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What Counts as Clutter in Animal Crossing: New Horizons? A Comprehensive Guide

In the idyllic world of Animal Crossing: New Horizons, maintaining a tidy and aesthetically pleasing island is crucial for achieving that coveted 5-star rating. But what exactly constitutes “clutter,” and how does it impact your island’s overall score? Simply put, clutter in Animal Crossing: New Horizons primarily refers to items dropped on the ground rather than being placed. This includes a variety of things that aren’t part of the natural landscape or deliberately placed as furniture, significantly impacting your island’s appearance and rating. Think of it as items strewn about, rather than thoughtfully arranged.

Understanding the Island Rating System

Animal Crossing’s island rating system is partially based on how “clean” your island is perceived. The game uses an algorithm to evaluate your island, focusing on the density of placed items within specific 8×8 tile sections. These areas are considered “cluttered” if they contain 45 or more tiles covered with furniture or placed items, excluding natural elements like buildings, bridges, rocks, and buried items. This system pushes players to be thoughtful about item placement and encourages a balance between decoration and open space. So, it’s not just about having items; it’s about how you organize them on your island.

What Specifically Counts as Clutter?

Essentially, anything you drop onto the ground instead of placing it will count as clutter. These can include:

Turnips: These stinky veggies, a staple in the “stalk market,” are a major culprit of island clutter. If left on the ground, they negatively affect your island rating.
DIY Recipes: Unused DIY recipes left scattered around your island will contribute to clutter.
Clothing: Dropping clothing instead of storing them will count against you.
Furniture: Randomly dropped furniture items are a significant source of clutter.
“Trash” Items: This includes spoiled turnips, tree branches, rusted parts, used fountain fireworks, fake art, and any lost items that have expired. While not all ‘trash’ items penalize your island, many of them contribute to the untidy look the game recognizes as clutter.

What Doesn’t Count as Clutter?

Fortunately, not everything on your island contributes to the dreaded clutter score. These items are exempt from the clutter rules:

Buildings and Structures: Your house, villager homes, Nook’s Cranny, and other structures don’t count towards clutter.
Natural Elements: Naturally occurring features like rocks, rivers, trees, weeds (until a certain threshold is reached), and flowers that are planted are not considered clutter.
Bridges and Inclines: These structures are part of the island’s infrastructure and do not count against your score.
Buried Items: Items that are buried, like fossils or buried furniture, are not considered clutter.
Shells, Branches, and Stones: Items that natively spawn on the ground, like shells, fallen branches, and stones, do not add to clutter.
Star Fragments: Like other natural items, star fragments found after meteor showers don’t count towards clutter.
Message Bottles: Message bottles that wash up on shore don’t count towards your clutter rating.

The Impact of Clutter on Your Island

Accumulating too much clutter impacts your island rating negatively. Isabelle may give you feedback such as “There are too many items lying around…” This warning is a clear indication you’ve got too much junk lying around your island. This can be the difference between a 5-star island and a lower rating, ultimately affecting your access to certain game features and recipes. While you can drop your island rating after reaching the 5-star mark (once you have the Golden Watering Can recipe), some players prefer to maintain a pristine island environment.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Here are 15 frequently asked questions about clutter in Animal Crossing: New Horizons to help you maintain a clean and high-rated island:

Do weeds affect my island rating? Early stage weeds do not immediately affect your island rating, but like a bunch of trash laying around, once weeds reach a certain threshold, they will lower your island’s rating.
Can I drop turnips inside my house? No, you can’t store turnips in your house storage. The only way to “store” them is to drop them on the floor inside your house, or outside on your island.
What happens if my turnips spoil? If you forget to sell your turnips before the following Sunday, they will spoil and become worthless. You can use spoiled turnips to attract ants, but they won’t sell for any bells.
Does time-traveling affect turnips? Yes, if you time travel past the next Sunday, your turnips will spoil, even if the time jump was relatively short. However, time traveling within the week the turnips were purchased usually does not affect the turnips, if you stay within the week you bought them.
Can I lose my 3-star rating? You can drop your 3-star rating; it’s only required to unlock certain functions. Once reached and these functions unlocked, you do not need to maintain it.
What is considered “trash” in Animal Crossing? Trash items include the boot, empty can, old tire, spoiled turnips, tree branches, rusted parts, used fountain fireworks, fake art, and lost items that have expired.
Do dropped items on furniture count as clutter? Yes, items dropped on furniture were an issue in earlier versions, as were bottles on the shore. However, this has been changed; items dropped on furniture no longer affect the island rating.
Isabelle says my island is messy. What should I do? If Isabelle complains about mess, it’s time for a serious cleanup. Remove anything dropped on the ground that is not a natural element (shells, stones, etc.), and ensure that no area has too many furniture items crammed into an 8×8 block.
How can I get a 5-star island quickly? To get a 5-star island, aim to have 10 villagers, lots of flowers (especially hybrids), connect all parts of your island with paths and bridges, and place fencing around houses, buildings and recreational areas.
Does reporting villagers to Isabelle make them move out? No, reporting villagers to Isabelle only resets their catchphrases, letters, and designs worn. It doesn’t affect who moves out, as villager departure is a random process.
Do I have to maintain a 5-star rating after getting it? No, once you get a 5-star rating and unlock the Golden Watering Can DIY recipe, you can let your rating fall, and still retain the ability to create gold flowers, etc.
Are there any benefits to keeping trash items? Some trash items, like the boot, can be used for crafting some DIY projects, like the trash bags. Spoiled turnips will attract ants, which can also be caught and collected for the Critterpedia.
What’s the best way to store turnips? Turnips cannot be stored like other items, such as in your house storage. It’s best to make a habit of selling them before the next Sunday to avoid spoilage.
What are the seven types of clutter that may be challenging for people with ADHD? The seven types of clutter that may be challenging for people with ADHD to cope with are: Sentimental Clutter, Clutter Without A Storage Space, Bargain Clutter, Trash Clutter, Abundance Clutter, Aspirational Clutter, and Freebie Clutter.
Do shells, branches, and stones count as clutter if they are dropped? No. Shells, branches, stones, and star fragments are items that are natively generated on the island and do not count towards your clutter score. These do not contribute negatively to your island’s rating if dropped on the ground.

By understanding what constitutes clutter in Animal Crossing: New Horizons and managing your island accordingly, you’ll be well on your way to achieving a pristine, 5-star paradise that both you and your villagers will enjoy. Remember, a tidy island is a happy island!

What counts as clutter Animal Crossing?