated when the mess keeps resurfacing, this episode will speak right to your heart. Join Kathi and...

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#685 – Stuck and Overwhelmed? The Real Reason Your Clutter Won’t Budge

by Clutter Free Academy Team | Sep 2, 2025 | Clutter Free, Clutter Free Home, Clutter Free Podcast, Home, Mental Load, Organizing, Overwhelmed, Podcast, Restore, tips and ideas | 0 comments

#685 – Stuck and Overwhelmed? The Real Reason Your Clutter Won’t Budge

Listen Now

Are you worn out from battling clutter and not seeing the progress you’d hoped for? In this heartfelt episode, Kathi Lipp and Tonya Kubo explore the reality of declutter fatigue and why, for so many women, the journey can feel never-ending. If you’re feeling stuck, overwhelmed, or just plain tired of trying—this conversation offers practical hope and encouragement. Kathi and Tonya candidly tackle the frustration and emotional load that comes with decluttering, share faith-based wisdom for those tough days, and offer four simple steps to help you restart your journey with renewed energy. Tune in to discover how God meets you in the mess and how you can break free from the clutter cycle—for good.

Sabbath Soup: Weekly Menus and Rhythms to Make Space for a Day of Rest

Kathi Lipp gives readers an easy-to-follow process for meal planning and prep, so that they can enjoy a full day each week of real rest and refreshment.

Could you use a break from cooking (and everything else) once a week? Not only is rest vital for your mind and body, it’s good for your soul too. God designed us to enter into Sabbath rest one day per week, but as you know, meals still need to be made. Your family still needs to be fed.

Sabbath Soup includes convenient, seasonal meal plans that take the guesswork out of shopping and cooking. More than just a collection of delicious recipes—including main dishes, breads, breakfasts, desserts, salads, sides, and yes, soups—this is your guide to establishing a weekly rhythm and routine of meal planning and prep that allows you to have a true day off.

Do something good for your soul and experience the peace that comes with a full day dedicated to spending time with God, family, and friends. Savor your Sabbath as you proudly proclaim, “Soup’s on!”

Order your copy of Sabbath Soup: Weekly Menus and Rhythms to Make Space for a Day of Rest here.

Links Mentioned:

Clutter Free Academy Facebook Group

FYI: Some product links may be affiliate links. If you buy, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thanks for your support!

Clutter Free Resources:

Support the podcast with Coffee for Kathi!

Join our Clutter Free Academy Facebook Group

Order Sabbath Soup here

Let’s stay connected

To share your thoughts:

Leave a note in the comment section below.
Leave an honest review on iTunes. Your ratings and reviews really help and I read each one.

Subscribe on iTunes or subscribe to our newsletter now.

Meet Our Co-Host

Tonya Kubo

Tonya Kubo is the illustrious and fearless leader of Kathi Lipp’s Clutter Free Academy Facebook group and the Clutter Free for Life membership program. A professional community strategist, she believes everyone deserves to have a place online where they feel like they belong. Raised by a hoarder, Tonya knows firsthand the pain and isolation that comes from living in conditions others don’t understand. She wants better for her family and her cluttery peeps, which is why she is passionate about the compassionate slow-and-steady approach that makes Clutter Free unique. She lives in the heart of California with her husband, Brian, their two spirited daughters, and one very tolerant cat. Visit tonyakubo.com to find out more about her community work, or email her at tonya@kathilipp.org to discuss the Clutter Free Academy podcast and programs.

Transcript

Kathi Lipp (00:11)

Hey friends, welcome to Clutterfree Academy where our goal is to help you take small doable steps to live every day with less clutter and more life. And guys, let me just tell you, ? you’ve heard me talk about it here on the podcast. I am still recovering from COVID. Now I am totally toast. Okay, this is what’s happening with my brain. Okay.

Tonya Kubo (00:30)

I was gonna say you

were just about to say you were totally fine, but you couldn’t get those words out

Kathi Lipp (00:38)

I could not. I am testing negative, so that is good. But I will tell you the the exhaustion is real. I am good for about four hours. And let me just tell you, they are not stellar four hours. They are. We’re just surviving four hours. But then I’m toast. I have to go lay down. ? I can’t believe I did this. But let me just here’s my true confession, because my doctor said

Tonya Kubo (00:50)

Mm-hmm.

Kathi Lipp (01:07)

You can probably expect another three weeks of this. No, like, no. And I don’t know why, but it is exhausting to sit at my desk. It is just exhausting. I do so much better in bed. So do you know what I’ve done? I’ve ordered a hospital table. So this is just a table that you know what it is. Like it sticks out. Yes.

Tonya Kubo (01:09)

Mm-hmm.

Mmm.

that comes to the side of your bed!

Yes.

Kathi Lipp (01:35)

And

it rolls under with it. It was only like 60 bucks, which you know, I don’t have 60 bucks to throw around, but I just do so much better with my legs up ? and ? just being cozy under blankets. I can do so much more so.

Tonya Kubo (01:40)

Mm-hmm.

Kathi Lipp (01:55)

? I have ordered a hospital table that can collapse down. We can put it in the attic when we’re done, because I know I’m going to be, but I don’t want to be underwater for the next three weeks not being, not getting some stuff done. So ? as I stated on Facebook the other day, ? we have a lot of people who come to Clutterfree Academy or a part of Clutterfree for Life.

who deal with chronic illness. Now, this is not chronic illness what I’m dealing with, not by a long shot. And it has also given me a 1 % insight to having to manage my energy. And a couple of years ago, you went through a major health thing where you had to really manage what you were doing. We have both been through something. And so we don’t have all the answers.

Tonya Kubo (02:26)

Mm-hmm.

Kathi Lipp (02:53)

But here’s what we do, Tonya, You and I listen to the answers from the people in our communities that have chronic illness. And we’ve gained some insight. ? So if you are recovering from illness or you’re in a hard caregiving season, maybe you’re grieving or you were just run down. I mean, like that’s what I am. I’m run down. But this episode is for you. Tonya ?

I put up a question in Facebook about how do you survive when you’re completely overwhelmed? And we got some great answers, including yours. And so I would love for you to share with our audience what you said ? you do when you’re in that space.

Tonya Kubo (03:41)

Yeah, I would love to. for me, and I think the question had something to do with like, you know, how, how do you intentionally like lower the bar, right? When you’re already in over your head. And so I feel like as a mom, right, I’ve got kids in the house, I’ve got a husband, but like the number one thing is everybody has to eat.

Kathi Lipp (03:51)

Yes, yes.

Tonya Kubo (04:02)

And I am fortunate in that we haven’t had too many situations where all of us are sick at the same time. There’s usually at least one person who can do something. But I think, you know, it’s making sure that you have stuff available for everybody to eat because that’s one of the best ways that you can heal and recover is to make sure you’re getting your nutrients. So generally speaking, we always have stuff to make soup on hand.

Kathi Lipp (04:03)

Mm-hmm.

Yeah. Right.

Tonya Kubo (04:31)

I make my own bone broth, you know, anytime I roast a chicken or whatever. And so that’s usually in the freezer. I freeze fresh ginger so that I can add that easily to recipes. So I’ve almost always got that in the freezer. And then we do a lot of ? freezing of cooked meats, like just, you know, browning ground beef and having that ready to go, boneless, skinless chicken breasts. So in a perfect world, I’ll have all of that in my freezer and I can just make a quick pot of soup. But…

We also keep like I buy like from frontier foods or something but dehydrated soup vegetables where you can just add like a quarter of a cup of them to you four cups of liquid and you make a quick soup So I think those like having a quick soup to put together is easy. I do live in town I can order delivery like I know when my mother-in-law has been sick. She loves whenever she’s sick She loves the chicken tortilla soup from El Pollo Loco and we’ll just

Kathi Lipp (05:07)

Yeah.

yeah, that’s a good soup.

Tonya Kubo (05:29)

Yeah, well, if we’re not sick, we’ll order that and we’ll just go and take it to her, but we’ve ordered it before just to be delivered to her house. ? That’s super helpful. Abby swears the chicken noodle soup at Panera is the best soup ever. I don’t know, but okay.

Kathi Lipp (05:44)

Well, that’s kind of because

Panera is kind of dressed up hospital food. you know, so that’s that’s where she’s getting the vibes from. Yes. But I will say, yeah, I don’t know. A Panera orange scone. ? Yeah, will heal just about anything. Yeah. So, ? you know, it’s so interesting. You and I were talking, I don’t know, a couple of weeks ago, and I was like, the best thing I did

Tonya Kubo (05:50)

okay.

Got it, that would make sense.

Hmm.

Kathi Lipp (06:14)

? when the bet the the thing that made me feel so much better was Roger changed the sheets and talk about sheets

Tonya Kubo (06:20)

Mm-hmm.

Mm, yes. So I don’t know about you, but I ever since I was little, I noticed that like there’s some funky smell that happens when you get sick. And it took me until I was in my 30s to realize that smell was my sheets. So one thing that we try to do is we always try to have at least two extra sets of ? sheets on hand to that way we can strip the bed every three, three days or so.

Kathi Lipp (06:36)

Yes.

Tonya Kubo (06:54)

But I find if I can keep up, nothing else, keep up on the towels and the sheets. Like if the linens are washed and dried and ready, I’m doing pretty well. So like when the stomach flu hits the house, that is my first priority is making sure that I’ve got clean towels and clean sheets in rotation at all times. Because if I get hit, I know that I deserve, Kathi Lipp, I deserve clean towels. I deserve clean sheets.

Kathi Lipp (07:17)

Right.

Yes. Yes.

Tonya Kubo (07:23)

And if I’m not staying

up on it while everybody else is sick, guess what? There’s no clean towels left for mom when she needs them.

Kathi Lipp (07:30)

Yeah, and can I just go a little step further on that? Now, people all lost their minds when I said, I don’t sort my clothes before I wash them. We’ll do a whole nother episode. But here is something I do that has been, ? especially when I’m sick, is using laundry sanitizer, which is not a bleach, but it just sanitizes your laundry. And when we’ve had COVID, when we have a big group of people here,

Tonya Kubo (07:34)

Mm-hmm.

Mmm.

Kathi Lipp (07:59)

I just run the towels and the sheets through with the sanitizer and it just makes it feel so much cleaner. So just something to think about. Now that is not necessarily about lowering the standards. It’s just a little extra tip, but yeah. And by the way, if you’re sick, somebody else in your house should be doing that for you. Should be doing the laundry and stuff like that for you. Okay, I wanna talk food for when you are sick.

Tonya Kubo (08:02)

Mm-hmm.

Kathi Lipp (08:29)

One of the things, a category that we got was meals that take less than five minutes. So Suzy Flory, who has been on this podcast before, she says, you know, if she has the energy, she makes a pot of chicken soup. But if she doesn’t have the energy, she opens up a can of refried beans, put some salsa and cheese into a tortilla and she has a quick burrito. And I’m like,

That is dream. Can I tell you also what Suzy did for me last night? Because I’m still in the midst. Roger is not ? the guy who’s going to do a home cooked meal. ? She is on a book deadline. So she is offered to bring me, well, she’s on her doctoral thesis deadline, let’s be clear, which is turning into a book, right? But ? I kept telling her, don’t bring me anything. Don’t bring, you know, finish your book, finish your book, we’re fine. And she goes,

Tonya Kubo (09:12)

? yeah.

Kathi Lipp (09:21)

Hey, I’m coming to your house and bringing you food. And I’m like, that would be lovely because she’s offered so many times. So what she did, she just got back from Texas and she, think she was inspired by this. She stopped by our local grocery store. It’s local to her. And she picked up some sliced Thai tri-tip. She brought some ? barbecue sauces. She brought some potato salad, some pasta salad and some beans.

Tonya Kubo (09:27)

Yeah.

Kathi Lipp (09:50)

And ? so she and some buns and she made us tri-tip sandwiches last night and she stayed and ate with us, which was lovely. I mean, I was so tired by the time she left, but my soul was reenergized. And then this is where she is so extra. Not only did she bring us a quart of vanilla ice cream, she made ? peach hand pies because she know, right? And so.

Tonya Kubo (09:55)

Mmm.

she makes the best pie crust ever.

Kathi Lipp (10:17)

This is more crust than pie, which by the way are the ratios that I love. So she really went extra for it, but it was so lovely and I felt so loved and so taken care of last night and so did Roger. Cause let’s also, he’s a caregiver all this. I try to be very low maintenance, but he is checking in all the time. ? Shannon Garcia says, ? we just do ? cereal and milk. And I’m like, you get it girl. I love that. ?

Tonya Kubo (10:20)

Mm-hmm.

Kathi Lipp (10:46)

Tina Maxwell, I love this. She does a lot of charcuterie style snacks. You talked about how ? your Abby loves, does she call them?

Tonya Kubo (10:56)

The Snackle Box.

Kathi Lipp (10:58)

That’s right. You know, I love this just like getting some sliced ham, some sliced cheese. You can even get sliced apples and toothpicks and just like I grab kind of, if that sounds good to you, I love that. And then Trisha, I want to make sure, Ontiveros I hope I pronounced that right. Ontiveros, you said it much more elegantly than I did.

Tonya Kubo (11:07)

Mm-hmm.

Mm-hmm, on Tavares, yeah.

Kathi Lipp (11:24)

? Instant mashed potatoes, which I think everybody should have in their cabinet at all time. They’re so much better than they used to be. And here’s my justification for using them, is that Julia Child served them to her husband one time and he couldn’t tell the difference. I’m like, okay, if it’s good enough for Julia’s husband, it’s good enough for me. And then Trisha says she does that with some canned green beans and ham steak. And by the way, I’m not a big…

Tonya Kubo (11:41)

Mm-hmm.

Kathi Lipp (11:51)

canned green bean person, that’s not my favorite, but there is a lemon pepper seasoning that you can get at Costco, that you put that on any green bean product, it’s a winner. ? It’s the one with the cow head on it. I’ll make sure that we mention that, yeah, it’s so good. And then somebody else mentioned mac and cheese and frozen chicken nuggets and applesauce. that is a, whatever works, friend. ? Yeah, so.

Tonya Kubo (12:03)

So good?

you

Whatever works.

Kathi Lipp (12:21)

? Let’s talk about your pantry and some freezer MVPs. ? Now, Pauline and Shelly both mentioned rotisserie chickens. There is nothing. I keep a cut up frozen chicken in my freezer at all times. And then somebody else, you just mentioned a dehydrated vegetable soup mix. ?

Tonya Kubo (12:37)

Mmm, so smart.

Mm-hmm.

Kathi Lipp (12:49)

And I’ve seen these Bear Creek soup mixes.

Tonya Kubo (12:53)

who always has five or six of those in her pantry. I will tell you, my family does not enjoy like soup mixes like that. That’s just not their thing. These are so good, Kathi. They do a really delicious, I will give you all my favorite flavors, not that you asked, but I will tell you them anyway. The minestrone is really good. There is a like cheddar potato that I think is really delicious. And then, yeah, so good. And then the beef and barley and what?

Kathi Lipp (13:03)

Okay?

Okay, okay.

? I’ve had that before. It’s so good.

Tonya Kubo (13:23)

My friend likes about them is you can just make them as is on the package, but they always have embellishment ideas on the back. So for the minestrone, what she does is she’ll brown ground beef and onion, and then she does the soup. So it’s a little bit of a heartier soup. ? But I have to say, I have not had a bad one. think right after my friend introduced me to them, I went to her house and we had soup together. I saw them for sale at the grocery store.

Kathi Lipp (13:30)

Yes.

?

Tonya Kubo (13:52)

Cause I feel like they’re a little expensive. They’re not really that expensive. Okay. I think they’re like $5, but they were on sale five for five. So he picks them up and even Brian, Mr. Soup Snob that he is, he thought they were pretty tasty.

Kathi Lipp (13:56)

Yeah, right.

Okay, yeah, this is this is You know making some adjustments and you know zipping them up, which I love. Yeah, Sarah her Burley Sarah Burley mentioned this she says Bear Creek vegetable beef dry soup mix and add a can or two of canned beef from Walmart or Costco when they have it and a beef bullion cube and we have dinner for days makes eight to ten cups of soup. I love that

Tonya Kubo (14:12)

Mm-hmm.

Kathi Lipp (14:36)

I love that and some you know, don’t don’t sleep on frozen entrees So one of the things we did is I made a sam’s card order or not sam’s card Excuse me sam’s club order where you can just go and pick it up because you know Roger this isn’t his bailiwick We’re just you know being honest here. So we got some of the shredded pork carnitas and we just did that with

Tonya Kubo (14:46)

Mm-hmm.

Kathi Lipp (15:03)

some vegetables and that he did on the grill and some tortillas and that was wonderful. Some people suggest, ? go ahead, yeah.

Tonya Kubo (15:09)

Kathi,

I’m sorry, because you said frozen entrees. have to share something that you like introduced us to. taking frozen, because we always have like frozen wonton, frozen pot stickers, things like that in our freezer, because my family loves that. But dropping that into some chicken broth with a little bit of green onion back to you can buy freeze dried green onion. Like tastes just like fresh.

Kathi Lipp (15:18)

Yeah.

Yeah, yeah.

Yeah.

which is a beautiful thing, right?

Tonya Kubo (15:36)

But again, quick soup filling but light all at the same time. So fast.

Kathi Lipp (15:41)

Yeah

Yeah, think about these things guys like the healthy choice steamers frozen ravioli ? A prepared meatloaf a prepared pizza like this is survival food guys We’re not talking about your entertaining or this is what you do every week I like to just have a sliced ham because ham can be eaten You know warm cold it does not matter

Tonya Kubo (16:07)

Mm-hmm.

Kathi Lipp (16:09)

You can throw it into eggs for breakfast. can have it between two slices of bread for lunch. You can put some ? mac and cheese with it and some artichokes or artichokes, excuse me, asparagus. And that’s dinner. Like do what you have to do. There have been some days where I just haven’t felt like eating, but Roger still wants to eat and I want to have things that are easy for him. ? Jill May says she eats

Tonya Kubo (16:12)

Mm-hmm.

Kathi Lipp (16:38)

pressure canned meat. So ? if that is something you’re into, that’s great to do in advance. Or if you’re bringing something to somebody, that’s a beautiful thing. And then Lori Hayes says she loves a good salad kit, deli meat, hard boiled eggs. ? That is a winning combination. I love those ideas. Okay, but guys, it’s, ? it’s not just about the food. We also have other things to keep up on.

Sarah Thompson made mention she only really keeps up on her bathroom and kitchen like right

Tonya Kubo (17:15)

I agree. I agree

because everybody deserves to throw up in a clean toilet. That’s my rule. That is my rule. You deserve to throw up in a clean toilet.

Kathi Lipp (17:21)

it’s so true, right? Yeah.

I love that. And you’re gonna be more likely to throw up in the right place if it’s clean. Let’s be clear, okay? ? Susie Flory says she just keeps Clorox wipes everywhere, because you can clean almost anything with a Clorox wipe. ? Yeah, and then make sure you, especially if somebody’s sick, if you don’t normally have room to keep all your cleaning supplies in the bathroom, ?

Tonya Kubo (17:30)

Exactly.

Kathi Lipp (17:49)

just for this time while people are sick, keep those Clorox wipes, keep everything in there because you just want to grab and go. I thought this was so smart and I have one of these and I have not been using it. But Carla Stewart says she uses one of those grabber tools for energy conservation. And Tonya, why have I been bending over and picking up Moose’s toys and her half-eaten chew sticks and

the clothes that end up on the floor like a sucker. Like I have a grabber tool.

Tonya Kubo (18:20)

Because Kathi,

because your brain cells are tired and are healing and they did not process that, okay? You needed somebody else to make the suggestion so you could go, ? I could do that. Now you will.

Kathi Lipp (18:26)

Yeah. No, they didn’t.

Yes.

And by the way, I’m using paper plates like it’s 1995. Like I don’t care anymore.

Tonya Kubo (18:40)

yeah, no, Brian, that is I would say Brian’s number one thing is if somebody’s sick, he runs to the store, he gets paper plates, paper napkins. ? He won’t do paper cups just because he feels like when you’re sick, you like neglect the cup and then it gets all leaky and gross. But he’ll even go so far as to get plastic utensils because for because he’s the one that keeps up with the dishes. He’s like, OK, if he gets hit,

Kathi Lipp (18:56)

Yeah. Yeah.

Tonya Kubo (19:08)

He just wants everybody to be able to just use and toss.

Kathi Lipp (19:08)

Yeah.

Yeah, and I’m gonna hold this up for Tonya to see, right now I’m supposed to be drinking. It’s like one of those, what were the Stanley cups, but this is the cheap knockoff. got the, remember we had a meeting here several years ago and they came up with prizes and this is the one I got. I use this every day of my life, but ? I fill it up with, ? I need to keep hydrated.

Tonya Kubo (19:15)

? that’s a nice one.

Yep. Mm-hmm.

Mm-hmm, yep.

Kathi Lipp (19:41)

And the way I’ll do it, you can hear this, it’s still got ice from last night. And I just keep refilling it with ice and whether it’s something with electrolytes or something like that. I’m gonna run through the rest of these really fast. then Tonya, I’m gonna ask you for your best idea as we close out. ? the systems we keep up with are laundry and dishes. It’s the bare minimum. This is from Samantha Weatherstone. ?

Tonya Kubo (19:45)

Mm-hmm.

Kathi Lipp (20:10)

Those are the things that if you get backed up on it’s gonna be harder. So minimize those. Can ? you use the paper plates? Can you eat out of the container that you bought the food in? Do as much, but keep up on those when you have energy. You only have so much energy, put it where it has to go. This is not the time to go into your photo albums and reorganize them. Just keep up on dishes.

? Keep grocery orders simple deliver drive up or ask a friend when somebody asks you what can they do? Go pick up their food order. You can assign somebody else your Sam’s order or your ? Your Rayleigh’s order, whatever that is ? Robin and Lynn both recommended that and then if you need toilet paper This is the time to bust out your Amazon order, right? You need paper towels. You need a food order

Get that delivered. If you have to pay extra to get it here on time, do what you need to do. And then finally, when people are asking for help, Laurie Nichols says, ? accept help. People want to help. I want to help when my friends are sick. ? Shannon Garcia says, I love this. Asking doesn’t make you weak, it makes you human. ? My friend, Kathi Carlton Willis says, before you say no, ask God if he wants you to say yes to receiving help.

? Julie Wiseman asked for specific help on social people jump at the chance, you know, so ? Hey, you know, my my kid is sick. Could you pick up our prescription people want to help I remember somebody was ? that I barely knew Needed to be picked up at the airport and I said, ? that’s easy. I can do that and She was so shocked and I’m like, no, it was an easy way and it was a specific way and I knew what time

And so Tonya, give us one more example of something you can do ? when you need to lower your standards.

Tonya Kubo (22:12)

well, would say ? accepting help, I think, is probably like the best advice ever, but also like reaching out for help. You know, if you’re sick, call a friend and, you know, ask one of your kid’s friends if they can bring your child home. That has been the hardest thing for me as a parent to go, ? I could ask somebody else to pick the girls up and take them to school or to bring them home.

Kathi Lipp (22:24)

Yeah.

Yes.

Tonya Kubo (22:40)

I think that’s a big one. And even like picking up a grocery order for you. Like you can place the order because not everybody has grocery delivery, but can somebody pick it up for you and bring it to your house?

Kathi Lipp (22:41)

Yeah.

Yeah, and you know, ? I thought this was this is such a good one to end on ? Tracy DeLong. ? She recently lost her husband and I mean, that’s the ultimate ? grief ? energy zapper and her advice. I love this ? every day. I got out of bed made my bed brush my teeth got dressed had devotions and breakfast even if I didn’t feel like it is helped me.

to have some order and stability in this season of unrest. So thank you to all of you who shared your wisdom. Tonya, thank you because I love you. You are such a grace first person and I’ve appreciated that in my life. And when I see you ? give it to the people in our Clutterfree Academy membership, ? you are a model for all. And friend.

Take good care of yourself in this season. That is your highest calling, it really is. ? Friends, you’ve been listening to Clutter Free Academy, I’m Kathi Lipp. Now, go create the clutter free life you’ve always wanted to live.

#686 – Declutter Once and For All: Why Your Home’s Chaos Keeps Sneaking Back

Sep 9, 2025 | Clutter Free, Clutter Free Home, Clutter Free Podcast, community, Home, Mental Load, Organizing, Overwhelmed, Podcast

Are you tired of feeling like you’re living on an endless treadmill of tidying up, only to have chaos sneak right back in? This week on the Clutter Free Podcast, Kathi dives deep into the secret reason behind recurring clutter—and why baskets and labels alone aren’t...

#685 – Stuck and Overwhelmed? The Real Reason Your Clutter Won’t Budge

Sep 2, 2025 | Clutter Free, Clutter Free Home, Clutter Free Podcast, Home, Mental Load, Organizing, Overwhelmed, Podcast, Restore, tips and ideas

Are you worn out from battling clutter and not seeing the progress you’d hoped for? In this heartfelt episode, Kathi Lipp and Tonya Kubo explore the reality of declutter fatigue and why, for so many women, the journey can feel never-ending. If you’re feeling stuck,...

#684 – Decluttering for Real Life: Simple Steps for Busy, Overwhelmed Women

Aug 26, 2025 | Clutter Free, Clutter Free Home, Clutter Free Podcast, Home, Organizing, Overwhelmed, Podcast, tips and ideas

Is your clutter making a comeback…again? You tidy up, you declutter, but somehow, all those piles and projects sneak right back into your life. If you’ve ever felt defeated when the mess keeps resurfacing, this episode will speak right to your heart. Join Kathi and...

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#684 – Decluttering for Real Life: Simple Steps for Busy, Overwhelmed Women

by Clutter Free Academy Team | Aug 26, 2025 | Clutter Free, Clutter Free Home, Clutter Free Podcast, Home, Organizing, Overwhelmed, Podcast, tips and ideas | 0 comments

#684 – Decluttering for Real Life: Simple Steps for Busy, Overwhelmed Women

Listen Now

Is your clutter making a comeback…again? You tidy up, you declutter, but somehow, all those piles and projects sneak right back into your life. If you’ve ever felt defeated when the mess keeps resurfacing, this episode will speak right to your heart.

Join Kathi and her guest, Tenneil Register, as they unpack the real reasons why lasting organization seems so hard—and how you can break the cycle for good. They talk through absolutely doable steps for busy, overwhelmed women, get real about guilt and grace, and reveal how faith can shift your mindset about home and stuff.

Whether you’re trying the “one-drawer challenge” or just wishing someone else would do the laundry, you’ll find encouragement (with a little laughter!) and practical hope for creating peace in your home that truly lasts.

Sabbath Soup: Weekly Menus and Rhythms to Make Space for a Day of Rest

Kathi Lipp gives readers an easy-to-follow process for meal planning and prep, so that they can enjoy a full day each week of real rest and refreshment.

Could you use a break from cooking (and everything else) once a week? Not only is rest vital for your mind and body, it’s good for your soul too. God designed us to enter into Sabbath rest one day per week, but as you know, meals still need to be made. Your family still needs to be fed.

Sabbath Soup includes convenient, seasonal meal plans that take the guesswork out of shopping and cooking. More than just a collection of delicious recipes—including main dishes, breads, breakfasts, desserts, salads, sides, and yes, soups—this is your guide to establishing a weekly rhythm and routine of meal planning and prep that allows you to have a true day off.

Do something good for your soul and experience the peace that comes with a full day dedicated to spending time with God, family, and friends. Savor your Sabbath as you proudly proclaim, “Soup’s on!”

Order your copy of Sabbath Soup: Weekly Menus and Rhythms to Make Space for a Day of Rest here.

Links Mentioned:

Clutter Free Academy Facebook Group
Mirror Jewelery Cabinet
Tenneil’s Earrings
(Use the code “Thankyou15” for 15% off )

FYI: Some product links may be affiliate links. If you buy, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thanks for your support!

Clutter Free Resources:

Support the podcast with Coffee for Kathi!

Join our Clutter Free Academy Facebook Group

Order Sabbath Soup here

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Meet Our Guest

Tenneil Register

Tenneil Register can be found creating, repurposing, decorating, gardening and welcoming guests to their reclaimed barn storefront. She and her husband, Cowboy, established rural roots for their blended family of 7 in their DIY ranch home in Iowa. Connect with her on Instagram for practical ideas to reclaim your home.

Transcript

Kathi Lipp (00:12)

Hey friends, welcome to Clutter Free Academy where our goal is to help you take small doable steps every day to live with less clutter and more life. And I’ve got one of my favorite humans in the world, Tenille Register, here with me today. Hey Tenille, how you doing?

Tenneil Register (00:28)

Hey Kathi, I’m doing great today. I actually just decluttered yesterday, so I can’t wait to talk today about this.

Kathi Lipp (00:36)

Yay, what did you declutter? What was your area?

Tenneil Register (00:41)

closets of non-bedrooms. like closet in the office, closet in the work out room.

Kathi Lipp (00:47)

Okay, can I just tell you I think those are the worst. I think they’re the worst We have a closet in our bedroom. That’s not our bedroom closet I don’t know how to describe that but we have like Roger has a closet. I have a closet and then we have this like utility closet and It is the worst spot in my house for sure So did you find any treasures? What like what was the big reveal from yesterday?

Tenneil Register (01:04)

Mm-hmm.

that our house is now like 100 pounds lighter of the weight on the studs holding it up because of the paper trash that was removed.

Kathi Lipp (01:19)

? Yes.

My goodness, it’s so true, right? It’s so true. Okay, so I want to dive into our episode today and I have you on for a specific reason Tenneil, If you guys don’t know Tenneil Register, so she’s a writer. She’s a speaker but she also owns retail businesses and I’ve worked retail I would say the first half of my life at least half of it was spent working retail

And displays and storage are such a big deal. My background in training was, ? I worked for Nordstrom for years and years. I worked in their gift area. so displays were a big deal, but you own ? some retail businesses you have to think through how to make things practical and beautiful.

And I can think of no greater challenge than when it comes to our jewelry. ? I have, are you a big jewelry person? I would say I am and I’m not, like I’m not an expensive jewelry person. The only really expensive thing I have is my wedding ring, but how about you?

Tenneil Register (02:41)

Yes, so in my early days, I liked expensive jewelry, but now I’m lucky to put my wedding ring on. You know, I have expensive jewelry, but I don’t really wear it very often. I do wear earrings pretty faithfully, because I believe it’s like, it accentuates your jawline. But other than that, like, it depends on the outfit. And so I would say I own

Kathi Lipp (02:49)

Yeah.

Mm-hmm.

Yeah.

Tenneil Register (03:10)

quite a bit of jewelry, but I wear it in phases. That’s probably the best way to describe it.

Kathi Lipp (03:18)

Yeah, and it’s so interesting. I feel like jewelry is such a touchy thing when it comes to emotional clutter. ? You know, ? I think when I was younger, I thought expensive jewelry was kind of proving, hey, if you love me, you’re giving me expensive jewelry. I don’t know. Maybe that’s just a younger thing. I know also there are people who love their expensive jewelry. ?

I got very convicted. I heard a sermon one time on Matthew 621 about where is your treasure? You know for where your treasure is there your heart will be also and this woman was talking about is my treasure in my jewelry box and I I I’m making it sound more convicting than it should be because I think it’s okay to love beautiful things, but I really did hold like if you love me, you’ll buy me expensive things on

I don’t know. I was very convicted by that verse in a good way that has really freed me. I see you nodding.

Tenneil Register (04:23)

Yeah, well, I’m nodding because I think in the 90s, we were definitely intentionally sold that marketing message from jewelers. And I can remember thinking that I was the more gold I had on my hand, not just the more loved I was, but the more stable that I was, accomplished, steady, things are secure. And I think we…

Kathi Lipp (04:31)

Yeah. Yeah.

Mmm.

Yeah.

Tenneil Register (04:50)

I think we tend to think that when people have really nice things that something about their life feels like safer and more desirable than if not. So yeah, that’s kind of what made me inside.

Kathi Lipp (04:55)

Yes.

Yeah, absolutely.

I think you’re absolutely right. think, you know, I was born in the 60s. You were born much later than that. But we were told if you’re loved, the ring will be big. The jewelry will be chunky. Yeah, absolutely. And I think also, you know, there are stories we tell ourselves about jewelry. Some of our jewelry is very significant. You know, you’re going to you’re going to pry my wedding ring off of my cold dead hand.

Like this it means a lot to me, but there’s also sometimes false sentiment versus true significance ? I think we can honor memories or be held hostage by them ? Sometimes we’re given things like there there was a lot of jewelry in my jewelry box Probably about 15 years ago that I had worn once or twice like some some gold bracelets that I had

? from a first marriage, ? things like that. And I just wonder sometimes if my, some of our jewelry boxes are full of memories or are they misplaced obligations? I just felt like because I had been given that, even though it didn’t serve me, ? I had to keep it because it was worth something. It had memories attached to it. Like I had some jewelry that was passed down from my grandmother. Now some of it I wore a lot.

But some of it, it was like, okay, I’m never gonna wear it. This has nothing to do, you know, I never, it wasn’t a fond memory for me. It was just passed down. So I felt like I needed to keep it. Do you have any guilt jewelry? I guess that’s my question.

Tenneil Register (06:49)

think I do. actually keep it. This is like confession. I hope my family’s not listening. So the things that I had that I would not wear and it’s family oriented, I actually have it in our bank safe box, like at the bank. And then it’s not like in my jewelry box. But it’s there to remain part of the family estate, so to speak. And it’s not even, this stuff is not highly valuable.

Kathi Lipp (07:06)

? got it.

Yeah.

Tenneil Register (07:19)

That’s just a place out of my daily life that it can be kept safe for generations to come.

Kathi Lipp (07:19)

Right!

Yeah, because things do come around and jewelry is relatively small. So it’s easier to I don’t want to say hoard, but you know, for some of us, it’s hoard. And so yeah, it’s very it’s so much easier to do that. I wanted to tell I wanted to tell a story on here. You know, I had my wedding ring from my first marriage. And, you know, it wasn’t super valuable, but they definitely had some value to it. But

It’s not something I wanted anymore. And I had some ? gold bracelets and things like that from that. And I was trying to think of what I could do with them. And there was a cause that was really important to me and Roger after we got married about building wells in Africa. And I said, what would you think about me selling my first wedding ring? Because you don’t really sell the wedding ring, you’re selling the gold.

and the diamond attached to it if there’s a diamond on there. And so I talked about it with Roger. I talked about it with my kids. I’m like, if there’s any reason you want me to hang on to this, and my daughter said I would hawk it. And I’m like, okay, then I’m not saving it to pass down to you. And so what we did, yes. Yeah. Nope, they could not care less.

Tenneil Register (08:23)

Great.

was dying to know whether the kids wanted that. I was dying to ask you that.

Kathi Lipp (08:49)

So what I did actually was I sold it and we used the money to build wells in Africa and it’s actually part of one of Susie Flory’s books I’ve never written about it, but she wrote about it in one of her books about ? I’m trying to remember the historical figure that sold a bunch of stuff to For service and that’s what we did and can I tell you I’ve never felt a day of guilt over that like that was exact

it and so it’s this I Thought I might feel guilty about it. But what it really was is like no, that’s actually something You know, I’m not a huge fan of my ex-husband I have much more positive feelings towards him now than I did when we got divorced but He doesn’t even know that I did that but I still think about that’s something positive that came out of our Relationship does that make sense or am I weird?

Tenneil Register (09:46)

Wow,

such a beautiful way of reclaiming something out of a difficult situation and making something beautiful. I absolutely love

Kathi Lipp (09:50)

Mmm.

I do feel like there’s some redemption there. I really, really do. I, you know, I, and I didn’t want to feel judged by it about from my kids or from anybody else, but I think that there’s a stewardship aspect of this, that we can use those things.

Tenneil Register (10:17)

Yeah, so one way that I’m stewarding jewelry, think a little different, hopefully than like generations before me, like, like expensive jewelry that my husband bought me early in our marriage and I loved it and I wore it all the time. And now maybe I don’t wear it, I don’t love it as much.

Kathi Lipp (10:25)

Yeah.

Mm-hmm.

Yeah.

Tenneil Register (10:37)

If I wait until I pass away for my daughters to inherit that jewelry, they will probably also be at an age where they’re not wearing that sort of thing. And so I’ve started working through like jewelry that I own currently and gifting it to them like right now while they’re in their 20s and they love jewelry. And yet maybe I lose it on vacation because they’re still at that phase of life. But if it brought

Kathi Lipp (10:48)

you

Yes.

Tenneil Register (11:07)

if it brings them joy, whether it’s for 13 months or the next 33 years, like that would be a better place for it than in the bottom of my drawer for them to find later. Plus, unless I’m gonna go through and label, like this one was from my first husband, blah, blah, blah. And this one was from my current husband, your dad. You know, like what is the…

Kathi Lipp (11:20)

That’s so true.

Yeah!

Tenneil Register (11:35)

Who wants to leave an inventory of their jewelry? And so I would rather like give it to them while I’m alive and say like when I was your age, I loved wearing this. It’s valuable. Your dad bought it for me. Here it is. So that’s that’s one of

Kathi Lipp (11:39)

Right.

love that so

much. Yes. And, and yeah, jewelry is meant to be worn. It gets more beautiful, the longer it’s against skin. I mean, I love that. And so both Tenneil and I have admitted, hey, we’re, we’re not like expensive jewelry people. I’m more like, it feels weird to say costume jewelry, but let’s just say I’m in the

$45 and below category for most of my jewelry, right? And so I want to talk about how do you actually organize that? because I’ve got I’m not gonna lie. I’ve got a lot of it and I want to be able to use it I want to be able to find it too. That’s another thing So I want to tell you some solutions that I have Tenneil has some solutions. So we’re gonna talk about

Yeah, because we’re cheapy girls. That’s it. We’re fun. ? No, we’re gonna call it fun fashion jewelry. That’s what we’re gonna call it We’re not gonna call it costume. We’re gonna call it fun fashion I feel like putting things in order in my house gives me so much joy

? To be able to find things to categorize things that kind of thing, but I will tell you until ? December of this year my jewelry was chaos I kept trying to find solutions for it so but I want my home to be a place of beauty order and peace and So I want to hear from you Tenneil, What are some? Freed because you’re a display girly and You’re good at this stuff. What are some things that you have done to really?

? Just I don’t know if it’s do you display your jewelry do you hide your jewelry? What do you do?

Tenneil Register (13:35)

So I have a combo. I’m gonna be really plain, my three jewelry habits. One of them is I tend to take off my jewelry as I unwind for the day, right? So I have three significant places then that these little small piles of things like my wedding ring and earrings end up in. And so I’ve learned that that’s my habit and I have put a cute little dish in those places.

Kathi Lipp (13:38)

Okay. Yes. Yes.

Yes, me too!

Tenneil Register (14:05)

so that they are corralled. I could scold myself to walk to my real jewelry box that hides a lot of jewelry, but I’m not going to. So I just have this pathway and then I pick them up from that path the next day. All right, so that’s one way. I do have a flown jewelry box with the doors that open on the side with necklaces and earrings and stuff like that. That’s kind of my catchall. And then

Kathi Lipp (14:05)

Yes!

Yeah.

Tenneil Register (14:34)

I have, well I guess I have four piles. I have the mess that accumulates on top of said jewelry box, because I’m too lazy to open the drawer and put it away. And then I do have some displayed jewelry. I actually have some busts that you would see in a store. And I have those on top of a dresser for my necklaces that I wear most often.

Kathi Lipp (14:51)

Hmm? ? yeah!

Tenneil Register (15:00)

And then also like one that I don’t wear, a necklace that I don’t wear often, but I love it and I want to see it. So I have that on the bust on top of the dresser. That’s my personal style. My sister, she’s amazing. She has like a screen window that’s vintage and cute and her little earrings hang on that. And then she has a window frame with all these little hooks on it. And then all of her necklaces are on that. And I always want to be that because I think she must get so much joy.

Kathi Lipp (15:16)

Right?

Tenneil Register (15:28)

when she walks up to the wall of her jewelry that also looks like beautiful wall decor and she can pull off her pieces and wear them. But that is not my personal habit.

Kathi Lipp (15:39)

Yes. Okay. I love it. I love it so much. And ? yes, the screen is something I’ve seen before. I was going to build it until another solution came into my life, which I will talk about. I think some other things to think about guys are things like velvet trays, because everybody’s house is different, right? You may have more drawer space. So a velvet tray could be really, really helpful for you. And especially if you’re like a ring person.

Like ? a or a bracelet person having those velvet trays could be really really helpful one of my friends had a cake stand and she put all of her different bracelets on it and it was so cute and then for a long time I used a pegboard where I would just hang my necklaces and things like that if If you’re a curator of things like teacups that could be really cute for you as well. What were you gonna say Tenneil?

Tenneil Register (16:35)

I actually have a cake stand in my bathroom. It’s a really pretty marble stand. And so there’s like a small plant and a little, you know, motivational saying. And that cake stand is where I can take off my daily jewelry and put it up there. And then it’s not on the counter where it can fall into the sink. It’s up on the cake stand.

Kathi Lipp (16:38)

? cute. ? huh.

you

Yes, okay. And here’s my thing. I like the people who just take their stuff off and go put it away. I will never understand those people. That is not me. And you

Tenneil Register (17:03)

This episode is not for

you. We love you. We admire you.

Kathi Lipp (17:07)

Yes, we admire you. You are listening to the wrong podcast friend, but ? here’s what I do I I have a silver antique dish that I love but I never really knew what to do it Every day I go take it off there and it just piles up until the end of the week And then I put everything away at the same time, but it’s still I think it’s it’s a beautiful It’s a beautiful way to do it and it’s a grace based system Which I love I it just says

Tenneil Register (17:11)

haha

Kathi Lipp (17:36)

Hey, you know, we’re not looking for perfection. We’re not saying, hey, we’re gonna go put this away every day. And I will say, I do have a dish on my desk because sometimes I’m at the end of my day where I have to look cute, but I’m still working. So I take my earrings off, I take my necklace off, I put it on that little dish and it works for me. And that works for me. Another thing that you might think about is a jeweler tree. ? So it has like,

holes that can stick out that you know, you can hang things off of and that’s what I did for a long time ? but I Think one thing to think about is to group jewelry with a purpose I have once I well I’ve got three sets of jewelry where the earrings they didn’t I didn’t buy them as a set but they just go together and I hang them together so that it’s just easy it’s like a capsule and I so I also keep

those where for travel, they work with a lot of different things. And I’ve got this one pair of earrings, they’re just thin gold hoops that work with everything. So I have a cup, I have one set of those that I leave in our trailer, because they’re going to go with absolutely everything. actually have, I have to replace this because it went through the wash. It makes me crazy.

I’ve lost so many things by leaving things in my pocket, but this is a pair of earrings made out of ? Boots like wading boots in Alaska. They go with everything. I love them So I need to order a new pair of those but I left those in our RV for the longest time because they just go with everything so I think either grouping things that go together is a great way to do that or reducing

If you’re just a simple gold or silver hoop person, go for it. Or maybe you’re like, I could wear the same turquoise necklace every day of my life. I love turquoise. Never buy me, yep, exactly. I love it. Never buy me diamonds, buy me turquoise. That’s what makes me so happy. Any last thoughts, Tenille?

Tenneil Register (19:42)

to my hearing everyday of my life.

I also keep a travel pack of jewelry and I actually it’s separate than my everyday jewelry. Then I don’t have to sort it all out. So I have travel jewelry. some of them are duplicates of something I own and then I there’s no back and forth with that. And then, I mean, if you’re somebody who will put your stuff away, like we’ve sold and people really love them is like the full length mirrors that open up the mirror to the jewelry inside. ?

Kathi Lipp (19:58)

Mmm.

? okay.

Tenneil Register (20:23)

And many of my customers have purchased those from me and they say it’s life-changing. I just haven’t been able to discipline myself in that way. But I can see how being close to the mirror would help.

Kathi Lipp (20:24)

Yes.

Okay.

Yeah. So I’m going to go deep into the mirror because that is the thing that has earned a place in my clutter free home. And so I want to talk about, yeah. So I’m going to tell you the story of how this came into my life and how it has changed my life. Okay, guys, this is our segment. You know it, you love it. It is things that have.

earned a place in my clutter free home and I want to tell you about my full length mirror jewelry organizer. Now, I am not the person who puts away my jewelry every day, but I have my little silver dish that goes right next to this. this is how I never seen one of these before. But my daughter, Amanda, my stepdaughter, Amanda, ? when people come to our house, they use our bath.

We redid our bathroom a few years ago and guys, it’s my favorite room in the house. I love it so much. But she saw my jewelry collection and she’s like, Kathi, you are out of control. I’m like, I know, I know. But I just hadn’t really thought through how to really take care of that. And so for Christmas, all my kids got together, they each chipped in and they bought me the full length mirror.

jewelry organizer and they bought me a couple of pieces of jewelry to put in this and you guys I love this so much first of all It’s a full-length mirror, which we already had but we had just a little one in our bedroom And this is full-length I love it And so you open it up you open up the mirror part and it has places for rings bracelets Necklaces and it has a whole rack for the earrings

And can I tell you, so once a week, I take everything from that silver dish and I hang it back up, but it’s like going into your favorite curated store and picking out your earrings for the day. And it makes me so happy. I can’t even stand it. So you said a lot of your customers have bought that as well.

Tenneil Register (22:34)

Yes, yeah, we sold them in our shop and it’s a swivel one, you know, and so it works like in a lot of flexible places. yeah, that’s been really popular. So I think you’ve changed at least my life that the mess I put on top of my jewelry box, I’m gonna put a nice tray there. Because then I can pick them up and put the pieces off and it will feel like an official task instead of shape like the pile.

Kathi Lipp (22:40)

?

Mm-hmm

Yes.

Yes, I love it.

Tenneil Register (23:03)

It’s just a matter of,

Kathi Lipp (23:03)

Yes, I.

Tenneil Register (23:05)

that’s a grace-based system, right? Instead of guilty myself of being messy, I have a system. I love it.

Kathi Lipp (23:07)

Right.

Yes, and can I tell you I feel like this is what fancy ladies do I really do like your fancy lady mate You would take your necklace off. You would take your earrings off and then some maid would come do it now I’m the maid in this in this scenario, but it makes so much better Yeah, and guys i’ll put a link to the ? the cabinet that I have that I love ? and Yeah, my kids I love when they come together, you know wonder twin powers activate because

Tenneil Register (23:23)

And you’ll see the key. Yeah.

Kathi Lipp (23:41)

This has been so great and it doesn’t take up much room, but it lays everything out. It makes me feel so happy. And Tenille, I also need to know where you got those earrings because I may need those in my life. Don’t tell me you got them like seven years ago.

Tenneil Register (23:59)

It’s been a bit, but I think I can find you the place.

Kathi Lipp (24:04)

Okay, very very cool. If you happen to find the place we will also put it in the in our show notes because Those are super super cool. I love them. I’m also going to show for people who are watching online My favorite pair of earrings my friend carol gave these to me. I they’re they’re my favorite fun and funky earrings But ? look at those little I mean aren’t those I? There can you see them? They’re they’re very

Tenneil Register (24:30)

That macrame, right?

Kathi Lipp (24:33)

Yes, they’re macrame. They’re like a yellow gold. I cannot tell you how many things these go with they make me super happy. So ? yeah, but yours are fabulous and ? mine mine are these are made out of ? how how bone the ones that i’m wearing today and ? I they just make me super happy. So guys if We ? yes, I will i’ll see if I can find a link

Tenneil Register (24:55)

And I need to know about these ones made from boots. The ones made from boots. the parents of the kid knows that.

Yeah.

Kathi Lipp (25:03)

Yeah, they’re super cute. Sadly, they don’t do well a parent leather doesn’t do well in the washing machine. Who knew right who knew? Yeah But i’m gonna find those because yeah, they make me super happy and guys You make us super happy by you just being here. I hope this gave you an idea or two for your jewelry situation because having your stuff laid out

Tenneil Register (25:10)

Oops. ?

Kathi Lipp (25:28)

to get dressed every day, add, it’s the icing on the cake. And that’s what we want for you. We want every day to have a little icing on your cake. You have been listening to the Clutterfree Academy podcast. I’m Kathi Lipp. Now, go create the clutter free life you’ve always wanted to live.

#686 – Declutter Once and For All: Why Your Home’s Chaos Keeps Sneaking Back

Sep 9, 2025 | Clutter Free, Clutter Free Home, Clutter Free Podcast, community, Home, Mental Load, Organizing, Overwhelmed, Podcast

Are you tired of feeling like you’re living on an endless treadmill of tidying up, only to have chaos sneak right back in? This week on the Clutter Free Podcast, Kathi dives deep into the secret reason behind recurring clutter—and why baskets and labels alone aren’t...

#685 – Stuck and Overwhelmed? The Real Reason Your Clutter Won’t Budge

Sep 2, 2025 | Clutter Free, Clutter Free Home, Clutter Free Podcast, Home, Mental Load, Organizing, Overwhelmed, Podcast, Restore, tips and ideas

Are you worn out from battling clutter and not seeing the progress you’d hoped for? In this heartfelt episode, Kathi Lipp and Tonya Kubo explore the reality of declutter fatigue and why, for so many women, the journey can feel never-ending. If you’re feeling stuck,...

#684 – Decluttering for Real Life: Simple Steps for Busy, Overwhelmed Women

Aug 26, 2025 | Clutter Free, Clutter Free Home, Clutter Free Podcast, Home, Organizing, Overwhelmed, Podcast, tips and ideas

Is your clutter making a comeback…again? You tidy up, you declutter, but somehow, all those piles and projects sneak right back into your life. If you’ve ever felt defeated when the mess keeps resurfacing, this episode will speak right to your heart. Join Kathi and...

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#683 – Declutter Your Bathroom Sink Space (Even With Zero Storage!)

by Clutter Free Academy Team | Aug 19, 2025 | Clutter Free, Clutter Free Home, Clutter Free Podcast, Home, Organizing, Overwhelmed, Podcast, tips and ideas | 0 comments

#683 – Declutter Your Bathroom Sink Space (Even With Zero Storage!)

Listen Now

Tired of opening your bathroom cabinets only to find chaos staring back at you? You’re not alone. In this episode of Clutter Free Academy, Kathi teams up with decluttering expert Tonya Kubo to tackle one of the most frustrating spaces in many homes: the bathroom sink area.

Whether you’re blessed with ample storage or struggling with a pedestal sink and four family members sharing one bathroom (like Tonya!), this episode offers hope and practical solutions. You’ll discover why taking everything out might be the best first step, how to make smart decisions about duplicates and expired products, and creative storage hacks that will transform your space.

Kathi shares her game-changing discovery about medicine cabinets in unexpected places, while Tonya offers wisdom from working with Clutter Free for Life members on their bathroom transformations. From stackable organizers to tension rods for spray bottles, you’ll walk away with actionable strategies you can implement today.

Remember: the goal isn’t perfection—it’s creating systems that work for your family’s current season of life. As Tonya beautifully puts it, “Maybe not forever, but for now.”

Sabbath Soup: Weekly Menus and Rhythms to Make Space for a Day of Rest

Kathi Lipp gives readers an easy-to-follow process for meal planning and prep, so that they can enjoy a full day each week of real rest and refreshment.

Could you use a break from cooking (and everything else) once a week? Not only is rest vital for your mind and body, it’s good for your soul too. God designed us to enter into Sabbath rest one day per week, but as you know, meals still need to be made. Your family still needs to be fed.

Sabbath Soup includes convenient, seasonal meal plans that take the guesswork out of shopping and cooking. More than just a collection of delicious recipes—including main dishes, breads, breakfasts, desserts, salads, sides, and yes, soups—this is your guide to establishing a weekly rhythm and routine of meal planning and prep that allows you to have a true day off.

Do something good for your soul and experience the peace that comes with a full day dedicated to spending time with God, family, and friends. Savor your Sabbath as you proudly proclaim, “Soup’s on!”

Order your copy of Sabbath Soup: Weekly Menus and Rhythms to Make Space for a Day of Rest here.

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FYI: Some product links may be affiliate links. If you buy, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thanks for your support!

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Order Sabbath Soup here

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Meet Our Co-Host

Tonya Kubo

Tonya Kubo is the illustrious and fearless leader of Kathi Lipp’s Clutter Free Academy Facebook group and the Clutter Free for Life membership program. A professional community strategist, she believes everyone deserves to have a place online where they feel like they belong. Raised by a hoarder, Tonya knows firsthand the pain and isolation that comes from living in conditions others don’t understand. She wants better for her family and her cluttery peeps, which is why she is passionate about the compassionate slow-and-steady approach that makes Clutter Free unique. She lives in the heart of California with her husband, Brian, their two spirited daughters, and one very tolerant cat. Visit tonyakubo.com to find out more about her community work, or email her at tonya@kathilipp.org to discuss the Clutter Free Academy podcast and programs.

Transcript

Kathi Lipp (00:09)

Well hey friends, welcome to Clutter Free Academy where our goal is to help you take small doable steps to live every day with less clutter and more life. And speaking of less clutter, we’re gonna dive into the bathroom today guys and we’re gonna dive in with one of my favorite clutter free human beings. It is Tonya Kubo. I was about to say Tonya Lipp. Did you need to be adopted? I mean was that?

I’m not gonna lie, Christmas for our kids. Yes, Christmas for our kids is not bad. And they’re all in their 30s. just think about it. ? We could make some arrangements. And by the way, Roger and I are not grandparents, so this would have some built-in benefits for us as well. okay. ?

Tonya Kubo (00:35)

Hey, it’s good to be a Lipp!

hahahaha

You would.

Kathi Lipp (01:01)

Can I tell you my favorite room in this entire house is the one that almost nobody else goes into? Almost not even Roger. I’m not gonna lie. It is my bathroom. My bathroom makes me so happy.

Tonya Kubo (01:15)

? well, your bathroom should make you happy. It has heated floors. That’s my favorite part of your bathroom.

Kathi Lipp (01:19)

It does have heated

floors. Yep. And that’s not enough for moose. She needs a heating pad in there. But it also has like, it’s a, you guys, it’s the only fancy thing we have. ? it has, it has ? a, a wet floor for half the bathroom. So that’s like a giant open shower, which is crazy. But if you’re going to design your own bathroom, go all in friends, go all in.

Tonya Kubo (01:31)

Mm-hmm.

I agree.

Kathi Lipp (01:48)

Yeah, and then it has a beautiful jet tub. And ? yeah, it just makes me so happy. But can I tell you where I went wrong in all my designing and scheming? Here’s where I went wrong. I did not think about storage in there. did not think, you know, here I am, the queen of trying to be clutter free. And ?

Tonya Kubo (02:01)

Where did you go wrong?

Mmm.

Kathi Lipp (02:15)

I love storage behind doors so you don’t have to think about it. There’s none. we’ve got five drawers, know, ? two of which are Rogers, three, well, one of them is shared and two are mine. And then we have to put some baskets on the bottom of the vanity that we can pull out. But you know, you’re storing things like toilet paper, hairdryers, things like that. And then we’ve got some other, yeah.

It’s just not great. gonna, so I have had to figure out how to be as decluttered as possible. Now, I say that, I whine about my lack of storage, but Tonya, would you care to share your bathroom setup?

Tonya Kubo (02:46)

Right.

Mm.

So

setup is, you know, sub-optimal, let’s call it that. So of course we’ve got four humans, one bathroom, and you the house was built in the early 50s so well we do have a cabinet and drawers in the bathroom that is one of only two closets in the whole house outside of the bedroom closets so we have to do a lot with that storage space and the worst

Kathi Lipp (03:08)

Yes. Yes.

Right.

Tonya Kubo (03:31)

I think what’s the worst is we have a pedestal sinks. We have no under sink storage and no counter either.

Kathi Lipp (03:37)

Right, it is that is, that is a problem, especially with that many humans. ? One of them a teenage, one of them solidly a teenager, the other one teenage, adjacent, and it’s a lot. So, ? you know, I, in my bathroom, I want my bathroom to be a place of calm. But Tonya, can we just say your bathroom just needs to be a place of survival?

Tonya Kubo (03:47)

Mm-hmm.

Kathi Lipp (04:06)

Someday.

Tonya Kubo (04:07)

Well,

exactly. Yeah, no, it’s exactly it’s survival and the cat box is in there, right? So it’s like a whole lot of stuff going on in there.

Kathi Lipp (04:13)

? bless you. ?

bless you. ? my goodness. Okay. Let’s all take a moment of silence for Tonya’s bathroom. Okay. So here’s, here’s what I want to talk about. So this is, this is about decluttering your sink space. Okay. So Tonya you’re done. Cause there is no sink space. Done. Okay. But for the, okay. But for the rest of us,

Tonya Kubo (04:33)

Done. A plus plus student over here.

Ha ha!

Kathi Lipp (04:42)

who have normal bathrooms, who have some storage, that kind of thing. I wanna talk about a few ideas, ticks, ticks, ticks, my, guys, I’m still recovering from COVID, so if I’m stupid, just roll with it, friends, just roll with it. Tricks and tips that we can do. So if you’re under the sink, storage is a mess.

Tonya Kubo (04:46)

Mm-hmm.

Okay.

Kathi Lipp (05:08)

This is gonna sound very anti Kathi and very anti clutter free, but here’s what I’m going to ask you to do I’m gonna ask you to take everything out and we normally rail against taking everything out at one time because that can be very overwhelming to our ADHD ADD adjacent brains ? because if you’re a cluttery person

Tonya Kubo (05:32)

Mm-hmm.

Kathi Lipp (05:36)

that may not be your diagnosis, but you understand the territory that that is. And that can be really, really overwhelming because all of us have had that project where we’ve everything out and we’ve lived like that for two months. And I don’t want you to do that, but fortunately the under sink area is small enough that it probably shouldn’t be too much.

And then I’m gonna ask you to just lay everything out. Put everything on the floor, put everything on the table. And ? Tonya, what would be your advice if when you’re going through that stuff, obviously we’re gonna throw away trash, we’re gonna recycle what we can. But say like you have duplicates there and you don’t have a ton of space. What would be your advice to people?

Tonya Kubo (06:26)

Yeah, well, this is such a great topic because I’ve been working with some of our Clear Free for Life members on their bathrooms, right? Because when you’re overwhelmed, I think the bathroom is a great place to start. You’re the one who taught me that, Kathi, because it’s a small space and the bathroom sink in and of itself is such a win because that’s where you get ready, right? You’re washing your hands when you get, I mean, it’s the highest traffic area really in a bathroom. And so,

Kathi Lipp (06:34)

Mmm.

Yes.

Tonya Kubo (06:54)

One of the things that I suggest is when you’re going through everything, when you have a bunch of duplicates, I think the first thing is get real with yourself and decide, these things, like, do I really want duplicates of this? Okay. If it is like your favorite pumpkin spice hand soap and you’ve got five of them and you love pumpkin spice hand soap by all means, make your hand smell like pumpkin spice all year long. But if you’ve got duplicates of something you don’t like, I think those go in the giveaway pile.

Kathi Lipp (06:56)

Yes.

Yes, or you know, take that lid off, smell it. Now, if you just don’t like the scent, I’ll just tell you, Plumeria from Bath and Body Works grosses me out in deep, deep ways. Because to me, it smells like, well, it doesn’t gross me out. It just reminds me of feminine hygiene products. And that’s not what I want to smell like. I’m just going to be honest with you. So.

Tonya Kubo (07:32)

Mm-hmm.

Okay.

Mmm.

Kathi Lipp (07:53)

Smell it if you just don’t like the smell because that’s not your scent then give it away If it’s off in any way shape or form that gets pitched nobody wants your off smelling stuff ? so yes lay everything out and then ? Go if you have duplicates if you have the room you can store them there in the bathroom where you use them if you don’t find someplace else but just

Tonya Kubo (08:00)

Mm-hmm.

Kathi Lipp (08:22)

Remember where you store things. That’s the important thing. So I have backup storage in my closet. I’ve got very high shelves in there and I have drawers and I’ve got one drawer that’s like for hair and I’ve got one drawer that’s for skin and makeup and it’s the backups. And so instead of going to the store, I’m going to go into my drawer to get those things.

Yeah, throw away any expired products or empty containers. I think that’s really important. Why do you think we hang on to those things, Tonya?

Tonya Kubo (08:57)

Mm-hmm.

my gosh, Kathi, for so many reasons. So I do think a lot of times empty containers end up underneath the bathroom sink because we don’t know what else to do with them. And we think, we’ll put it here for now and then we’ll figure out what to do with it later. Or we think that there’s gonna be a future state where we’re gonna have an idea of how to use it.

Kathi Lipp (09:11)

Mmm, yeah.

Mm-hmm. I love it. Okay. The next thing is if you haven’t used it in six months Do you really need it now here is what I would suggest, you know, just don’t throw it away I would now if I was the mom of a teenager and teenager adjacent I I think it could be fun to go through and say hey guys. Do you want to try these masks?

Tonya Kubo (09:43)

Mm-hmm.

Kathi Lipp (09:50)

you know, let’s see if either of you like these things. And so I know my daughters, ? well, I should say my daughter loves to come into my bathroom when she comes to visit and see what I still have that doesn’t look like it’s in use. And sometimes I have to say, no, I just spent all my money on that eye cream, hands off. But there is sometimes things I’ve been given that just aren’t my jam, but they’re really, I mean, they would be cool. ?

Tonya Kubo (10:07)

Mm-hmm.

Right.

Kathi Lipp (10:19)

You know, just recently, my daughter was going through stuff and she’s like, Ooh, why do you have this lightning grease from, ? what’s the name of that? You’ll know what I’m talking about. It looks like, lush, lush. You know, yeah. Lush is very big, ? with her and her friends. And I’m like, Roger and I were at the mall and I was bit by something while I was standing outside.

Tonya Kubo (10:34)

? yes, I like Lush.

Mm-hmm.

Kathi Lipp (10:48)

and it was the itchiest I’ve ever been. And I went into Lush, I’m like, do you have anything for this? And they said, yes, this greased lightning, it’s a spray bottle. I sprayed it on there, instant relief. It was wonderful. But Kimberly uses it for other things. So I gave it to her. she’s going to appreciate it more, right?

Tonya Kubo (11:07)

Nice.

Kathi Lipp (11:10)

So ditch what you don’t use, but you know, maybe give it another try see if it’s something if you were given something and you kind of stuck it in the back there give it a try it may become your next favorite product. So I do have duplicates of stuff, but I’ve really since I’ve started living the clutter free life. I have said, okay, I’m only buying a backup when I only have a couple weeks left. Like I’ve got a hair.

Tonya Kubo (11:37)

Mm.

Kathi Lipp (11:39)

thing that I use and I was tempted to buy three of them because it’s just easy to buy all of them. Like, why am I paying to store all this stuff? That’s ridiculous. And so I’m trying to do that. Now, are you a stocker upper or are you a replace as needed?

Tonya Kubo (11:55)

No, you know, this is back to like privilege of living in town Most things we replace as needed every there are certain things like for instance shampoo and conditioner When we open one then we buy the next one Because I know that we need shampoo and conditioner every month, right? That just makes sense there but like the hand soaps body wash I find that you know a scent we love now sometimes by the time you get to the end of the bottle you’re tired of it

Kathi Lipp (11:59)

Yeah.

Yeah, that makes sense. Yeah. Right.

Tonya Kubo (12:24)

So that I just replace as needed.

Kathi Lipp (12:25)

It’s so true.

It’s so true. Yes, I am using one right now and I’m very much looking forward to buying my next scent.

Tonya Kubo (12:35)

I hear you, Kathi, I hear you on that one.

Kathi Lipp (12:37)

Yep,

yep. Okay, so ? The other thing yeah, we’ve talked about this another podcast, but don’t be using old makeup Especially on your eyes and if anything smells off pitch it I don’t care that it’s Lancome or anything like that pitch it go for it

Tonya Kubo (12:56)

Also, don’t give your old crusty makeup to your kids. I know like when I was growing up, that’s what my mom and her friends did. I have friends who do it, but like, okay, you don’t want to get an eye infection in yourself. You don’t want to give one to your kids. Just trash, trash, trash.

Kathi Lipp (13:10)

No.

Yeah, yeah. And I think what that causes us to do is to use up what we have that is good. And that’s yes. And we want to teach our kids to be responsible with their makeup. And by the way, I don’t wear Lancome. My expensive stuff is Mac. But let’s be honest, most of the stuff I’m wearing I get when I’m at Wal-Mart. ? You know, hey, I love tubing mascara and you can get that at Wal-Mart. OK. ?

Tonya Kubo (13:18)

Mm-hmm.

Kathi Lipp (13:40)

Okay, so the first thing was to take everything out. Second thing purge, three, reduce and simplify. You don’t need seven different mascaras. Pitch all of them except for the recent one because mascara can go bad. It can go off. ? If you find, consolidate stuff. That’s what I’m doing right now with some of my ? hair products. I’ve got, I don’t know why, but I’ve got bottles that have a third or

Tonya Kubo (13:51)

Mm-hmm.

Kathi Lipp (14:09)

I am combining all of those things and there’s a little funnel that I got it on ? on Amazon and all I’ll put it here in the show note

But it’s a little funnel for doing just that, putting little bits of things like your cosmetics, your lotion, that kind of thing. so ? combine, combine, combine. number three is reduce and simplify. Only keep what you actually use. ? If you have a lot of, say, mini shampoos, mini conditioners,

First of all, stop grabbing those at the hotel. You don’t need them. And most hotels have turned to just one big pump in the hotel anyway. So that’s going to help us cluttery people a lot. ? And if you get beauty samples, try them. See if you actually like them. And then you can reinvest. It’s not worth it to save it for a rainy day. ?

Tonya Kubo (14:53)

Mm-hmm. ?

Yeah.

Kathi Lipp (15:13)

We’ve all lived through the pandemic. We have lived through the rainy days. Don’t save that kind of stuff. Okay, so now we’re going to clean. So, you know, wipe the inside of the cabinets, the drawers. ? One thing that I am now doing, Tonya, because it’s just fun. I don’t have wallpaper in my house. That’s just not something I do, but I love the look of wallpaper. And I have been ordering some samples because we need to wallpaper the inside of our RV.

Tonya Kubo (15:35)

Right.

Kathi Lipp (15:43)

because we just went to check on our RV and the wallpaper was halfway down the wall. So yeah, heat, moisture, yeah, we did all the right things and still did that. So I’m going to be re-wallpapering, but I’m getting some samples now. So one of the things I’m doing, and it’s silly and ridiculous, but can I tell you how happy it makes me? I’m putting, yeah, so.

Tonya Kubo (15:44)

?

I was gonna say, I don’t care. wanna know more now. Tell me the silly ridiculousness you

have.

Kathi Lipp (16:09)

You

can buy wallpaper samples for a dollar. And so I am taking those to the RV and seeing which ones will all match with what we’re doing. But I also got some samples of some wild ones for just a strip of that we could do. And the rejects, I am lining the inside of my drawers and I open up those drawers. Can I tell you how happy it makes me? It makes me so stinkin happy.

Tonya Kubo (16:39)

What is it, Kathi, that you feel like makes you happy about it? Is it just the colors? Is it the print? Or is it the fact that it just looks more put together to you?

Kathi Lipp (16:48)

It looks more put together and it is something I’m doing entirely to take care of myself. It’s like a secret, yes, this is just for me and it makes me so happy I can’t even stand it. I am going to, one of the things I’m doing, we have two other bathrooms in this house. So you can get waterproof mats.

Tonya Kubo (16:54)

? I like that.

Kathi Lipp (17:15)

to put on the bottom of those ? that will keep it so if something spills or leaks or something like that, it’s not going to ruin that. And this is a really good time to check for leaks. If you’ve got, you know, if you’ve got especially an older house, it’s great to get a leak detector. We have paid for our leak detector and we have a nephew who ? is in

in the business and he gave us the leak detector that especially if you live in a high water area, you can check for leaks around your house. it might be worth or borrow one from somebody you know who’s in construction or something. Just check every once in a while. It’s good to check. And if you’ve got a leak under that bathroom sink, take care of it because

Tonya Kubo (17:46)

Mm-hmm.

Kathi Lipp (18:10)

It was ounce of prevention is worth a dollar of cure or something like that. You know what I mean Pound of cure. That’s it. Yes. So that’s probably British right an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure No ounce. No, I don’t know. No, it’s weights. It’s weights. You’re right. Okay, so ? Now I want to talk about organizing under the sink so tonya have you done anything in your kitchen?

Tonya Kubo (18:14)

Pound of cure, pound of cure.

No, no, it’s a US thing.

Kathi Lipp (18:40)

organization-wise that could transfer to a bathroom sink. I’ll tell you one of the things that we’ve, oh, go for it, yes, if you have an idea.

Tonya Kubo (18:43)

? Go ahead. No, I was going to

say my best idea came from you. So you start and let’s see if it’s the best idea that I agree with here.

Kathi Lipp (18:51)

Okay,

so I don’t know maybe six months ago we bought these stacking ? Okay, so tell tell us Tonya because you’ve got more brain power than I do right now

Tonya Kubo (19:05)

So you had, I don’t even remember when we were talking about, I think it was another episode, but these stacking shelves or stacking organizers, whatever you want to call them, that go underneath the sink because for years, I’m just so functional with certain things, but also it’s one of those things that like, this is how my mom did it. And even though I knew it didn’t work, I didn’t know another way to do it. But you have all this lost vertical space in an under the sink cabinet.

Kathi Lipp (19:21)

Mm-hmm.

Right.

Exactly.

Tonya Kubo (19:33)

And you know, it’s like, well, if I have like a really tall jug of something, I can put it down there. But how often do we have really tall jugs of something? So that’s stackable organizer. In fact, that’s what I’ve been sharing with some of our members who have very small bathrooms, but they do have a bathroom sink with a cabinet underneath is just going out and getting a stackable system. You can put twice as much stuff down there.

Kathi Lipp (19:41)

Yeah. Mm-hmm.

Tonya Kubo (19:59)

And the other thing, and I think it was you that talked about it, but having a removable caddy for the things that, you know, like your shower stuff, for instance, you don’t want to keep it all in the shower because that makes the shower hard to clean. So you just carry it in and out, but it’s out of the way, out of view when you don’t need it.

Kathi Lipp (20:05)

Yes.

Mm-hmm.

I love it so much. Yes, you have mentioned everything. And I know some people have like pull out drawers under there and that’s great if it can fit. So those are some great ideas. I love it. ? The other thing is ? if you have the room installing a tension rod down there that you can use to ? hang your spray bottles off of and that’s been a game changer for us as well.

Tonya Kubo (20:25)

Mm-hmm.

Kathi Lipp (20:47)

Okay, let’s talk about counter space in the bathroom. I know I keep talking about things that Tonya does not have. ?

Tonya Kubo (20:53)

It’s

okay because our listeners do, Kathi, and we are here to serve our listeners.

Kathi Lipp (20:57)

Yes. I’ll tell you one thing that I’ve done that has made a big difference is just having a pretty tray. Because there are things I want to keep on the counter. I’ve got a couple of hair products, that kind of thing. that has, it just makes it look more pulled together. And it’s easy to clean by just taking, you know, moving that, wiping it down, putting it back if you need to every once in a while cleaning the tray off.

Tonya Kubo (21:06)

Mm-hmm.

Kathi Lipp (21:22)

But can I tell you something that has been a game changer in my bathroom that people might not think about? It’s having a medicine cabinet in a weird place. Now, okay. Okay, so we have ? a mirror over our sink, right? And I didn’t want a medicine cabinet there, but I do have a medicine cabinet on the opposite wall behind.

Tonya Kubo (21:35)

Okay, I need explanations please.

Mm-hmm.

Kathi Lipp (21:52)

over my toilet. And so it’s just another mirror in there, which is nice because I can get, I can look at myself from behind once I’m dressed and I can say, okay, is this working? But also it has just great storage. It’s not for like my toothbrush or anything like that. keep, ? first of all, I keep our toilet cleanser in there. ? I keep…

Tonya Kubo (22:03)

Mm-hmm.

Kathi Lipp (22:18)

our spray bottle in there because remember I don’t have any under the ? sink storage. I keep backups of a couple of things that we run out of pretty frequently. ? So some of the smaller shower gels and things like that. ? it just blends in, it’s not a big deal, but it’s great storage in a weird place and I love it. Yeah.

Tonya Kubo (22:44)

Yeah, it’s so

creative. that’s part of what you need, especially when you have small spaces or when you’re working through your clutter journey, ? you need creative solutions. And I think that’s a kind of lesson to take away from this particular episode is the most important thing is figure out how do you make the space work for you.

Kathi Lipp (22:59)

Yes.

Yes, it’s so true. Okay, I’ve got another weird thing that I’ve done. Okay, so six is streamline counter space and then seven, I should go back to this seven designated drawer. So I have one drawer that is for makeup and I have one drawer that’s for hair. And it just, I don’t know why it took me so long to get to that designation, but it just did. And then finally, ?

Tonya Kubo (23:15)

Mmm.

Mm-hmm.

Kathi Lipp (23:36)

I have, it’s a ceramic container that’s round and a little tall, and I keep it on our counter, and I keep ? Clorox wipes in there. So it’s not a Clorox wipe container on my counter. It doesn’t look like that. It’s just a cute container, but I can grab a Clorox wipe and every day I can just wipe down the sink and the countertop.

Tonya Kubo (23:40)

Mm-hmm.

Kathi Lipp (24:04)

and it keeps it looking nice, it totally blends in, nobody knows that it’s a cleaner, not that you have to keep that a big secret, but it just looks nice. And instead of having a Clorox container on top of your sink. So here is my question, Tonya, have we missed anything? Anything that we should talk about?

Tonya Kubo (24:12)

Mm-hmm.

Well, I think that the, I’m gonna say two things. I think number one is sometimes it’s an experiment, Kathi. And I think that’s one of the challenges that we run into is we think whatever solution we come up with today has to be the solution for the next 20 years. But to your point, like designating a drawer, I think this is perfect. For a long time, we had,

Kathi Lipp (24:39)

It totally is.

Right.

Tonya Kubo (24:57)

Because we do have three drawers that are within easy reach of the toilet. And so we had like the top drawers where we kept the toilet paper. ? Because that made perfect sense for Brian, it made perfect sense for me. You know what though, it didn’t make sense for Abby because Abby wasn’t tall enough to access that. And so the toilet paper went to the bottom drawer. Well, now, you know we have two cats. Guess what? We found.

Kathi Lipp (25:01)

Mm-hmm. Mm.

Yeah.

Mm-hmm.

Tonya Kubo (25:25)

that the bathroom drawer is actually the perfect place to stock the backup food and treats for the cat. I would have never thought to do that otherwise, but as I was going through rearranging what went in the first, second, third drawer, it was like, ? this actually makes perfect sense for cat stuff. Maybe not forever, but for now.

Kathi Lipp (25:31)

Nice. Right. No, of course not.

I love that. Yeah, maybe that that’s the perfect sentiment to end this on. Maybe not forever, but for now. We had to do different things to survive when we had six people living in a house with two bathrooms that, you know, shower, shampoo and shine. And now, you know, we can make different choices, but do something for the stage of life you’re in and

Tonya Kubo (25:52)

Mm-hmm.

Kathi Lipp (26:11)

Guys, we will put all of the links to everything that we’ve talked about here in our notes. And so if you if there’s something that you feel like could make and we’ll also put some pictures of what it looks like in my house to do some of these things. Tonya, this has been so great and you’ve inspired me with a couple of ideas that I’m going to go try. I love this so much. And friends, thank you for being here. I hope you are also inspired. You’ve been listening to Clutterfree Academy. I’m Kathi Lipp.

Go create the clutter free life you’ve always wanted to live.

#686 – Declutter Once and For All: Why Your Home’s Chaos Keeps Sneaking Back

Sep 9, 2025 | Clutter Free, Clutter Free Home, Clutter Free Podcast, community, Home, Mental Load, Organizing, Overwhelmed, Podcast

Are you tired of feeling like you’re living on an endless treadmill of tidying up, only to have chaos sneak right back in? This week on the Clutter Free Podcast, Kathi dives deep into the secret reason behind recurring clutter—and why baskets and labels alone aren’t...

#685 – Stuck and Overwhelmed? The Real Reason Your Clutter Won’t Budge

Sep 2, 2025 | Clutter Free, Clutter Free Home, Clutter Free Podcast, Home, Mental Load, Organizing, Overwhelmed, Podcast, Restore, tips and ideas

Are you worn out from battling clutter and not seeing the progress you’d hoped for? In this heartfelt episode, Kathi Lipp and Tonya Kubo explore the reality of declutter fatigue and why, for so many women, the journey can feel never-ending. If you’re feeling stuck,...

#684 – Decluttering for Real Life: Simple Steps for Busy, Overwhelmed Women

Aug 26, 2025 | Clutter Free, Clutter Free Home, Clutter Free Podcast, Home, Organizing, Overwhelmed, Podcast, tips and ideas

Is your clutter making a comeback…again? You tidy up, you declutter, but somehow, all those piles and projects sneak right back into your life. If you’ve ever felt defeated when the mess keeps resurfacing, this episode will speak right to your heart. Join Kathi and...

« Older Entries

#677 – The Secret to a Clutter-Free Laundry Routine

by Clutter Free Academy Team | Jul 8, 2025 | Clutter Free, Clutter Free Home, Clutter Free Podcast, Home, Organizing, Podcast, tips and ideas | 1 comment

#677 – The Secret to a Clutter-Free Laundry Routine

Listen Now

In this engaging episode of Clutter-Free Academy, Kathi Lipp and clutter comrade Tonya Kubo are back to tackle the ever-daunting task of laundry. For those feeling overwhelmed by never-ending laundry piles and chaos, this is your chance to reclaim a peaceful and organized home.

Kathi shares her newfound appreciation for a certain someone’s folding techniques and reveals how a few simple tools, like drawer dividers, can revolutionize your laundry routine. Plus, Tonya gives invaluable advice on managing allergy-friendly laundry needs and keeping the family clad and cheerful.

Listeners will come away with practical insights on evolving their laundry system, maintaining cleanliness, and battling tough stains with a magical secret weapon. Whether it’s finding joy in organizing or nurturing a household with faith, there’s something special for every laundry warrior ready for change.

Tune in and transform each laundry day from a dreaded chore to a manageable part of your daily rhythm!

Sabbath Soup: Weekly Menus and Rhythms to Make Space for a Day of Rest

Kathi Lipp gives readers an easy-to-follow process for meal planning and prep, so that they can enjoy a full day each week of real rest and refreshment.

Could you use a break from cooking (and everything else) once a week? Not only is rest vital for your mind and body, it’s good for your soul too. God designed us to enter into Sabbath rest one day per week, but as you know, meals still need to be made. Your family still needs to be fed.

Sabbath Soup includes convenient, seasonal meal plans that take the guesswork out of shopping and cooking. More than just a collection of delicious recipes—including main dishes, breads, breakfasts, desserts, salads, sides, and yes, soups—this is your guide to establishing a weekly rhythm and routine of meal planning and prep that allows you to have a true day off.

Do something good for your soul and experience the peace that comes with a full day dedicated to spending time with God, family, and friends. Savor your Sabbath as you proudly proclaim, “Soup’s on!”

Order your copy of Sabbath Soup: Weekly Menus and Rhythms to Make Space for a Day of Rest here.

Links Mentioned:

FYI: Some product links may be affiliate links. If you buy, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thanks for your support!

Clutter Free Resources:

Join our Clutter Free Academy Facebook Group

Order Sabbath Soup here

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Meet Our Co-Host

Tonya Kubo

Tonya Kubo is the illustrious and fearless leader of Kathi Lipp’s Clutter Free Academy Facebook group and the Clutter Free for Life membership program. A professional community strategist, she believes everyone deserves to have a place online where they feel like they belong. Raised by a hoarder, Tonya knows firsthand the pain and isolation that comes from living in conditions others don’t understand. She wants better for her family and her cluttery peeps, which is why she is passionate about the compassionate slow-and-steady approach that makes Clutter Free unique. She lives in the heart of California with her husband, Brian, their two spirited daughters, and one very tolerant cat. Visit tonyakubo.com to find out more about her community work, or email her at tonya@kathilipp.org to discuss the Clutter Free Academy podcast and programs.

Transcript

Kathi Lipp (00:09)

Well, hey friends, welcome to Clutter-Free Academy, where our goal is to help you take small, doable steps to live every day with less clutter and more life. And we are back talking about that dirty business of laundry, and I am here with Tonya Kubo. ? Tonya, you’re gonna have some extra laundry because you just had a little adventure, didn’t you?

Tonya Kubo (00:31)

Yes,

I did, I did. We rescued a kitten and ? he is currently cuddled up in lot of dirty towels.

Kathi Lipp (00:39)

Well, you know what? And I bet he could not be happier. He has a safe place to rest and recover. Cause he was found in a couple of car engines. he is, he’s, I know it’s amazing. Well, you’ll have to keep us updated on this little bambino. So sweet. But let’s talk more about people laundry. So last time we talked about setting up a sustainable laundry routine.

Tonya Kubo (00:49)

Yes! I’m just so glad he didn’t get hurt!

Yes.

Kathi Lipp (01:06)

Today we’re focusing on keeping that system running smoothly with tips for folding sorting and keeping up when life gets chaotic. ? You know, when we had five adult bodies living at our house, ? the laundry was insane. It has died down a little bit. also don’t have people throwing clean clothes into the laundry. Also, I would say one of the things that has made the

biggest difference for us is on the back end, not having as many clothes. I don’t know why that happens. We’re not wearing less clothing. In fact, we insist on people wearing clothing here at the Red House. We’re big on that. But ? I know that we don’t let it get as piled up because we have our favorites. We like to wear them and we wear them over and over again. ?

Tonya Kubo (01:48)

Mm-hmm.

Kathi Lipp (02:03)

How do you feel like laundry piles up at your house or is it pretty much is the dirty laundry contained in the the garage? Okay, hold on We’re gonna we’re gonna do some counseling here with Tonya. Like I just saw that look come over your face

Tonya Kubo (02:18)

Yeah,

well the thing is, is because I live with people, back to the past episode, they want to put all the dirty clothes on the floor. Like in their mind, clean clothes go in baskets, dirty clothes go on the floor. So the hallway tends to be where everybody wants to throw their dirty laundry. And I really don’t feel like it’s that much work to put it into a basket and walk it out to the garage. But I seem to be the only person who feels like that’s not a lot of work.

Kathi Lipp (02:44)

You

Tonya Kubo (02:47)

So yes, that is tough. Laundry does pile up. In fact, that is something we just had a conversation about that we’re solving this weekend. It’s you know, mom finally had to say this is not sustainable. If I have to take over laundry as I do everybody’s laundry, I will because this is very frustrating to me and I need a different system.

Kathi Lipp (02:48)

Yeah.

Hmm.

What the frustration is seeing all the dirty laundry everywhere or not having what you need or what?

Tonya Kubo (03:15)

Well, it’s the fact that I slip and fall on dirty laundry that’s left in the hallway, especially when I get up in the middle of the night. That’s okay. You know, Kathi, falling at 47 is a whole different ball game than falling when you’re like 11 years old.

Kathi Lipp (03:22)

No, not okay.

It’s a different thing.

my goodness. Yes. And you know what? We also want to be able to get back up. so, yes, absolutely. my goodness.

Tonya Kubo (03:33)

Mmm

Right. So that

that’s my main frustration. But the other thing is, and I think anybody who has kids understands, they get littler kids, right? They get very attached to a certain outfit. Like they get in their head, they’re going to wear this thing today and nothing else will do. And I’m like, well, then you really should have thought about that yesterday and made sure that thing was clean.

Kathi Lipp (03:42)

Yeah

Mm-hmm.

Yes.

Tonya Kubo (04:07)

But I feel like if everything wasn’t on the floor, then it would be easier to establish a

Kathi Lipp (04:15)

Yeah, I agree. agree. you know, no, no, no, no, we’re a safe space here. And here’s the thing. We know that kids don’t think ahead. You know, most kids, there are some who do. There are some who plan their entire lives. Kimberly was one of those kids. But most kids are just living on a wing and a prayer. But it’s our goal to help raise them into good adults who can start to think ahead and can start to make these choices.

Tonya Kubo (04:18)

Thank you for letting me rant.

Kathi Lipp (04:44)

Especially you’re in such a busy time right now with your kids have a lot of extracurricular activities We don’t want to be fighting about Laundry. Okay, so I want to talk about folding and can I tell you why I resist folding I resist folding because then he comes the putting away and It’s just it’s it’s a hard thing and it’s gotten better since I have really organized my drawers But I also know ?

I’m going to say something that is going to shock and surprise you. ? Marie Kondo. I am adopting something that she talked about, which is not what I normally, not what you normally hear from me because I don’t really ? love her system for people who are cluttery. If you’re born organized, that system’s gonna work for you. But.

Tonya Kubo (05:22)

Yes.

Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.

I would agree.

Kathi Lipp (05:41)

One thing that she advocated for, and I thought, well, that’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard. And I have now changed my ways. So I’m admitting I was wrong and I was judgy. And here we are. And we shall never speak of it again. But she has a folding technique where it’s not just like folding in half or folding into fourths. It’s folding so that you see kind of the, how do I want to describe this? The bump of the clothes is standing up. And so,

Tonya Kubo (06:09)

Mm-hmm.

Kathi Lipp (06:11)

I have been using that for my sweatshirts and my sweats. I tried it one time, I don’t know, 15 years ago when all this was starting, I’m like, well, this is dumb. But what I’ve learned is my drawers needed dividers so that everything could kind of sit tight in there. And you know what? It really has made a difference. So.

Tonya Kubo (06:20)

Mm-hmm.

Yeah.

Kathi Lipp (06:37)

? I needed more of an explanation back then for it to work. So I got these drawer dividers and I’ll put those in the show notes. But ? those have really made a difference in ? being able to ? pack things in there in a not overwhelming way, but in a tight way. I’m assuming that, well, you’ve told me your family doesn’t believe in folding clothes.

Tonya Kubo (07:01)

No, they don’t. only my stuff like my stuff. Brian, if he’s putting away clothes, he’ll just put it in the drawer. He doesn’t fold anything. ? I hang most of my things, though. Just we don’t have to argue about how it’s folded if I just hang it up.

Kathi Lipp (07:14)

Right, okay.

Yeah, ? if you resist folding like I do might I suggest pairing it with something that you love and let me tell you what I love I love crawling into bed with moose and watching something like Downton Abbey or something i’ve watched a hundred times and I fold but I don’t put away that night I fold and I stack everything and I put it back into the basket and then the next morning I’ll put it away and ?

Tonya Kubo (07:26)

Mm-hmm.

Kathi Lipp (07:48)

But it’s getting done every single day and it makes me super super happy. I don’t have a I don’t have a laundry room that Allows for folding area like you kind of have to squeeze your way in there just to Do it so i’m either folding on my bed and putting it away Or I might be folding at lunchtime and then taking it upstairs and putting it away

Tonya Kubo (07:59)

Hmm.

Kathi Lipp (08:16)

What is your folding method and area?

Tonya Kubo (08:18)

So

well Brian likes to dump the laundry on the bed and then fold from there right so that you have to put you have to fold and put away the clothes before you can go to sleep It’s not my favorite. I would rather do it in the living room, you know watching TV I do

Kathi Lipp (08:23)

Okay. ?

Yes.

No. Yeah, because you go to bed earlier than him, right?

Yeah, so that means you’re putting it away. That makes me sad for you.

Tonya Kubo (08:40)

I’m putting

it away or it’s getting shoved in a basket so I can go to bed. Neither of which actually makes me happy. But I would rather do it on the couch and just watch TV while I’m doing it. That would make me happy. But yeah, sometimes I’ll just play Spotify like podcast or music when I’m putting clothes away. You’re right though, it’s like pairing it with something fun makes a big difference.

Kathi Lipp (08:45)

Yes.

Mm-hmm.

Yeah.

Mm-hmm

and to come to find out that it really takes just about ten minutes to fold a load of laundry in my brain It takes 45 minutes, you know a business day, you know, like that’s what it takes. Yeah Okay, I want to talk about some realistic storage solutions. So we’ve talked about some of these in other ? Podcasts, but one thing for me that has been

Tonya Kubo (09:11)

It doesn’t feel like that.

Mmm.

Kathi Lipp (09:32)

Not life-changing, but laundry changing will say that are the honeycomb dividers that ? I keep my socks. So it looks like a honeycomb and it sits in your drawer ? and it’s just like little cubby holes for socks. And ? that has been, that has been really, really good for me. I mentioned the drawer dividers. Those have been, that’s been really helpful to really section off my drawers in a good way. And then, ?

Tonya Kubo (09:35)

Mm.

Kathi Lipp (10:02)

Something that’s been important for me, and I think it’s important for other people who live maybe more seasonally than you do in central California, is ? I have a winter wardrobe and I have a summer wardrobe. And yes, there’s some spring and fall that mixes over that, but we use clear ? storage boxes that we put up in our attic with things like ? heavy coats and winter boots and… ?

Pants tend to stay the same, but like big bulky sweaters. So not having everything in my closet all year round. When I lived in San Jose, I had everything in my closet all year round. And we had some snow stuff that we kept in the garage. But living so seasonally like we do, it’s just different here. Do you put anything away in a different area or is it pretty much everything altogether all the time?

Tonya Kubo (10:51)

Yeah.

Yeah, so I have under the bed storage and I put ? like formal wear, you know, because you use that once every other year. So that’s underneath the bed. And then I do put all the overcoats and ? big bulky sweaters. Those go underneath the bed during the summer months. And then that just frees up some more space in the closet.

Kathi Lipp (11:08)

Right?

Mm-hmm.

Okay.

I love it. Okay, we’re gonna take a quick commercial break and we’re gonna come back We’re gonna talk about maintaining your your system and troubleshooting But before we go to break, I just saw you check on the kitty everything good Okay, we’re all in this together Tonya I know you don’t have a name there are certain members of your household who don’t even know you have a new cat yet, but

Tonya Kubo (11:34)

Everything’s good.

Nobody

knows except for Brian.

Kathi Lipp (11:47)

This is amazing. I’m so excited. Okay, we’re gonna take a quick commercial break and we’ll be right back

Okay, guys, ? we want to talk about how do you maintain the system and maybe some troubleshooting along the way. ? One thing I like is I would say about once a month, I’m doing a laundry reset day. Like I am just gathering everything from everywhere. I’m also doing some of the things that maybe have been neglected. Right now, I am washing all the throw blankets in our house.

we have a lot of throw blankets. Roger’s like, do I smell? Why are you doing? I’m like, no, no, no, we’re gonna have company. I want everybody to have a fresh blankie, that kind of thing. So ? also that’s my day to match socks in case, you know, I just have a lingerie bag with ? extra socks and about every six months or so I just start over except for my Bamba socks. I’m still holding out hope that

Tonya Kubo (12:23)

Mm-hmm.

Mmm.

?

Kathi Lipp (12:51)

Someday we will find

those. ? And then something I do that I don’t know that other people do, but maybe they do, is I keep a stain treatment up in my bedroom. So yes, so if I’m getting undressed and there is spaghetti sauce on something, I’m spraying it then. So in case I forget to check everything as it’s going in, that has been.

Tonya Kubo (13:04)

Smart.

Kathi Lipp (13:17)

That’s been a game changer. What detergent do you use?

Tonya Kubo (13:21)

I use a super bougie powder detergent that I buy online. ? Both me and Lily are very allergic to anything you buy at the store. Even the Arm and Hammer Free and Clear, which they tell you you can wash cloth diapers in, we react to everything. So yeah, we spend a ridiculous amount of money on laundry detergent, but that’s what we do.

Kathi Lipp (13:28)

?

Really? Yeah. Yeah.

?

yeah,

that’s fascinating. Okay, I was gonna say we do tide free and clear because Roger also Roger is super sensitive to smell, especially it’s not so much the the rubbing up against him. It’s the smell that will make him sick. And so we just and ? it was really interesting. You know, I love the wire cutter podcast and that’s their number one recommendation.

Tonya Kubo (13:54)

Mm-hmm.

Kathi Lipp (14:14)

I’m going to ask you after this podcast to go check the name of that because we’ll have other people here who can’t use detergents and are looking for something. ? So I want to, we’re going to take another quick commercial break. And when we come back, I’m going to give you a couple of recommendations of things that I use that are, I’m really, it’s one, but it’s changed my laundry life. So we’re going to take this quick commercial break and we’ll come right back.

Tonya Kubo (14:22)

Mm-hmm.

Kathi Lipp (14:46)

Okay guys, this is the part of our podcast, things that have earned a place in my clutter free home. And so I’ve got it here on my desk and if you’re watching on video, you can see it here. It is called Miss Mouths, like mouth, messy eater stain treater. Okay, yes, Miss Mouths, messy eater stain treater. And this, I get it on Amazon, I’ll link it in there. ?

Tonya Kubo (15:04)

I’m writing that down.

Kathi Lipp (15:15)

This is it’s by the hate stains company. But this was developed for people to spray like on their child’s bib or when they got the baby food on there. You know what? It works for grown up food, too. And yeah. And so most of time I’m using just shout or something like that. But I’ve got this bottle of liquid gold that if I’ve got a stain either on something that’s really, really important to me.

Tonya Kubo (15:17)

Hahaha!

Mm-hmm.

I love that!

Mm-hmm.

Kathi Lipp (15:45)

Or something that’s been set in there like I forgot about it. I’m going to spray this on there and I’m going to let it Sit for at least 15 minutes, but this is the one I keep upstairs, too so if I need to ? if I need to treat it and let it set for a while and I have not thrown away a piece of clothing since owning this ? I am in deep mourning right now. You know, I I don’t know if you know this ?

I did my talk on the purple hoodie for day spring last year and they got us all purple hoodies. I got bleach on mine. Yeah, we are, and we’ve already tried to dye it once and there’s still a bleach stain on it. So I’m going and buying more. I’m very depressed about this. but it’s, I,

Tonya Kubo (16:16)

Mm-hmm.

Hmm

we try a purple Sharpie? Or is it not that

color purple?

Kathi Lipp (16:41)

It might be. I’ll try one on the inside and see how it looks. You know, at this point, it’s not going to get worse. It’s not going to get worse. So, yes.

Tonya Kubo (16:49)

Yeah. Can I ask a quick question? Would that get

would that stain remover get blood out? My poor girls, again, allergies, they get nosebleeds in the middle of the night, they will wake up and it looks like a murder scene.

Kathi Lipp (17:02)

Yes, so ? I know for blood you need an enzyme and I believe that this is an enzyme ? stain remover. So I would give it a try. You’re not going to waste your money if you buy this because it’s going to work for something else. ? Like I got it was on a white shirt and I got blueberry on it and I sprayed this on there and it got out.

Tonya Kubo (17:07)

Hmm.

Okay.

Mm-hmm.

Kathi Lipp (17:32)

So you will get your money’s worth. It’s not cheap, but it’s not crazy either. Okay, so this has been our two part series on laundry, because guys, we have to do it every single day, right? This is what we do. I mean, well, maybe we wear clothes every day. Hopefully we’re not doing laundry every day. But hopefully you’ve picked up at least one tip, because let’s be clear, clothing is expensive. Towels are expensive.

And so if we can save one item, that’s a beautiful thing. If you can have your favorite comfort shirt ready to wear when you need it. And guys, I’ve got a new favorite. I’ll take a picture of it. A new favorite comfort sweatshirt. It’s a squirrel rescue shirt from our friend Susie Flory. Her daughter designed it. And not only.

Does it have the best ? logo on the front? It has little squirrel paw prints on the back. It’s the cutest thing ever, Tonya. It’s the best shirt ever. And I need it to last for a million years. So laundry is very, very important to me because we’ve invested a lot in our clothes. We wanna keep them. ? this is gonna be my last suggestion. If you are feeling overrun by clothes, could you pack away half

Tonya Kubo (18:33)

? I want one!

Kathi Lipp (18:55)

quarter of the clothes in your closets in your drawers the ones you wear the least and see if you miss them and if you don’t that may be an idea to be able to say Donate some of those clothes so you don’t have because I just remember being overrun by clothes when my kids were younger and none of us

Tonya Kubo (19:18)

Thanks for having me, this was a great topic.

#686 – Declutter Once and For All: Why Your Home’s Chaos Keeps Sneaking Back

Sep 9, 2025 | Clutter Free, Clutter Free Home, Clutter Free Podcast, community, Home, Mental Load, Organizing, Overwhelmed, Podcast

Are you tired of feeling like you’re living on an endless treadmill of tidying up, only to have chaos sneak right back in? This week on the Clutter Free Podcast, Kathi dives deep into the secret reason behind recurring clutter—and why baskets and labels alone aren’t...

#685 – Stuck and Overwhelmed? The Real Reason Your Clutter Won’t Budge

Sep 2, 2025 | Clutter Free, Clutter Free Home, Clutter Free Podcast, Home, Mental Load, Organizing, Overwhelmed, Podcast, Restore, tips and ideas

Are you worn out from battling clutter and not seeing the progress you’d hoped for? In this heartfelt episode, Kathi Lipp and Tonya Kubo explore the reality of declutter fatigue and why, for so many women, the journey can feel never-ending. If you’re feeling stuck,...

#684 – Decluttering for Real Life: Simple Steps for Busy, Overwhelmed Women

Aug 26, 2025 | Clutter Free, Clutter Free Home, Clutter Free Podcast, Home, Organizing, Overwhelmed, Podcast, tips and ideas

Is your clutter making a comeback…again? You tidy up, you declutter, but somehow, all those piles and projects sneak right back into your life. If you’ve ever felt defeated when the mess keeps resurfacing, this episode will speak right to your heart. Join Kathi and...

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#676 – Laundry Trauma Therapy: Overcome the Never-Ending Chore

by Clutter Free Academy Team | Jul 1, 2025 | Clutter Free, Clutter Free Home, Clutter Free Podcast, Home, Organizing, Podcast, tips and ideas | 0 comments

#676 – Laundry Trauma Therapy: Overcome the Never-Ending Chore

Listen Now

Join Kathi Lipp and her clutter buddy, Tonya Kubo in a conversation focusing on practical steps to streamline laundry chaos for a clutter-free life. Listen in to the first of this two part series as Kathi dives into relatable laundry challenges and shares the systems that have transformed her household management. Whether you’re navigating mound-like heaps of clothing or finding yourself rewashing forgotten loads, this episode uncovers strategies to regain control over your laundry routine. Catch some tips for teaching kids to handle laundry, optimal sorting methods, and eco-friendly practices like drying clothes outdoors. A few handy laundry room accessories are highlighted, from shout color catchers to mesh bags, with essential tips like employing white vinegar to eliminate stale laundry odors. Tune in for a laugh, some encouragement, and solutions to make your laundry systems serve you, not the other way around.

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Sabbath Soup: Weekly Menus and Rhythms to Make Space for a Day of Rest

Kathi Lipp gives readers an easy-to-follow process for meal planning and prep, so that they can enjoy a full day each week of real rest and refreshment.

Could you use a break from cooking (and everything else) once a week? Not only is rest vital for your mind and body, it’s good for your soul too. God designed us to enter into Sabbath rest one day per week, but as you know, meals still need to be made. Your family still needs to be fed.

Sabbath Soup includes convenient, seasonal meal plans that take the guesswork out of shopping and cooking. More than just a collection of delicious recipes—including main dishes, breads, breakfasts, desserts, salads, sides, and yes, soups—this is your guide to establishing a weekly rhythm and routine of meal planning and prep that allows you to have a true day off.

Do something good for your soul and experience the peace that comes with a full day dedicated to spending time with God, family, and friends. Savor your Sabbath as you proudly proclaim, “Soup’s on!”

Order your copy of Sabbath Soup: Weekly Menus and Rhythms to Make Space for a Day of Rest here.

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Meet Our Co-Host

Tonya Kubo

Tonya Kubo is the illustrious and fearless leader of Kathi Lipp’s Clutter Free Academy Facebook group and the Clutter Free for Life membership program. A professional community strategist, she believes everyone deserves to have a place online where they feel like they belong. Raised by a hoarder, Tonya knows firsthand the pain and isolation that comes from living in conditions others don’t understand. She wants better for her family and her cluttery peeps, which is why she is passionate about the compassionate slow-and-steady approach that makes Clutter Free unique. She lives in the heart of California with her husband, Brian, their two spirited daughters, and one very tolerant cat. Visit tonyakubo.com to find out more about her community work, or email her at tonya@kathilipp.org to discuss the Clutter Free Academy podcast and programs.

Transcript

Kathi Lipp (00:10)

Hey friends, welcome to Clutter Free Academy where our goal is to help you take small doable steps to live every day with less clutter and more life. And guys, we are working on systems throughout this year. And one of the systems that has brought me the most red in my life is let’s all say it together, laundry. And I am so grateful to have Tonya Kubo here. Hey Tonya.

Tonya Kubo (00:34)

Hey, Kathi.

Kathi Lipp (00:35)

Well, we are in very, because we’re in very different stages of the laundry life. ? You know, I, I’m in, I’m in delicate and you’re in heavy, you know, sleeping bag. Yes. Yes. And I remember those days well. And I think there are a couple of things that ? have given me laundry trauma in the past. ? A couple of things. One, it.

Tonya Kubo (00:41)

Yes.

Heavy duty.

Hmm.

Kathi Lipp (01:05)

It is such a stop and go kind of process. You wash, you dry, you fold, you put away, and it never ends. I’ll never forget, I know I’ve mentioned it on here before. One time, I think I was sick or something, and Roger took over laundry for like, I don’t know, like four or five days, and he was so excited that he got everything washed, folded, put away.

Tonya Kubo (01:23)

Mmm.

Kathi Lipp (01:32)

and then I took a shower and I put laundry in the hamper. He’s like, it’s not done anymore. I hate when people say welcome to my life, but if there was ever a time I was going to say it, that was going to be the day. Because yes, it’s thankless, it’s never ending. And ? you and I have talked about this before, the fact that my kids used to put folded clean laundry back into the dirty clothes.

Tonya Kubo (01:36)

Hmm. ?

Kathi Lipp (02:01)

made me understand why women go to jail. ? now you are not the main laundress in your house, correct?

Tonya Kubo (02:05)

Mm-hmm.

Correct, not at this time, right? We shift depending on work schedules and availability and all of that. But yeah, at this point in time, Brian is the main launderer of the home. ? He has very specific ideas of how clothes should be washed. ? Whereas I more have specific ideas of the whole process.

Kathi Lipp (02:35)

Yes. Yeah. So is he does he do smaller loads because all the the certain colors go together or something like that?

Tonya Kubo (02:44)

No, he doesn’t do smaller loads. ? It’s more about what outfits should be available on which days.

Kathi Lipp (02:52)

? interesting, okay.

Tonya Kubo (02:54)

Right?

So it’s like, you know, he knows what he wants to wear for work. And so he knows what day the work clothes need to get washed. He also has a better read on like when the towels need to get washed based on the certain people who take two showers a day, the people who take one shower every time they get forced to take a shower and everybody else who falls in between.

Kathi Lipp (03:16)

Yes. Okay. So according to you, not Brian, we’re leaving Brian out of this right now. But according to you, what is the most painful thing about laundry in your house?

Tonya Kubo (03:21)

Okay.

So the most painful thing about laundry in my house is that everybody aside from me likes to live out of baskets. And I get mixed up and I’ll own this, right? I can never tell the clean basket from the dirty basket. They all know the clean basket from the dirty basket, but I don’t. And so I end up putting dirty laundry on top of clean laundry. Now the rest of them will tell you dirty laundry belongs in a pile on the floor. Duh.

Kathi Lipp (03:45)

Right.

Mercy, have mercy.

Tonya Kubo (03:58)

Only clean

clothes belong in baskets.

Kathi Lipp (04:01)

Yes. And if this was a different podcast, what they’d say is, well, your dirty clothes go into a colored basket and your clean clothes go into a, but that’s not, that’s not the vibe here. Like I don’t want 75 different baskets for the different stages. We have, we have two baskets because we, well, and that’s not because we have two people. have the basket that the dirty clothes has gone down in and then

Tonya Kubo (04:14)

No!

Yes.

Kathi Lipp (04:29)

that next basket goes in there. One is always on a different floor. But they’re transporting clean and dirty clothes. Yeah, for me, is, ? I think historically, and I feel like I’m doing better with this now, but it’s taken more work than I feel like it deserved, is putting things away. Like,

Tonya Kubo (04:35)

Mm-hmm.

Kathi Lipp (04:56)

I don’t like to put things away because if my drawers are too full, I feel like I have conquered that for the most part, okay, we never bag on Brian around here because we love Brian. Brian is one of our favorite people. Brian is up there in the Cannon Halls.

Tonya Kubo (05:03)

Mm-hmm.

No, we love Brian. He does so much.

Kathi Lipp (05:16)

of good husbands like Roger. But I’m going to give you a pass today and tell me why his laundry system is insane. Now, first of all, he gets to have his own laundry system because he does the laundry. And you and I agree on that. The person who does the chore gets to do it. But I also believe in a minimum standard of care. And maybe you guys disagree on what the minimum standard of care is. So.

Tonya Kubo (05:28)

Mm-hmm. Yup.

Mm-hmm.

Kathi Lipp (05:43)

If you could boss Brian around, how would you tell him to do laundry?

Tonya Kubo (05:47)

Well, I would tell him not to put a load in the wash if he doesn’t have the time or the energy to see it all the way through to putting it away.

Kathi Lipp (05:57)

? okay. Does it sometimes get stuck in the wash and start to smell and have to be redone? Not that that’s ever happened at my house. I don’t even know. I’ve just heard tell tales.

Tonya Kubo (06:03)

frequently.

Right, well, we have like, it’s a twofold problem. It’s not just the forgetful part. It’s the fact that our washer and dryer is in the garage and we live in the central Valley of California, which gets hotter than Hades in the summer. So it’s like, if you in our warmer months, if you don’t switch over that laundry by the end of the day, it will have already soured because it’s just baking in the washer.

Kathi Lipp (06:16)

Mmm, hot, yes.

Tonya, I happen to know that in the winter, I can leave things in the washing machine for up to 26 hours and it’s gonna be fine. In the summer, I have about 12 hours and then it has to be done again. Like I know this down to a science, I understand this. But yeah, and I hate when we have to re-wash things because it’s a waste of water, it’s a waste of soap, it’s a waste of time, it’s a waste of energy, blah, blah, blah.

Tonya Kubo (06:45)

Yeah

Yeah. Right.

Mm-hmm.

Mm-hmm. Yeah, so for me, it’s, mean, things get stuck in the wash. They get stuck in, they get left in the dryer, right? If there’s not a load behind it, oftentimes that last load gets stuck in the dryer. But more than anything, it’s just that the clothes get carried into the house and just left. And I would rather say, you know what, we’re only washing one load of laundry today, but that laundry is gonna make it from the washer to the dryer and from the dryer to being put in drawers or in the closet.

Kathi Lipp (07:00)

It makes me crazy.

Yeah, I agree. And I know that can’t happen every day for every household. But I think it takes if we all take a moment and say, OK, what is the part of this that’s driving us nuts? I think that that is really helpful to get us to some solution. Hopefully we’ll have ? we’ll have some ideas. Now, I also I am I like to laundry dangerously. ? I I.

Tonya Kubo (07:53)

Hmm.

Kathi Lipp (07:55)

I don’t sort it into a ton of different loads. Like I wash nice shirts in one loads, whites in another, and then it’s pretty much just survival of the fittest for everything else. And I know people that would make them crazy. ? And so if you’re doing a lot of little loads, that can be exhausting too. Okay, we’re gonna take a quick commercial break and we’re gonna come back.

Tonya Kubo (08:07)

Mm-hmm.

Kathi Lipp (08:21)

and we’re gonna come up with some ideas that might be able to help you actually get through your laundry. So stay with us.

Okay, friends, I want to talk about maybe a little bit of a mind shift when it comes to laundry. And this has been really, this has been helpful to me that we can look at laundry as a chore. Or what I’ve said is this is part of managing my life. Like if I want to have the clothes available that I want to have, then I need to this is part of my system. And one thing that has helped me

Now I have the luxury of working from home. Not everybody does. want so you have to find your own timing on this. But one thing I have started to do is I go downstairs at about nine thirty every day and I’m like, what do we need to push forward? So that may be starting ? a load of laundry. That may be throwing some dishes in the dishwasher. That may be pulling something out to defrost for dinner.

Like that has been so helpful to me. And then if I get the laundry started, either I’m starting the laundry first thing in the morning or at that nine, nine 30 timing, then at lunchtime I can throw things into the dryer and I’m downstairs. I can grab the shirts out that I don’t want to be wrinkled, that kind of thing. How often are you guys doing laundry time?

Tonya Kubo (09:56)

like two, three days a week.

Kathi Lipp (10:01)

Okay. that’s I find that very impressive that that’s all you’re doing. Because I feel like we’re doing so I I feel like there’s always something going on here at the house. And maybe that’s just because we’re Yeah.

Tonya Kubo (10:13)

Yeah.

I mean, for us, it’s, you we have to do towels. We don’t have enough towels, right, to only do towels once a week. So towels have to be washed twice a week. ? Lily does her own laundry, but all of her clothes are one load. That’s it. And so she does that once a week. And then, you know, for me, Brian and Abby, Brian likes to do three loads on a Saturday. Like that’s his ideal. That’s not my ideal.

Kathi Lipp (10:19)

Okay. ?

Okay.

Yeah. Okay. I see. So you’re doing multiple loads in a day necessary, you know, so to necessitate all that.

Tonya Kubo (10:49)

Yeah, we’re three loads. Like, Brian likes to knock out three loads in one day on the weekend for the next week. And then it’s usually two loads midweek.

Kathi Lipp (10:59)

Okay, okay. Yeah, okay. That seems reasonable. ? And you’re out in the garage. So you’ve got all your laundry stuff out there. Are you sorting before it goes to the garage? Are you sorting in the garage?

Tonya Kubo (11:13)

I would sort before it goes to the garage. Like I sort in the basket, right, that I carry out. But when the next person just dumps the basket out into a pile on the floor, they like to just pick from the pile and decide what they’re gonna make into each load. Except for Lily, because again, Lily does her own stuff, so it’s all in one basket.

Kathi Lipp (11:15)

You

Mm-hmm.

I have-

Yeah, I have to admit I’m a pile picker. am. Now here’s the thing though, right next to our laundry room is a bathroom that doesn’t have to be used. So I can just, I’ve got all this space. So that actually works for us. ? Does each member of your family have its own laundry basket?

Tonya Kubo (11:43)

Mm-hmm.

No, Lily has her own because she does her own laundry, but because all the other laundry gets done communally, we all just, well, and I have all white baskets.

Kathi Lipp (12:00)

Mm-hmm.

Yeah, okay, that makes sense. Yeah. So guys, I wanted to give you just a couple of ideas of things that worked for me when I had kids at home and some of the things I still do. So one thing that has been very helpful to us is we have all white towels. Like all the towels in the house are white no matter what room they go into. And so that’s been very useful so that we’re not having to do smaller loads of different colored towels, that kind of thing.

Another thing that has been very, very helpful is if you have, especially new items of clothing, instead of like separating those out and doing things, there are things called shout color catchers and I’ll put a link to those. love, do you use those Tonya? Okay. I love them. Okay. Especially like if you’ve got new jeans or something like that or anything red, a new t-shirt.

Tonya Kubo (12:46)

Mmm, yeah.

I’ve heard of them, but I have yet to try them.

Kathi Lipp (13:03)

Anything that can bleed and Yeah, here’s also a tip if you use a color catcher and No, dye goes on to that color catcher. I’ve been known to use that color catcher multiple times So just a little tip from my household to you yours now. This is the other thing that I will say ? In the spirit of Lily and all of my kids teach your kids young how to do laundry

Tonya Kubo (13:04)

Like bleed?

Huh?

Kathi Lipp (13:32)

? What we did was we had one day assigned to each kid that they could do laundry on that day. So they would have to get up before school, get it started. But I didn’t touch anything on that day. And so we had three kids living at home at the same time. So say like Justin had Monday, Jeremy had Wednesday, and Kimberly had Thursday. That gave me Tuesday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday to do the rest of the household.

Tonya Kubo (13:37)

Mm.

Kathi Lipp (14:02)

But they had to be done with it. They had to be done. And if they weren’t, ? I will admit to one time putting wet clothes on Justin’s bed because this maybe was the fifth time it had happened. ? I’m a nicer mom than that now, but yes. But here’s what I want to say about that is when Kimberly, and I’m sure I’ve told this story too, when Kimberly went to college, ?

Tonya Kubo (14:04)

Mm-hmm.

Kathi Lipp (14:28)

Nobody on her floor knew how to do laundry. I was shocked and people paid her to teach them her how to do laundry. That was her side hustle her freshman year of college. I just love it. It was it’s hilarious. So it the sooner you can make your kids responsible for laundry, the better it’s going to pay off. At what point do you think Abby will start to take over her laundry?

Tonya Kubo (14:31)

Mm-hmm.

I don’t know because Lily was the one who came to us wanting to know, right? It was, yeah, she was 10 and ? she was just like, ? so now she asked to know how to wash and dry her work and I showed her and she was like, so could I just wash my own clothes? And I said, well, you don’t have to like mom can do that. And she was like, but could I? And she loved the control. And so she’s been washing her clothes ever since she was 10. When Abby turned 10, we tried that.

Kathi Lipp (14:58)

That’s right!

Yeah.

Tonya Kubo (15:25)

Abby respectfully declined.

Kathi Lipp (15:27)

Yes.

You know what? And kids to have different capabilities. Absolutely. so, yeah, it took my boys longer to figure it out than Kimberly, who I think was, I think she was probably around 12 when she started. But I also had the rule growing up that ? if you were sick enough to stay home, but you were well enough to watch TV, you could fold clothes. And so.

Tonya Kubo (15:39)

Mm-hmm.

Yeah.

?

Kathi Lipp (15:58)

That’s how they earned, it was mostly price is, right? And cartoons at that point. Yeah, so that, I felt like that that was, my goodness, right? It’s the best thing ever. Okay, so a couple of other things, ? a couple of items that I wanna talk about that we’re going to use. But I think the most important thing, and we’re gonna talk a little bit about this in the next episode too, is ? why do we all fall down when it comes to putting clothes away?

Tonya Kubo (16:04)

I used to love the price is right when I was sick.

you

Kathi Lipp (16:28)

And

I think it’s just we have too many clothes for the drawers and the closets that we have. So we’re gonna talk a little bit about that too. When we come back, I’m gonna mention a couple of things that I love that helped me do laundry. These are things that have earned a place in my clutter free home. So give us a second, we’ll be right back.

Okay, guys, we are back and I just want to talk about a couple of items that I love for doing laundry. We again, live out in the country and our PG &E, which is our energy company, our bill is insane. I don’t know why we have been trying to figure this out for a really long time. And so one of the things I do, especially in the summer months is everything gets dried outside. And so I have…

a folding drying rack that it looks like butterfly wings to assert, or maybe fly wings is more like it. But it opens up, you can hang things from it. I’ll add a picture to our notes, but that has been incredibly helpful to us to be able to cut down on drying, especially in the summer. I don’t mind so much in the winter just because we like the heat in the house.

Tonya Kubo (17:47)

Right.

Kathi Lipp (17:49)

That has been incredibly helpful to me. Also, ? teach your kids young to use lingerie bags. So if they have sweaters, if their socks keep getting lost ? for delicate things like bras or sports bras, those kind of things, we love a good ? sweater bag or lingerie bag. I like a sweater bag because it’s really big and you can throw a bunch of things in it.

and Tonya, I’m gonna ask you in a second. Is there anything that you use that has been really really helpful when it comes to laundry? I’m gonna mention my third thing which is a Clorox bleach pit ? This has been really helpful for ? Just like random spots on towels and things like that. I just dab it on there I let it set for a little bit and then Throw it in with my whites and it takes care of every single stain

anything that you use that you really love.

Tonya Kubo (18:48)

I love, so I’m just gonna second the mesh bag. ? I have two. I also have one for clothes that do not go into the dryer.

Kathi Lipp (18:51)

Yes.

? okay.

Tonya Kubo (18:59)

So that’s my pro tip

because I’m not the person who does all the laundry all the time.

Kathi Lipp (19:03)

Okay, so what you’re doing is you’re putting whatever you don’t want to go into a dryer into a different colored lingerie bag. And so that’s Brian’s indication. Do not put this in the dryer. Okay, I just have to know what color is it?

Tonya Kubo (19:16)

Yes.

it’s like pink. mean, it was I got it at the dollar store, right? So our regular one is. Yeah, so we’ve got a pink one, we got a white one. ? I think before I had the pink one, I had a blue one. But the main thing is just do not dry this respectfully, of course. So that’s a big one for me. White vinegar. I know it sounds basic.

Kathi Lipp (19:21)

Yeah, I know, but I just think it’s fun to picture it.

Yeah.

Tonya Kubo (19:41)

But if you have a historical problem of leaving laundry in a little longer than it should be, know, once it gets mixed in with everything else, like your whole closet smells sour. So just, you know, going like a cup of vinegar in the wash, that just kind of solves all of it for us.

Kathi Lipp (19:51)

It’s so bad.

So wait, wait,

wait, hold on, hold on. ? This is a new tip for me. So you’ve left some clothes in there a little too long. And instead of re-washing them with soap, ? whatever your soap is, you’re just throwing vinegar in there and rinsing them and.

Tonya Kubo (20:07)

Mm-hmm.

So I do vinegar with the soap, what they say is, what I’ve heard, I do not know if this is true, but they say a lot of times if you rewash it with soap, the soap, like whatever residual stuff from the soap will lock in that smell.

Kathi Lipp (20:22)

Got it, okay.

? interesting.

Tonya Kubo (20:36)

So we do the vinegar and the vinegar seems to pull it out.

Kathi Lipp (20:38)

?

okay, that’s really good to know. Okay guys learning new things here every single day at clutter free Academy Okay, come back next week because we’re gonna cover folding storing and Maintaining a laundry system that works you’ve been listening to clutter free Academy I’m Kathi Lipp now go create the clutter free life. You’ve always wanted to live

#686 – Declutter Once and For All: Why Your Home’s Chaos Keeps Sneaking Back

Sep 9, 2025 | Clutter Free, Clutter Free Home, Clutter Free Podcast, community, Home, Mental Load, Organizing, Overwhelmed, Podcast

Are you tired of feeling like you’re living on an endless treadmill of tidying up, only to have chaos sneak right back in? This week on the Clutter Free Podcast, Kathi dives deep into the secret reason behind recurring clutter—and why baskets and labels alone aren’t...

#685 – Stuck and Overwhelmed? The Real Reason Your Clutter Won’t Budge

Sep 2, 2025 | Clutter Free, Clutter Free Home, Clutter Free Podcast, Home, Mental Load, Organizing, Overwhelmed, Podcast, Restore, tips and ideas

Are you worn out from battling clutter and not seeing the progress you’d hoped for? In this heartfelt episode, Kathi Lipp and Tonya Kubo explore the reality of declutter fatigue and why, for so many women, the journey can feel never-ending. If you’re feeling stuck,...

#684 – Decluttering for Real Life: Simple Steps for Busy, Overwhelmed Women

Aug 26, 2025 | Clutter Free, Clutter Free Home, Clutter Free Podcast, Home, Organizing, Overwhelmed, Podcast, tips and ideas

Is your clutter making a comeback…again? You tidy up, you declutter, but somehow, all those piles and projects sneak right back into your life. If you’ve ever felt defeated when the mess keeps resurfacing, this episode will speak right to your heart. Join Kathi and...

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#687 – What’s Lurking Under Your Bed? Declutter the Forgotten Zone for Good

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#685 – Stuck and Overwhelmed? The Real Reason Your Clutter Won’t Budge

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#684 – Decluttering for Real Life: Simple Steps for Busy, Overwhelmed Women

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#683 – Declutter Your Bathroom Sink Space (Even With Zero Storage!)

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#677 – The Secret to a Clutter-Free Laundry Routine

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#676 – Laundry Trauma Therapy: Overcome the Never-Ending Chore

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