Regional towns lead Australia in decluttering enthusiasm, study finds

New national data from Howards Storage World has revealed which Australian cities are most and least engaged in decluttering, identifying notable variations between regional centres and major metropolitan areas.

The study examined Google search behaviour, product conversion rates, and online shopping patterns to determine where Australians show the greatest interest in organising their homes and lives. It found that Wodonga in Victoria, Newcastle in New South Wales, and the Sunshine Coast in Queensland rank as Australia's most cluttered cities, with the lowest per-capita search interest in decluttering topics.

In contrast, the regional towns of Victor Harbor in South Australia and Bathurst in New South Wales emerged as the country's most clutter-conscious, recording the highest per-capita rates of decluttering-related online searches — in some cases, over five times greater than the national average.

Cathy Player, Expert Organiser at Howards Storage World, said: "Clutter doesn't just affect your home, it affects your wellbeing. We've seen a huge shift in how Australians value space and functionality."

Player added: "The contrast between Australia's most and least cluttered regions highlights how differently we live across the country. It's not just about space, it's about lifestyle, priorities, and how people choose to use their homes."

"These findings show that Australians are increasingly recognising the value of an organised space, no matter where they live, search interest, shopping data and sales all point to the growing national interest in keeping an organised space."

The study found that Victor Harbor recorded over 6.4 decluttering-related searches per 100,000 residents, with Bathurst following at 5.12 searches per capita. Kalgoorlie and Busselton in Western Australia, and Armidale in New South Wales also ranked among the top five most declutter-conscious cities.

Conversely, Wodonga recorded the lowest rate in the nation at just 0.61 searches per capita. Newcastle and the Sunshine Coast also displayed low per-capita search interest, at 1.02 and 1.11 respectively, with Perth and the Gold Coast rounding out the bottom five. This data suggests that while larger cities like Sydney and Melbourne register high total search volumes for decluttering topics, their per-capita engagement is comparatively modest—Sydney saw 1.16 searches per capita and Melbourne 1.12.

In addition to search trends, Howards Storage World's sales data revealed that residents in New South Wales were the most likely to act on their decluttering intentions by purchasing organisation products, indicating not only online research but follow-through purchasing behaviour. The company reported that New South Wales had the highest product conversion rates nationwide, suggesting a stronger link between browsing and buying among its residents.

Sales analysis by region also found that the Australian Capital Territory and Northern Territory rank lowest for both browsing and purchasing of decluttering products, pointing to lower overall engagement with home organisation in these areas.

Internal data from Howards Storage World supports the East Coast's reputation for decluttering activity, with New South Wales leading in browsing, online purchase volume, and overall revenue for organisation products.

However, engagement in regional and smaller locations was also strong, according to the company's data, with Tasmania reporting 0.13 online sessions per capita, close behind New South Wales at 0.16. Kalgoorlie and Bathurst were also identified as examples of regional communities actively seeking home organisation solutions.

According to the study, the five most declutter-conscious cities—with the highest per-capita online search rates for decluttering—are Victor Harbor, Bathurst, Kalgoorlie, Busselton, and Armidale. The least declutter-conscious cities, by the same measure, are Wodonga, Newcastle, Sunshine Coast, Perth, and Gold Coast.

The methodology for the ranking combined Google search data for over 50 decluttering-related terms with Google Maps business listings for decluttering services, creating a per-capita index for both interest and service availability. The sales and engagement data covered online behaviour and transactions between early 2024 and early 2025.