21 signs your hoarding is getting out of control

We've all hung on to the odd item for sentimental reasons, but how do you know when a once cherished collection becomes a cluttered mess? Or when a busy house is turning into a disaster zone? Yes, yes, we know you can never have too many sugar sachets/plastic bags/phone chargers (delete as appropriate) but sometimes it's just time to have a declutter.

1. You can't pack for your holiday because your suitcases have become your back-up back-up storage.

2. This is a sign you will never, ever see outside your house... in fact, if someone's selling, you're in the market for a few 'collectibles'.

3. You can't fit all your nick nacks (shells you've collected from the beach, vases from foreign holidays, etc) in the spare room so you make the most of the bathroom shelves.

4. Your living room resembles a bargain basement. Enough said!

5. Once upon a time your dresser was somewhere that you sat down to dress. Nowadays it stores all of your, well, everything.

6. You plan to give away all the things you have hoarded since childhood but your 'donate' box still resides in the corner. After all, how could you get rid of your beloved Teddy Ruxpin?

7. You're going away for the bank holiday weekend so you try to cram your whole life into your car.

8. You have a collection of books, shoes and trinkets that should be left in the past. Let's face it, you loved your teenage years more than you will ever confess to.

9. You can't remember the last time you filed away your paperwork. In fact you now have mountains of old letters and bills over pretty much every surface in your home.

10. You've ignored the fact that you have run out of storage space in the kitchen and keep hanging on to every old pot, pan and baking dish regardless of it's condition.

11. This is how you store your shoes...

12. Every leftover item of food (no matter how small) is worth keeping. It's got to the point where you can barely close the door on your fridge/freezer and you keep having to buy more tupperware.

13. Your collection of old toys is still complete (even though it has not been touched since the 1980s).

14. You still have VHS tapes...

15. ...And a walkman.

16. The attic, which was meant to be a charming reading room, now has the feel of a haunted house.

17. You only have a small square of useable floor space in each room.

18. You've stopped making the bed in the spare room. It is now used as a dumping ground/storage space for the rest of your hoard (most of which is stored on the floor).

19. You can never have too many empty plant pots... (have a look at these ways to turn your unloved pots into a thing of beauty).

20. You've kept every concert ticket, train booking, parking fine, etc even though they are years out of date...

21. You've basically moved out of the house and into the garden shed, although, even that's starting to overflow.

Loved this? Find great storage ideas that will transform your child's bedroom.

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