While I haven’t talked much about our decluttering progress lately, I can say that we have managed to get rid of another couple bags of clothing (it’s just crazy the amount of stuff we keep finding our closets that we haven’t worn in years or is ill fitting), about 20 more books, a few boxes of random cables and various other things that we have come across in the process. I’ve said it before but I will say it again — decluttering is a long term process. You didn’t collect all that stuff overnight, and you won’t be able to get rid of it that quickly either. For me, every layer of stuff we get rid of seems to reveal another grouping of things later on that I realize I don’t need. The more I get rid of, the more willing I am to let go of additional things. And while collecting things can also snowball on you, I find that letting go of things often happens with the same enthusiasm.

We all envision having a neat, cleaning home where you can find whatever you want and need quickly. But unfortunately, reality is often far from our ideal image. And the truth is that many families find their homes overflowing with clutter, with things strewn over different parts of the house, the furniture off kilter, the shelves filled with all sorts of disorganized things, the stairs an obstacle course and dust everywhere. There’s just too much stuff and just not enough space and time to keep everything organized.

Having to deal with all of this, at home or even at the office, can be very draining and frustrating. It is draining because a home which is jam packed with stuff can become very difficult to live in and at some point it interferes with our daily lives – getting to work on time, looking for important things, navigating to different parts of the house and it can even raise some safety and health issues, especially with children at home. And to be honest, the last thing I want to teach my child how to do is live in a life of chaos and disarray.

You may think that that’s all it is, a house filled with clutter, messy and disorganized. But you may be surprised to find out that not only does it affect your daily lives in the way you go about things but also has an effect to your physical and mental health.

photo credit: risaikeda via photopin cc

Physical Threats of Clutter

Now call me crazy, but I’m serious when I say that clutter can actually cause health risks and endanger you.

• Dust, mold and animal dander builds up around clutter, causing breathing issues and can ultimately complicate or lead to asthma and other allergies.
• Leaks and mold “factories” can build up in corners and underneath things that you can no longer get to or see.
• When you are in a hurry, you may step on or trip over things, causing you to slide, stumble and fall — which can lead to injury.
• An extreme build up of clutter can become a fire risk — and keep you from getting into or out of your home quickly in an emergency.
• At the office, it can be the same things; all the dust and dander can cause all sorts of health conditions. Disorganized things can be cause for injuries. Additionally, being disorganized denies you of the opportunity to do things that matter like cultivating a hobby, being able to exercise and accomplishing tasks.

Mental Threats of Clutter

While the physical threats of clutter are not to be ignored, especially if you are dealing with large amount of clutter in your home, what I find even more troublesome are the mental effects which you may or may not notice immediately.

• The inability to locate things amidst all the clutter can be very frustrating and stressful.
• Feeling out of control (often subconsciously) because of the overwhelming presence of everything surrounding you.
• Loss of the ability to enjoy life, have fun with your family at home, spend quality time with loved ones or learn something new.
• Inability to achieve true happiness because the clutter hovers in the back of your mind constantly, keeping you in bondage.

So how do you free yourself from this senseless burden? Start getting rid of your clutter, piece by piece. Start with just one drawer, one shelf or the top of your desk. Set a timer for 15 minutes and work hard in those 15 minutes to do as much as you can to sort and discard items of no value. Create a system with trash bags or boxes for donation items, trash and things you’d like to sell. And remember that sometimes selling items may not ultimately be worth your time if you are dealing with a lot of stuff and what you have to sell has a very low value.

No matter how hard things seem right now, you can succeed and have a clutter-free home. It may very well take you months or years (God knows it’s taking us years to weed through everything) but I promise you that you will be infinitely happier without all that stuff. And I’m willing to bet that you won’t even notice it’s gone a few days later.

What decluttering projects are you working on now??