Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read.

Start by marking “Banish Clutter Forever: How the Toothbrush Principle Will Change Your Life” as Want to Read:

Other editions

Enlarge cover

Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Open Preview

Banish Clutter Forever: How the Toothbrush Principle Will Change Your Life

Sheila Chandra (Goodreads Author)

3.66 · Rating details · 299 ratings · 30 reviews

Why is it that even the most disorganised person never seems to lose their toothbrush?

How can this simple fact solve all our clutter problems?

The Toothbrush Principle is a simple yet inspired approach to de-cluttering your home. Whether you live in a mansion or a bedsit, this book will show you how to: organise according to the unconscious blueprint that naturally tidy peo ...more

Get A Copy

Paperback, 238 pages

Published March 4th 2010 by Vermilion

More Details... Edit Details

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Reader Q&A

To ask other readers questions about Banish Clutter Forever, please sign up.

Be the first to ask a question about Banish Clutter Forever

Lists with This Book

The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondō

Simple Living & Minimalism

100 books — 148 voters

(Professional) Organizing

34 books — 10 voters

More lists with this book...

Community Reviews

Showing 1-30

Average rating 3.66 ·

Rating details

· 299 ratings · 30 reviews

More filters

Sort order

Start your review of Banish Clutter Forever: How the Toothbrush Principle Will Change Your Life

Feb 13, 2014 Slee rated it liked it

Embracing the simple yet fundamental truth, that organized people who live in clean spaces are actually just as lazy as the rest of us, Sheila Chandra's method to get your house to work for you involves work, but once you apply it, once you practice it, is actually something a person can maintain.
Although I don't love the way Chandra writes and her analogies reflect some truly cringeworthy biases and misinformation, like the nearly put-it-down-and-walk-away worthy "Does being overwhelmed by you Embracing the simple yet fundamental truth, that organized people who live in clean spaces are actually just as lazy as the rest of us, Sheila Chandra's method to get your house to work for you involves work, but once you apply it, once you practice it, is actually something a person can maintain.
Although I don't love the way Chandra writes and her analogies reflect some truly cringeworthy biases and misinformation, like the nearly put-it-down-and-walk-away worthy "Does being overwhelmed by your stuff and being trapped by it feel like being overweight or in debt? That's because in a way it is. Being overweight or in debt is usually caused by the wish to defer the decision and effort it takes to take control of your health or finances. It is the 'Not now, I will be sensible/sort that out later...' philosophy." I don't approve with conflating obesity and laziness, or obesity and difficulty making decisions, or obesity and any other one thing. Of course, this is a book about taking control of one's possessions and surroundings, not one's body and health, so let's move on.
I liked that while Chandra shares her personal experience with clutter and the special sort of despair it can breed, the whole book doesn't live there. It isn't a constant reminder of how horrid it was to grow up with a mother with a mental disorder as organization books can turn into. Chandra deals with the emotional clutter when it's constructive, and moves on. Better still, rather than wasting the reader's time by saying "read my whole method, then try implementing it," she suggests trying chapter two before reading any farther. If it works for the reader, great- read on. If not, put the book down and find something else.
Of course, like a good girl, I read chapter two and (nearly) followed her directions. Why just nearly? Well... I hate following directions. Actually, I felt overwhelmed by the task of finding a notebook to write anything down and figured that it was a small enough bathroom that if it otherwise worked, I'd invest in (finding) a notebook for moving forward with the rest of the house.
As a FlyLady washout, we'll see. Right now, I feel like this can work, and if nothing else, the methods and techniques I'm putting into practice here are well worth knowing, even if I don't use them religiously.
Spring cleaning, here I come. ...more

flag 3 likes · Like · see review

Jan 28, 2018 Eilidh Ellery rated it liked it · review of another edition

One size fits some advice: not very Millennial friendly

It's alright... But like other books of this nature it assumes a certain normative lifestyle. It doesn't take into account actual physical or mental health issues that need addressed or help even though the author grew up in a household of hoarders; she doesn't actually appear to understand the psychology or mental health issues that cause hoarding. The tips about zoning areas and bundling tasks - keeping things you'll use in the place you'l One size fits some advice: not very Millennial friendly

It's alright... But like other books of this nature it assumes a certain normative lifestyle. It doesn't take into account actual physical or mental health issues that need addressed or help even though the author grew up in a household of hoarders; she doesn't actually appear to understand the psychology or mental health issues that cause hoarding. The tips about zoning areas and bundling tasks - keeping things you'll use in the place you'll use them is very good advice. But a lot of what this book talks about only really applies to people that have no additional mental or physical issues and really just need a bit of common sense advice to help them get started when they know they really need to be a bit more organised. This is aimed at working mum's and mainly cis het women who want to make their space nice for nice for girls night in with their ladies wot lunch chums and people who want to build an efficient home office space when starting a new business. This book is not helpful for people who are struggling to deal with the mess because they are disabled and had to move back into the hoarders nest that was their childhood home, that they got out of and then due to poor health were forced to return to after uni or become homeless as their only choices. Despite the author's experiences, it is not for the millennial who cannot afford to move out of their parent's house, who even if in a "heteronormative" relationship have to start their married life with the in laws and live in just one room having had to move 2 flats worth of stuff into that space (the only consensus to single room living is "you might live in a fancy at studio apartment"). This is a book for the same audience as every other tidying and mindfulness book. And I am not that audience. My problem is that I am physically disabled and trapped by my hoarding parents and the stairs in my unsuitable and unadapted childhood home at almost 30 who no matter how many times I try to get rid of stuff it finds its way back into the house via method of any not immediately collected charity bags being brought back in as "useful, I could sell that" by a dad who claims to car boot far more than he does. And a room still full of "I'll donate that to x place for you" 2 years after the original promise. This book will help you if you're 40 something and need to tidy your messy bathroom. It will not help you if you're 20 something and living with your parents who don't want you to get rid of your old teddy bears even though you don't use them anymore, trapped in your childhood bedroom. It won't help you if you are a genuine hoarder (or live with them) and not just a slightly messy and disorganised person. ...more

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

Oct 29, 2017 Ingrid rated it really liked it

Shelves: non-fiction, read-in-2017

I found the first half really useful then the second half reinforced an area I am already really good at, so I guess even though I didn't learn anything new from that section, it gave me a boost to keep going :) ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Apr 20, 2014 Lisa rated it really liked it

This is certainly the best de-cluttering book that I've read so far. The toothbrush principle certainly helped me get rid of old makeup in the bathroom. Most of the tips and suggestions here are very useful. However, I am still having trouble getting rid of books and magazines. A shredder is also necessary.

Chandra writes well and she even manages to make this book interesting. Her book deals with de-cluttering in an extremely well-organised way - she has chapters for each room. It also explains ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Jul 28, 2017 BookBec rated it liked it

A reasonably good decluttering book. Clear principles, good reminders that you must get things out of the house before your job is done, helpful thoughts about how clutter is often a result of deferred decisions.

But the book has some definite slants that may or may not work from you: the work-from-home office, the child-free lifestyle, the British English (some favorite terms here: While Mum's away for the bank holiday, I stopped by her cosy flat to get the post and saw her new shower tidy from ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

May 15, 2017 Alyce Hunt rated it it was ok

Shelves: non-fiction, library-borrowed

Painfully repetitive.

Once you've read the first couple of chapters, the rest is pretty much obsolete. Sheila states that other decluttering guides don't take their readers by the hand and walk them through every step, and there's a reason for that: it makes the writing cluttered, and meant I was falling asleep while I was reading this. ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Jul 15, 2019 Audra rated it liked it

Shelves: non-fiction, wellness, own, nook-book, ebooks, self-empowerment

I believe it is a great beginners book. If you have not read another organizing or decluttering book this is a good bood to start with.

I've personally read many of these types of books and at some point in time implemented something from each book so starting new and creating a journal to make note of where you want to put everything or what you need to buy after cleaning/clearing takes up too much time for me and I would never do it.

Sheila Chandra's toothbrush idea is classic. It reminds me o ...more

flag Like · see review

May 04, 2018 Sally rated it really liked it

Shelves: non-fiction

I can see where this is coming from, but it presumes that you can leave things somewhere and they will still be there when you need them. Which is great if you don't share your house with three small kleptomaniacs. More than half my possessions need to be put where my kids can't find them, so leaving them where they are used isn't an option for me. But if you have a different set up, I can imagine this being useful. ...more

flag Like · see review

Mar 20, 2018 Annamarie Morgan rated it really liked it

It was a really interesting read and I liked the principle. It got a little bit heavy towards the end. I have, however, adopted the Toothbrush Principle for items and objects in our house.

flag Like · see review

May 07, 2018 Anna Andres rated it it was amazing

The best book ever read on decluttering. Excellent narration.

flag Like · see review

Aug 27, 2018 Julie rated it really liked it

Shelves: read-since-august-2006, read-in-2018, memoir-bio-selfhelp-travel

Short, easy, repetitive, but that's okay. A good walkthrough for getting organized. ...more

flag Like · see review

Sep 04, 2020 Janet rated it really liked it

I listened to this and it was helpful.

flag Like · see review

Aug 11, 2018 Hillary Rose rated it really liked it

For a complete review, check out my book blog:
https://readsandroses.com/2018/08/27/...

So you are probably wondering what the toothbrush principle is (or maybe you don’t care at all, that’s fine too). The idea behind the toothbrush principle is this: no matter how unorganized someone is, they never lose their toothbrush. The system behind it is automatic because it is essential to life (or it should be). Chandra defines clutter as “any thing that you don’t feel good about or that stops you using ...more

flag Like · see review

Feb 01, 2014 Jacki (Julia Flyte) rated it really liked it

At the beginning of this book, the author says something along the lines of "have you always wanted to be like people in lifestyle ads". Yes! I thought. Yes I have.

I have to admit I was a little sceptical whether this book would teach me anything. I've read a few books on decluttering/home organisation and they all tend to follow similar territory ie Visualise what you want your spaces to be like. Be ruthless about throwing things out. Keep things that you use often close at hand. Create zones. At the beginning of this book, the author says something along the lines of "have you always wanted to be like people in lifestyle ads". Yes! I thought. Yes I have.

I have to admit I was a little sceptical whether this book would teach me anything. I've read a few books on decluttering/home organisation and they all tend to follow similar territory ie Visualise what you want your spaces to be like. Be ruthless about throwing things out. Keep things that you use often close at hand. Create zones.

Chandra puts a lot of emphasis on what she called her "toothbrush principle" (to the point that I half expected it to have a TM sign). What this means essentially is putting things in places where i) you use them and ii) you can always find them. She talks about the fact that we always have our toothbrush & toothpaste handily located by the bathroom sink. When we travel, we put them by the sink where we are. When we move house, we unpack them early and put them in place. We always know where to find them and we are never tempted to leave them lying around somewhere else in the house. The moral of the story is therefore to only have things in each room that you actually use in that room.

This is an appealing and logical idea in theory but it raised immediate questions in my mine. Like firstly, what if you need more things in a room than easily fit there (my home study comes to mind)? And where do you store all the other things that don't belong there?

Well one thing she suggests – simple but genius – is to start by decluttering all the storage areas in your house, so you make space to move things to. Don't hang onto things that don't use (exception for stuff like ski gear if you plan to ski, but not if you just have this vague idea that maybe one day you'll do it).

She also spends a lot of time talking about organising your home office – not just what’s in it, but how you operate. She has a system for email organisation and using your diary, which is simple but makes sense and yes, it will get rid of clutter and leave you feeling more organised. In fact, this book is much more about getting your life organised rather than the singleminded focus on clutter than the title suggests. Will it change my life? Probably not, but I’ve taken away a number of very helpful ideas and a lot of inspiration to get started.

One comment: I read this book on a Kindle and comments like “see p176” are not terribly helpful. However I read an advanced reader copy for review purposes so possibly that will be changed in the final edition.

I received an ARC from NetGalley for review.
...more

flag Like · see review

Jan 27, 2014 GONZA rated it liked it

First of all I must admit that this book that seeks to help people to become more orderly getting rid of all the things accumulated in excess, it is not just directed at me, since I consider myself a pretty organized person, but most of all I feel great joy in throwing away things accumulated, so maybe my problem is the reverse. Returning to the book, however, I found it very clear, starting from the Principle of the toothbrush (no one has ever come to lose their toothbrush) to switch between th ...more

flag Like · see review

Nov 20, 2013 Meredith rated it it was amazing

Shelves: home-style-organizing, every-one-should-read-at-least-once

This is the best book I have read on organising and the only one I have come across that deals with the emotional/psychological reasons for clutter in any sort of detail. (Most just mention we shouldn't hold on to too many things for sentimental reasons) This looks at why we might hold onto things and offers practical suggestions for working through these type of problems.

That being said, it isn't heavy at all. You get the feeling the writer is really speaking from personal experience, but all ...more

flag Like · see review

Jan 19, 2018 Charlotte rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2018

Well, it's no life-changing magic of tidying up but I wasn't expecting it to be. It had never occurred to me that I've never lost my toothbrush and trying to apply that principle to other objects was interesting. (Though, I have actually lost my toothbrush before because sometimes it migrates between two bathrooms...)
However, once this idea had been discussed a bit, there wasn't a lot more to say. The step-by-step guide to Chandra's decluttering method became quite tedious to a fan of the Konmar ...more

flag Like · see review

Jun 03, 2011 Martha rated it liked it · review of another edition

I don't know that I'd call the idea that we all always know where our toothbrush is a "principle" and try to expand it into an entire book on managing clutter, but this book is fairly decent out of the many clutter books I've read. A place for everything and everything in its place is not exactly a new concept in clutter books so the analogy that I already know how to use and apply this principle because I know where my toothbrush is becomes fairly weak when applied to an entire house full of mu ...more

flag Like · see review

Jan 29, 2014 Rebecca Emin rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: netgalley

I can see that this book would be very useful to people who spend a long time looking for things and wading through clutter. However I personally felt that the tips were mostly things I already do.

If I'm honest I do think that the information in this book could be given faster - personally I would rather be actually using the time to tidy than spending the amount of time reading the book that it takes.

I received a copy of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. ...more

flag Like · see review

Mar 05, 2015 Glenda Lynne rated it liked it

This book is well written and orderly, much like we want our homes to be. It contains lots of background information and various systems to help yourself clear out clutter. If you are just beginning to deal with clutter, it would be very helpful. I have read many books on the subject, so I found only a few new ideas that intrigued me, which is why I gave it only three stars.

flag Like · see review

Feb 15, 2014 Karen Swift rated it it was ok · review of another edition

I'm always looking for ways to be more organized but this book is for the person with the serious clutter problem - which isn't me. Probably would be helpful to those who live with others in keeping everyone's stuff organized. ...more

flag Like · see review

Sep 02, 2015 Tasneem rated it liked it

Shelves: non-fiction

I found this a useful and interesting read. I am going to go back to it and use it to clear out some of the clutter in my own home. I understand the principle now, I think, and applying it should make keeping things organised a lot easier.

flag Like · see review

Jun 02, 2011 Tracey Wilde rated it liked it

Some good ideas in this book especially if your work from home or have a home office.

flag Like · see review

Jan 03, 2012 Paddy Dalton rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: non-fiction, self-help

An excellent book for anyone who needs to get rid of "stuff"!! ...more

flag Like · see review

Jan 19, 2013 Gerdav rated it liked it

Shelves: read-2013

This is my favourite 'clutter' book. Such a friendly author with a light, cheerful manner. I will be taking on board some of the ideas from this book. Library book. ...more

flag Like · see review

Nov 23, 2013 Viki rated it really liked it

Sheila has good ideas. They're basic but often 'basic' is over looked. Easy to incorporate. I glean at least one great idea in every de-cluttering book I read. This one gave me several. ...more

flag Like · see review

Jan 29, 2014 Cindy rated it really liked it

Shelves: non-fiction, self-help

This version of cleaning up clutter seemed to suit me quite well. Probably should read it again in a year.

flag Like · see review

Feb 18, 2014 Jenny (rapid tortoise) rated it really liked it

Not exactly lived up to my expectations but still a decent book on the subject. 3,5 stars

flag Like · see review

Jan 19, 2015 Eleanor rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: book-a-week-2015, self-improvement

Not the best book I've ever read, but am hoping it will give me the kickstart I need to finally and comprehensively declutter my house. And the toothbrush principle was a lightbulb moment for me. ...more

flag Like · see review

Nov 25, 2013 Jessica Tattersall rated it liked it

Easy to read and follow. Great ideas. Helpful to all.

flag Like · see review

new topic
Discuss This Book

There are no discussion topics on this book yet. Be the first to start one »

Recommend It | Stats | Recent Status Updates

Readers also enjoyed

See similar books…

Genres

Nonfiction

21 users

Self Help

6 users

See top shelves…

About Sheila Chandra

Sheila Chandra

4 followers

Renowned World Music singer Sheila Chandra turned non-fiction author in 2010, following voice problems which forced her to retire from her international music career. She says writing has become her 'second voice'.

After being urged by friends to share her secret to living clutter free despite having a demanding career, she wrote Banish Clutter Forever outlining her own system for home organizing - ...more