We all lose things in our home. Here’s how to find them (and not lose them in the first place).
By Max Chwatko
Design by Justin Negard
I‘ve been under this couch for six months. Maybe seven. It’s hard to tell when you’re stuck in the dust-cloaked shadows, watching the world move on without you. Once, I was part of a pair—a lively duo bounding through laundry cycles and long walks. But then, in one careless moment, I was flung aside, slipping soundlessly into the abyss of forgotten things. At first, I waited. Someone would notice, wouldn’t they? But days turned into weeks, and I learned the truth: once you are lost, you become invisible.
Still, I am not alone. Nearby, a remote control leans against a lint-covered penny, and beneath the radiator, a single earring glints in the dim light. Somewhere, in a drawer packed with batteries (most of them dead), a set of keys is buried beneath menus from restaurants that closed three years ago. We are the misplaced, the abandoned, the casualties of clutter. And until someone changes their habits, we will remain lost.
Most of the time, people don’t lose things because they’re stolen. They often lose things because they own too much then store it haphazardly and forget where they put it. So how can we stop losing things in the first place? And when something does go missing, how can we track it down?
The things we leave behind
Mary Zipkin has seen it all. As the owner of The Knack Of All Trades in Pound Ridge, a consignment and estate sale business, she has spent years helping people clear out their homes before they sell, and in the process, she’s uncovered countless treasures people didn’t even realize they lost.
“You wouldn’t believe what turns up when people finally go through their things,” Zipkin says. “One woman was convinced someone had stolen her diamond ring years ago. Turns out, it was sitting in her lingerie drawer the whole time.”
The ring, once thought lost forever, was later gifted to her grandson for his engagement.
Sentimental objects resurface in the strangest of places. Baby teeth tucked into decorative boxes, long-forgotten love letters buried in stacks of old bills, cash hidden so well that even the original owner can’t find it. Zipkin recalls a client who had stashed $5,000 in an X-ray envelope for safekeeping—only to forget about it for years.
“We had to lay all the bills out to dry after they’d been sitting in a damp basement,” she says with a laugh.
How to stop losing things
Katy Winter, a professional organizer and the founder of Katy’s Organized Home in Chappaqua, believes the key to keeping track of your belongings starts long before anything goes missing. The secret? Organization.
“Before you even think about organizing, you have to declutter,” Winter explains. “People own way more than they need, and that’s what creates chaos. If you have 25 pairs of scissors scattered around the house, how can you possibly know where to find one?”
To prevent things from vanishing into the abyss, Winter suggests:
Create designated spaces
If every item has a home, it’s less likely to disappear. This means having a specific spot for your keys, wallet and other daily essentials. “If you always put your keys on a hook by the door, you won’t spend 20 minutes searching for them every morning,” she says.
Label everything
Especially for shared households, clear labels make it obvious where things belong. “Even something as simple as a basket labeled ‘mail’ stops clutter from spreading all over the house,” Winter notes.
Tidy regularly
A cluttered space is a black hole for lost items. “The messier your house, the harder it is to find anything,” Winter explains.
And a well-organized home doesn’t just reduce the chance of losing things—it also helps with mental clarity.
“When your environment is chaotic, your mind feels chaotic,” Winter explains. “Many people focus better when their space is neat.”
But even the most organized among us still misplace things. So what then?
The art of finding lost things
One way to find lost things in your house is with MIT’s RFusion robot. Created in 2021, this cutting-edge machine is designed to dig through piles and search your house in order to retrieve items lost in the clutter. With a 96 percent success rate, it’s safe to say this robot can be a lifesaver—as long as you’re okay with a robot judging your messy habits.
On the other hand, if you don’t have millions of dollars to spend on this proprietary high-tech helper, don’t worry—we’ve got you covered with some practical, tried-and-true methods to locate your missing belongings.
When an item goes missing, most people rely on frantic searching or the tried and true retracing of steps. But there are more methodical approaches you can take. Here are our favorites:
1. Focus on distinguishing features. For example, if you drop an earring, think about what makes it stand out—like its shine—and use that detail to direct your attention.
2. Take a page from search and rescue teams and execute a grid search. To do this, think of your space like a grid and check each part thoroughly before moving on. It’s slow, but it ensures you don’t overlook anything.
The happy ending (for some)
Not every lost object finds its way home, but with better organization and a smarter search strategy, the odds improve dramatically.
“That moment of rediscovery can bring joy,” says Zipkin.
For others, the search itself is the story—full of unexpected twists, misplaced memories, and a reminder that our belongings carry pieces of our lives with them.
And while the idea of a robot like MIT’s RFusion sifting through piles of clutter to recover our missing items may sound appealing, it’s not always necessary. A little organization can go a long way.
So, next time you’re searching for your keys or that one elusive sock, remember that the solution might be as simple as a better-placed hook or a well-labeled drawer—no robots required.
But for those items that seem to defy organization, technological solutions (that are more affordable than a fancy robot) can step in. Apple’s AirTags or Tile trackers, for example, act as digital bloodhounds, using Bluetooth or GPS to track down misplaced keys, wallets, luggage, etc.
As for the lost sock beneath the couch? Well, someone finally moved the furniture during a deep clean. The sock was briefly reunited with its partner—only to disappear again in the next load of laundry.
Some things, it seems, are just meant to be lost.
This article was published in the March/April 2025 edition of Connect to Northern Westchester.
Max Chwatko
Justin is an award-winning designer and photographer. He was the owner and creative director at Future Boy Design, producing work for clients such as National Parks Service, Vintage Cinemas, The Tarrytown Music Hall, and others. His work has appeared in Bloomberg TV, South by Southwest (SXSW), Edible Magazine, Westchester Magazine, Refinery 29, the Art Directors Club, AIGA and more.
Justin is a two-time winner of the International Design Awards, American Photography and Latin America Fotografia. Vice News has called Justin Negard as “one of the best artists working today.”
He is the author of two books, On Design, which discusses principles and the business of design, and Bogotà which is a photographic journey through the Colombian capital.
Additionally, Justin has served as Creative Director at CityMouse Inc., an NYC-based design firm which provides accessible design for people with disabilities, and has been awarded by the City of New York, MIT Media Lab and South By Southwest.
He lives in Katonah with his wonderfully patient wife, son and daughter.
