Do you ever experience this? You’ve deep cleaned your home. You’ve decluttered every room. But, your home still doesn’t feel quite right. Sometimes your home isn’t actually dirty or messy—it just looks cluttered because of a few overlooked things. I get it. That’s why we’ll cover these 14 things that make your home look cluttered.

If you missed my original post on 14 things that make your home look cluttered, you can find that here. In this post, we’ll cover some more clutter culprits.

14 Things That Make Your Home Look Cluttered

1. Too Many Small Decorations

Lots of tiny décor pieces scattered around a room can create visual clutter. Small candles, figurines, signs, and knickknacks may be cute individually, but when there are too many, they overwhelm the space. Try removing a few pieces and grouping similar items together.

2. Shoes Piled by the Front Door

A pile of shoes near the entrance can instantly make your home feel messy—even if everything else is clean. Consider using a shoe rack, storage bench, or basket to create a designated drop zone.

3. Tangled Cords and Chargers

Visible charging cords, TV wires, extension cords, and tangled electronics make rooms feel chaotic. Hiding cords behind furniture or using cord organizers can instantly make a space feel cleaner.

4. Overflowing Entryway Clutter

The entryway is the first thing people see when they walk into your home, and it can quickly become a dumping ground. Jackets draped over chairs, bags tossed on the floor, keys everywhere, mail stacked up, and random items waiting to be put away can instantly make the entire house feel cluttered. Creating a simple drop zone with hooks, baskets, or a small organizer can make a big difference.

5. Overstuffed Open Shelving

Open shelves can look beautiful—but only when they have breathing room. Shelves crammed full of books, baskets, décor, and miscellaneous items can quickly look chaotic.

6. Furniture That’s Too Large for the Space

Sometimes a room looks cluttered simply because the furniture overwhelms it. Oversized couches, bulky coffee tables, or too many furniture pieces can make a room feel cramped—even if everything is tidy. Choosing furniture that fits the scale of the room and leaving some open space can make your home feel instantly cleaner and more organized.

7. Bathroom Counters Covered in Products

Hair products, makeup, lotions, toothbrushes, medicine bottles, and skincare items scattered across the counter can make a bathroom look messy—even if it’s technically clean.

8. “Temporary” Piles That Never Leave

Mail to sort, things to donate, items to return, paperwork to deal with—temporary piles are one of the biggest causes of hidden clutter. The problem is they often become permanent fixtures.

9. Too Much Wall Décor

Walls packed with signs, mirrors, family photos, artwork, shelves, and decorations can overwhelm a room. Sometimes removing just a few items makes a space feel calmer and more open.

10. Chairs That Become Storage Spaces

Almost everyone has that chair—the one covered in clothes, jackets, bags, blankets, or random items. Even a clean room can look messy when furniture becomes storage.

11. Pet Toys Everywhere

Pet owners often stop noticing pet clutter. Toys scattered across the floor, leashes hanging out, food containers, and pet beds can make rooms feel busier than they are.

12. Too Many Blankets Lying Around

Throw blankets make a room feel cozy, but when every couch, chair, and ottoman is covered in blankets, it can start to feel cluttered instead of intentional.

13. Mismatched Storage Bins and Baskets

Storage is supposed to reduce clutter, but random bins in different colors, styles, and sizes can sometimes make spaces feel visually chaotic.

14. Seasonal Décor That Stays Out Too Long

Holiday and seasonal decorations can pile up quickly. When old décor overlaps with the next season, rooms can start to feel crowded and visually overwhelming.

Sometimes a home looks cluttered not because it’s dirty—but because of visual clutter. The good news? Small changes can make a huge difference. Removing excess décor, clearing surfaces, and giving everyday items a home can instantly make your space feel calmer, cleaner, and more organized.

14 common things in cluttered houses

As you are clearing away the clutter from your home, I want you to take notice of the common types of clutter you find lying about all the time. Chances are, you have the same type of clutter you find yourself clearing daily.

If you will pay attention to the type of clutter you are clearing daily, it will show you what areas of your home need the most organization to keep your home from becoming a cluttered house.

For example, mail piling up on the counter will reveal that you need to develop a “home” for your daily mail. I have a financial binder that I put all of the bills inside as soon as I bring them in the house. Mail that needs to be filed and kept goes into my daily file basket and not in the junk drawer. Papers that need attention go into my daily planner.

What makes a house look cluttered?

You could have too many collectibles on display, surfaces covered with clutter, dishes, and paper piles, and visible cords and wires.

How do you make clutter look good?

Try hiding those visible cords and wires. Create a good paper and mail filing system. Keep your surfaces clear by using decorative containers to store things

What is clutter a sign of?

Generally, the type of clutter we have lying about indicates that we have not assigned particular items a permanent “home.” If you frequently have paper piles, you need to create a good paper filing system.

How do you deal with a cluttered house?

Start with the areas that create the most stress in your life. Do you frequently misplace bills or other important documents? If so, start addressing paper clutter first, and create a simple paper filing system.

Where do I start decluttering when overwhelmed?

A house filled with clutter can feel overwhelming. Start decluttering the area that causes you the most distress. Create a habit to begin handling items only once. For example, as soon as you collect your mail, begin putting it where it belongs rather than piling it on the nearest surface.

What does a cluttered house mean?

For some people, cluttered rooms comfort them. They work best in this type of atmosphere. For others, it creates stress and anxiety. What clutter usually means is that one does not have a good system or ample space to store their belongings.

How cluttered is the average house?

One survey showed that 69 percent of people surveyed in the USA admitted to having areas in their homes that they never really clean but know they should.

What is the antonym for cluttered?

The antonym of cluttered is neat, tidy, orderly, organized, and clean.

Have you ever wondered How Clutter Affects You? I think you’ll be surprised!I have a detailed blog post about that you can read here. Also, if you struggle to get organized, find out what is preventing you from getting organized here. Also, learn how to organize a cluttered house here.

Also, you can get the complete digital printable copy of the Year Long Thorough Declutter Series Calendar and Checklists here. The printable digital download is delivered to your email. It includes 25 pages of printable calendar pages and declutter checklists like the one below to help you declutter every room in your home. If you are thinking, “My house is so cluttered I don’t know where to start,” begin here.

Below is a sample page of what you’ll get. You can find that here.

You can get your printable Daily Housekeeping Routine and Cleaning Checklists here. This 15 page printable kit is delivered digitally to your email for you to print and personalize. It includes a daily schedule, calendar pages, and deep cleaning checklists for every room and area of your home. Below is a sample page of what you’ll get from my dee middleton dee cluttering plan.

Wondering about the fastest way to clean a dirty house? Read more here.

Also, to keep up the general housework, you may need to create a daily housekeeping schedule that suits your specific needs. To do so, I have created a helpful series you can read here.

I have a basic weekly cleaning schedule that you can find here. It is only $2 for the digital download and covers all of the basics of keeping your house clean. You can see what it looks like below.

Struggling with the daily housekeeping chores? Check out my ebook on this topic, entitled Make Over Your Homemaking. Use this link to get it at a discounted price.

Need a visual to keep you motivated? If so, check out this video on decluttering your home’s most clutter-prone areas.

Need help deciding if you should keep or toss an item? Ask yourself these questions below:

Need some Inspiration to Declutter? Join us for the Year Long Through Declutter Series by leaving me a comment below. We declutter 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week. When you subscribe, you’ll receive an email with your daily task. You can find that here or subscribe via youtube in the video above.

I hope you have found this information on things that make your home look cluttered beneficial. If you need help organizing, decluttering, or deep cleaning you home, check out the links above. You can also use the drop down menu at the top of each page and search by category.

Happy Decluttering!