It is no secret that our surroundings play a pivotal role in our physical and mental wellbeing. While we are in our homes we feel relaxed. Comfortable. While at work we feel focused or sometimes stressed. While at a nice restaurant with friends we will be happy and excited. Our environment is as vital to our health as breathing.
Which is why it is extremely important to ensure your home is a safe, serene, and orderly environment. Which brings us onto our topic of the day. Clutter. The accumulation of junk, dirt, old clothes, whatever it might be. A cluttered home can actually have a serious impact on your health. We are going to examine the dangers of a cluttered home and all the benefits of taking the steps towards decluttering.
A Dangerous Home
Clutter is defined as a collection of things lying about in an untidy state. Clutter can be anything from documents strewn about across your desk to a pile of dirty laundry sitting in the corner. And the impact clutter has on our health depends on what it is.
Let’s look at the most obvious health risk clutter presents. Trip hazards. Tripping over something is one of the most common forms of household injury. And this can be extremely dangerous. People have broken bones or suffered serious head injuries from falls in their own home.
Clutter can also lead to a number of illnesses. Most commonly caused by mold. Dirty laundry, unwashed plates and crockery, old tissues. All of these things are vectors for mold growth. Mold spores can lead to serious respiratory issues, fatigue, brain fog, and a range of other ailments.
Clutter also has an impact on your mental health as well. Studies have shown that our minds respond to the cleanliness and order of an environment. The adage that a clean and organized desk will help you focus is backed by science. Living in a cluttered environment can cloud your thoughts and lower your mood. So how can you go about decluttering your home?
Storage Solutions
Often our homes become cluttered slowly and without us ever even realizing. Primarily this is due to the constant addition of new items in our lives. Birthday presents, new clothes, new appliances, magazines. These things quickly pile up. So the first step is to find better storage solutions.
Most furniture stores offer amazing and compact storage solutions in a wide range of designs and sizes. These units often blend into your home’s decor seamlessly and will allow you to better avoid clutter.
You should also look at external storage solutions such as a storage unit. This is ideal if your home is full of old furniture that is taking up space. The first step is to ask yourself what size self storage unit do i need? For furniture you will need a larger unit. But, if you’re just storing old magazines and clothes, you could easily get away with a smaller one.
Throw Things Away
Humans have a rare ability to develop sentimental attachments to inanimate objects. It is one of the things that separates us from animals. But these attachments can often lead to hoarding. The truth is a lot of the clutter around your home could easily be thrown away and it wouldn’t have a negative impact on your life.
The first step in this process is sorting your old objects into three categories. Objects you use often. Objects you use on special occasions. And objects you haven’t used in over six months. As you can likely guess the third category will be thrown away. But it doesn’t have to all go in the trash. Consider hosting a yard sale or donating it to charity.
Throwing away old objects has been proven to have a positive impact on your health. Think of it as a form of therapy. As you get rid of physical items you will find your mind becoming clearer and more focused. Sort of like letting go of bad memories. It also opens your mind up to new possibilities too. You have created space in your home and your life for new things. A chance to form new attachments.
