Want a More Serene – and Safer – Home? Check Out Our Fabulous 5 Tips to Declutter Your Home

September 1, 2023

Many of us are familiar with Marie Kondo’s philosophy of our homes should be filled with only things that “spark joy”. While that is an admirable ambition, it’s also not 100% realistic: only a handful of people feel a sense of joy about their soup strainer. Still, every household should have things that are needed as well as wanted. But when does enough become too much? What are the serious signs it’s time to declutter your home?

Clutter has a strange way of accumulating under the radar: one day everything seems fine, then suddenly you realize your home is in complete disarray. If you recognize any of the signs listed below, it’s time to be proactive and get yourself – and your home - to an organized placed and defeat clutter once and for all.

Excessive clutter can lead to inadequate cleaning and health risks, including trips and falls, increased fire hazard risk and other dangers.

Ways to Recognize it’s Time to Declutter Your Home

1) You Can’t Find Things

Misplacing items occasionally is one thing, but constantly not being able to find things you need is a surefire sign it’s time to do a deep cleaning.

Deep cleanings don’t need to seem daunting. Take it one step at a time: instead of trying to tackle every room, surface, and shelf all at once, dedicate a few hours each day to one single area of your home. Start with the most problematic places, for example the kitchen drawers or the coatrack closest to the entryway. 

Start by getting rid of the things you don’t use or want anymore. The next step is to categorize like-items and assign them to a specific location. That way, you’ll know exactly where to find things going forwards, saving you precious time and unnecessary stress.

2) When “Out of Sight, Out of Mind “Becomes “Out of Space”

Closets, cabinets, and drawers are frequently the worst areas for clutter. The old saying “Out of sight, out of mind” applies here. Two of the most obvious signs you’ve allowed your storage past the point of capacity is if you’re constantly running out of hangers for your closets and/or the doors won’t close for any of these storage spaces.

If there’s an overflowing jumble in your hideaway spaces, it’s likely that many of the things that are in there can be trashed, recycled, or rehomed. The next step organizing these spaces with dividers and neatly arranging what’s left.

3) It Takes a Long Time to Clean and Tidy

 Whether it’s cleaning the kitchen, organizing the living room, or sorting laundry, no one wants to spend all day maintaining their home. If completing these chores is taking too long, it’s time to cut back. 

The fewer things you have, the simpler and easier it is to clean and organize. Decluttering regularly is one of the best ways to keep on top of tidiness.

4) You Worry About Inviting People Over

Is inviting friends or family over a cause for excitement or stress? Do you find it easier to just not invite people over at all? If you find yourself your overly cluttered home. It’s exhausting. So much so, that it’s probably easier to just not host at all, right? 

Wanting a welcoming home for guests is an excellent motivator to declutter! It’s also an affective tactic to motivate yourself to not only present your home at its best, but also where the problem areas are. When you imagine yourself as a guest and examine your home with a fresh set of eyes, seeing where you could and should clear things up is easier.

5) You Feel Drained When You’re at Home

Your home should be your oasis. If you walk through the door and feel agitated by all the ‘stuff’ lying around, rather than calm and happy with the serene space you’ve created for yourself, it’s a sign that decluttering really is in order.

As well as being difficult to live with physically, dealing with clutter on a regular basis can be very draining on an emotional level, too. Even the simplest of tasks become hard work.

Getting frustrated when you’re trying to leave the house because you’ve misplaced the keys again? Are you not able to enjoy a relaxing night in because you can’t locate the TV remote? These are clear signs it’s time to take back control and make your home the serene abode you deserve.

Clutter Can Be Frustrating And Dangerous

Clutter isn’t only emotionally draining, it can be physically dangerous. If you have a lot of stuff on the floor, especially in walkways or in other areas where you walk, there's a greater chance you'll trip and fall. Loose rugs, cords and other objects on the floor can become tripping hazards, which can lead to potentially serious injury that can result in a need for emergency medical transport.

Protecting your health with simple, commonsense measures is important. So is protecting your savings. Getting a Medical Air Services Association (MASA) plan can prove to be one of the smartest things you ever do. MASA can protect you from catastrophic financial loss when emergencies arise at home or while traveling by covering your ambulance or airlift, regardless of your age or medical condition. Services are paid in full, with no deductibles, co-pays, or dollar limits. MASA provides coverage in all 50 states and Canada. Your association and AMBA make getting a MASA plan easy. You can even sign up online. Learn more at www.AMBAmedtransport.com or call 877-290-3170.

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