How to Stop Junk Mail

Junk mail is one of the top culprits in creating paper clutter.  Most of my organizing clients are overwhelmed by the amount of junk mail that arrives each day.

Here are some tips to minimize junk mail

Go to the Direct Marketing Association  to request to be removed from marketing and mailing lists.

Visit Catalog Choice to request to be removed from certain catalog mailing lists.

Visit OptOutPrescreen to be removed from credit card offer mailing lists, or call 1-888-5OPT-OUT to request removal.

Cancel subscriptions to newspapers and magazines you no longer read or have time to read.

To remove yourself from certain charity solicitations, you may need to contact the charity directly by calling, mailing, or e-mailing them to request removal.  Detailed information on how to do this can be found at the BBB Wise Giving Alliance

Be wary of supplying your contact information when buying items at retail stores. In addition to adding you to that store’s mailing list, they may sell their mailing lists.

Online stores often have a checkbox at checkout asking if you’d like to be placed on a mailing list.  Do not check this box, unless you’d like promotional email or snail mail from the seller.

Use an app such as Paperkarma to help you quickly photograph unwanted mail, and request to be removed from mailing lists.

To streamline the process, have a basket for unwanted junk mail in your home. Once you’ve collected a significant pile, perhaps a week’s worth, then follow some of the above tips.  Repeat weekly until you have caught the majority of the junk mail, and you have made requests to stop it.

All of these requests take time to process, but within a few months, you should see a noticeable decrease in the amount of junk mail.