What?! Where is the count of tongs, plates, ropes, and most importantly (because they actually have good value)
paintings?

I thought I had it bad, checking every container and hating myself for doing it, ending up with 50 hours. I never even bothered to consider grabbing every barrel

Seriously though, great post, really echoes how I feel both about the sheer volume of clutter / time wasted looking in empty containers to the feeling that none of this matters because look a billion unused scrolls and potions.
I'm planning on waiting a month or so from my first playthrough before I do another, and this time I'm considering some kind of rule for myself that I only loot "chest" type containers or things required by a quest. I've had this compulsion to pick up everything keep me from finishing several games, but it's hard to fight.