Mail guides
Mail routines that fit your needs
Use practical formats and assistance that make preferences easier to manage.
Request written contact for a postal-mail preference
Ask the sender in writing to stop printed advertising, and ask it to reply in writing. Use a mailing address, email address or contact form listed on the sender's official website. Include the label details and state the one change you want.
Make a large-print sheet for managing unwanted mail
Use one page with large labels and give each sender a few lines: who sent it, what change you want, when you asked and what you will do next. With the page in hand, you can see where each request stands without rereading the mail.
Make a short mail decision list for a low-energy day
Keep the advertising task small: choose one familiar sender and one stopping point. First check whether the pile includes mail that may need prompt attention, such as a bill or agency notice. If you cannot review that yourself today, ask a trusted person for the specific help you want.
Ask a helper to sort by sender without reading contents
Yes. A helper can sort by the sender name on the outside of each envelope without opening anything. Write a short permission card that names the task, lists what they may see and leaves the decision to open any piece with you.
Choose a removal route when you cannot print a form
First find out whether the sender or program requires a printed or signed form. Check its stated contact options before finding a printer. If its instructions require a particular form, ask whether it can mail you a copy or accept the request another way; do not assume an alternative is accepted.
Reduce unwanted mail without a smartphone
You can ask a sender to stop advertising mail without a smartphone. Take the sender's name from the advertisement, confirm a phone number, web form or postal address for that sender, and then call, use a desktop or library computer, or write a letter. A paper worksheet keeps one sender's details and request on each row.
Prepare a postal preference call with limited internet access
Make the call about one sender and one request: stop printed advertising to the name and address on the mailing label. Keep the piece in front of you, use a number you have confirmed belongs to the sender, and ask what confirmation it can give before you hang up.
Ask a sender for help with a postal preference in another language
Ask the sender directly whether it can take a mail preference request in your language. Do not assume it can. In the same message, state the exact preference, such as stopping printed advertising to your address, and ask for a written way to make the request if your language is not supported.
Make a finite plan for an overwhelming mail pile
Set a limit for the advertising session: handle catalogs and flyers you recognize and stop at a chosen time. Give important or unknown mail a separate review plan first, especially anything that may carry a deadline. Remaining advertisements can wait for the next session.
Choose a low-handling routine for paper mail
Sort by the sender name on the front, and try to move each piece only once. A shallow tray, a pen and one sender sheet mean less unfolding and restacking. If someone helps, settle what they may touch before they handle any personal mail.
Make a plain-language card for a helper
Use one page with three choices: keep, stop this advertising, or ask me first. You decide what goes under each heading, and the helper follows the card only for the senders you list. The card does not need to explain your reasons. It also does not give anyone permission to open or read your mail unless you write that in.
Complete a mail preference using a shared computer
On a shared or public computer, finish the request in one sitting and type only what the form needs. Turn down every prompt to save a password or address. Write any confirmation on paper rather than leaving it in a shared downloads folder.