ClosetMaid recently surveyed 1,000 Baby Boomers, Gen Xers and Millennials about the state of their closets and how they manage clutter. We uncovered some generation gaps and a few surprising similarities when it comes to home organization.

How They Handle Unwanted Items

The generations deal with the belongings they no longer want in contrasting ways. Boomers and Gen Xers say they keep or give away their old items, while Millennials are more likely to sell their things.

As for their significant others’ clothes or other stuff that the survey respondents don’t like, the generations handle this situation differently, too. Boomers lean toward putting up with the junk. Millennials, on the other hand, will probably secretly toss it or confront their partner about it.

Millennials differ from the older generations in how they deal with home organization.

What They Store

Every generation holds onto relics from their past. Boomers’ and Gen Xers’ keepsakes are up to 21 years old. Millennials, although more apt to profit from their older possessions, still have things that are up to 10 years old in their closets.

All generations primarily use their closets for clothes, outerwear and general storage. The most commonly stored non-clothing or footwear items cluttering everybody’s closets are old boxes.

Who Is Most Organized

Believe it or not, a higher percentage of Millennials said they reorganized their closets in the last six months than their older counterparts.

An organized closet is a functional closet. (Featured: SpaceCreations)

The majority of people across generations feel that their bedroom needs the most storage and organization improvement, followed by the garage. The most organized storage space for everyone is the attic.

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