I still love receiving mail, but most of what lands in my mailbox these days isn’t cards from people I know or magazines I look forward to every month. Rather, it’s junk that goes right into the trash can or recycling bin. Stopping real-world junk mail isn’t as straightforward as clicking “unsubscribe” in a junk email, but there are a handful of steps you can take to cut down the number of catalogs, credit card offers, and coupon books you always toss.
Here are the best ways to empty your mailbox.
Opt out of marketing and promotional mail
First up, put a stop to the endless stream of catalogs, magazine offers, and marketing fliers by going to the Direct Marketing Association’s consumer website DMAchoice.org. This service halts mail from companies you don’t have a relationship with or haven’t done business with in the last two years.
(Note that it does not stop you from receiving items from local retailers, restaurants, or political organizations—these are items categorized as Every Door Direct Mail, and you’re simply stuck with them.)
To use DMAchoice, you’ll need to create an account with your name, address, email, and password and pay $4 via PayPal or credit card. This will stop a lot of promotional mail for 10 years, after which you’ll have to go through the process again.
DMAchoice.org also offers free opt-out services for contacts who have deceased as well as caretakers of dependents who are receiving promotional mail.
Opt out of credit card and insurance offers
If you’re getting offers for new credit cards or insurance policies claiming you’ve been prescreened or preapproved, it’s because creditors and insurers have received your information from one of the four consumer credit reporting companies (Equifax, Experian, Innovis, and TransUnion) and in turn are trying to sell you on their products.
This practice is allowed under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, but you can remove your name—either temporarily for a period of five years or permanently—using a service called OptOutPrescreen.com. Either go to the website and click the blue button to begin the process or call 1-888-567-8588.
To opt out for five years, you’ll simply need to provide your name and address (submitting your Social Security number and birthdate is optional). Unfortunately, if you want to end these offers forever, you’ll also need to fill out and mail in a paper form you’ll access at the end of the electronic process.
Opt out of coupon mailers
Coupon packs aren’t covered by DMAchoice or OptOutPrescreen, so you’ll have to contact each individual mailer to unsubscribe. Note that it may take several weeks before your mailbox is coupon-free. Here are the major mailers:
Opt out of paper bills
Mail from your financial institutions, utility providers, and other billers isn’t junk, exactly, but you can cut back on hard copies and mailbox crowding by opting for paperless billing—especially if you’re using an autopay feature or already receiving email statements.
Opt out of (almost) everything else
For whatever is left, including catalogs from companies you have purchased from in the last two years as well as mail from charities, writer David Friedman recommends PaperKarma. This subscription-based app sends opt-out notices for you, and all you have to do is snap and upload a photo of the return address or logo on the mail you received.
PaperKarma offers a free trial of sorts with four complimentary opt-out requests, and if you choose to subscribe, you can select a monthly ($3.99), semi-annual ($15.99), annual ($24.99), or lifetime plan ($59.99).
Here are some of the best mailboxes you can buy in 2023, according to Better Homes & Gardens:
