Victoria’s Secret Getting You Down? Or Maybe It’s Sears? Perhaps West Elm?

We’ve all been there—you bought one item one time at one store, and the cashier off-handedly asked you for your address. Without putting much thought into it, you dictate your residence, and off you go with your new purchase of the day. Before you know it, you’re being bombarded with catalogs from that very same store. Stacks of paper start piling up around your house, taunting you to buy a new laptop, duvet cover, bra—whatever they have to offer. At the end of the week you find yourself guilt-ridden with the thought of wasting all of that paper that you barely even glanced at. So, what’s the best way to keep your mailbox tidy and your conscience guilt-free? Let us guide you through the process…

First and foremost, do your very best to avoid this situation altogether by declining any requests for your address. Zip code? City? Those should be fine, but anything more specific might dig you into a catalog-filled hole. If you’ve already gotten onto one (or several) of these lists and are eager to escape the mess, the best way to go about it is by logging onto the website of the pesky catalog company and unsubscribing. Here, you’ll be walked through step-by-step in the general process of catalog canceling using the West Elm website as an example.

1. Enter the website of the company. If you don’t know the website, search for it in a search engine such as Google.
2. Once on the website, search for the ‘Customer Service’ link, which is most often found towards the very bottom of the page. If there is no ‘Customer Service’ link, search for any link that refers to catalog orders (requesting a catalog, changing addresses for a catalog, etc…).
3. Once you’ve reached the Customer Service page, there will most often be a list of services they provide. In this case, along the side panel are categories such as Order Info, Customer Info, and General Info. In the Customer Info column, there is a Catalog Mailing Option link. Click on this link.
4. This link will bring you to a page that offers several choices for Catalog Mailing Options. At the bottom of the list is the option to Unsubscribe From All Catalog Mailings. Select this option.
5. Fill in the rest of the information on the page (in this case, it is okay to give your contact info, as it is the only way that they will know to stop mailing catalogs to your home). Press ‘Send’ or ‘Enter’. The next page should confirm your cancellation.
6. Voila! You are free from all things catalog (well, for this company, at least)!

Not all company websites will adhere to this same model, but generally the steps will be similar. If you really get stuck on a website and cannot find any links offering subscription changes, call the Customer Service number or write a message using the Contact Us link.

A great alternative to receiving catalogs, newsletters, and magazines (even the ones you want to receive) without having to deal with all of the wasted paper is by subscribing online. Most major publications offer online subscriptions that allow you to read all of the same content provided in the printed form, without actually having to print it. Many will even send it straight to your e-mail the day that it becomes available! More efficient and less wasteful—why haven’t you already signed up?

To keep your mailbox clutter-free, take the first step by preventing the clutter from coming into your home in the first place. Unsubscribe from any unnecessary print publications, and you could be preventing the waste of stacks full of paper, leaving your conscience, your home, and the environment cleaner than ever.