@blondie Really great advice. Wish I could reply to all, but a few ones>
3: Procrastination. Not me, I'll donate something in a snap if I can. My dad is a bit of a hoarder, less with volume but more with dressers (plural) that he keeps in storage because they've been in the family forever. They've also been in musty storage basements for 40 years.
4-5: Dirty little secrets. Ha, I'll ask one day! The little cleanings I do are a thankless job. We'd have 300 happy meal toys all over if it weren't for my heroic efforts when folks are away, LOL.
6-7: Elders. No they aren't the source of the clutter at all. And very good point about not being their avenue to downsize as they minimalize things, too.
10: Booze. Yeah that was becoming a problem. Not in a "can't stop" (I could stop for weeks) way, but more of a way at night to numb out the stress of the normal day plus stuff on top, like clutter. As I slowly get back in shape, I've learned staying disciplined at night and not snacking/drinking is 2-3x better (caloric, even!) than a 30 minute jog!