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Identify The Reasons Your Home Is Cluttered, And Fix It Today!
There just isn’t enough time in the day to get all your chores done. Unless of course, you are Wonder Woman. A cluttered home means a messy home. Can you identify the reasons your home is cluttered?
You are probably busy working a full-time job, taking care of your kids and family, some of you may own your own business or are studying in order to land that dream job you have always wanted.
What do we all have in common? We are busy.
Did you know that clutter can make you feel stressed out? Drain your energy?
It is those little things that become the biggest nuisance. Those little things that don’t have a home in your home, the little things you don’t do are the reasons your home is cluttered.
Not cleaning up sufficiently, not properly filing a document, keeping junk mail, leaving dishes in the sink overnight, or not putting your clothes back on the hanger when you decide to change ( I am guilty of this one).
Here are five reasons your home is cluttered, and how to fix it!
1. Keeping Items You Never Use
Whether it’s that new slow cooker you ordered off of Amazon, or that sewing machine from 1982, it is easy to accumulate items over the years.
Stop keeping items you never use “just in case” you might need it in the year 2054.
Easy Fix: Once a month, depending on how much clutter you have, get rid of 20 items you know you no longer need or have not used in a year.
Give it to a friend, sell it, donate it or throw it away. Whatever you decide, just make sure it leaves your home. Always consider, if you don’t use it, want it, or need it, get rid of it.
2. Shopping And More Shopping
We all buy things we don’t necessarily need. When you do this in excess, you have developed the habit that is one of the main reasons your home is cluttered.
When you go planned shopping, purchase the items you set out to get. Do not get distracted or lose your focus. Do what you can to simplify your life.
Easy Fix: If you spontaneously end up in a shopping mall, ask yourself, “do I need it today? can I do without this?” If yes, do not purchase it.
3. Not Organizing During the Week
It’s the weekend and you decide to clean your house on Sunday morning. Sunday evening you go to bed feeling good about a clean house and getting to bed for a fresh start to the week.
Come Friday, your home looks like it has been hit by a tornado! What in the world?
Easy Fix: Don’t go to sleep during the week with a cluttered home. Put things back in their place after you use them.
Clean counter tops and dirty dishes before going to bed. Focus on areas in your home that frustrate you the most and get those areas organized and clutter-free.
4. Sentimental Attachment To Items In Your Home
Some items in your home have sentimental value. No doubt about that. Priceless family photos, jewels, heirlooms, even the first painting your little one made. They should be cherished and held onto. Other not so valuable items could be one of the reasons your home is cluttered.
A postcard you received from a friend seven years ago, the sippy cup your now 16-year-old loved as a toddler, or that bandana you found during Woodstock! Don’t feel guilty for giving things away.
Easy Fix: Don’t throw away any items you feel have high sentimental value. You don’t want to regret getting rid of something you will never get back and will cause you heartache. When deciding what you should get rid of or keep, simply ask yourself, “if this item was lost forever would I be sad or upset?” No? Then toss it. Learn to let things go.
“A place for everything, and everything in its place” – Mrs Beeton Click To Tweet
5. Your Home Is Cluttered Because You Allow Junk To Live There
Newspapers, brochures, magazines, junk mail. They fill up your mailbox, you dump them on the kitchen counter knowing very well you don’t need it.
The pile increases because you do this daily right? Old and expired makeup, nail polish, and medicine take up space in your bathroom.
Cooking utensils and small appliances you don’t use because you bought them on sale, or have two or three of the same item?
Easy Fix: Open your mail as soon as you bring it in. Throw away flyer, brochures and magazines you don’t need. Don’t let snail mail be one of the reasons your home is cluttered. Get rid of the junk immediately.
Start Decluttering Your Home Today
Simply put, clutter is too much stuff in too small a space. Incorporating these easy fixes in your life will not only leave your home clutter-free but your mind will feel less overwhelmed.
Clutter sends signals to our brains, telling us that our work is never done.
Try out these steps and see the changes happen. When you walk into a room, pay attention to how it makes you feel.
Do your feel inspired by your surroundings? If yes, keep doing what you are doing. If not, go through these steps and make necessary changes.
Here are things you should not do when decluttering.
Enjoy the feeling of relief and freedom from living a clutter-free life.
How do you deal with clutter in your home?
Share your feedback with me in the comments section below.
Have a great and clutter free week!
54 comments
This is a really helpful post! I’m spending this month decluttering every square inch of my house, but you are right – I need to make sure I stick to the routine and keep it that way! I know I can’t work at my desk if the desk, or room is messy!
A cluttered life is indeed a stressed out life! I try to be as minimalist as possible as my flat is quite small at the moment! Donating unworn clothes to charity shops and trying to limit the sentimental things I hang on to are steps I take regularly!
Abbey ❤️
I’ve recently done this to my bedroom, and boy does it feel good. It’s hard to get rid of it as it’s all sentimental but once you do, you feel like a weights been lifted of your shoulders.
I am guilty of most of these. I am a bit or a hoarder and find it hard to throw things away – so my husband has to do it for me!
I’m really strict with shopping and letting us only buy what we need. I do need to go through stuff we haven’t used in a while though. It can build up can’t it?!
My problem was a hoarder, I love magazines but never had the time to read them, every week and month i get my delivery of glossy mags, but a busy life leaves little for reading, but I’ve learnt to read whilst travelling to work, that way it does not come home with me.
My house definitely has a lot of clutter, which I really need to do some winter cleaning asap! I love the idea of throwing away 20 items we dont need. Going to do that every week from now on.
Junk mail is my nemesis. I get so much that I always put it off, but you are so right. I need to just deal with it and toss the spam.
I can totally relate to this post! The last thing i want to do after a long day is clean. The key for me is to stay consistent and do a little bit at a time because the messier i let it get the longer I take to clean!
I so agree on the fact that clutter can lead to stress. I had a habit of buying things that I wouldn’t need and that would take up so much space. Thankfully, I don’t do that anymore and that has already taken care of so much clutter. Thanks for sharing all these wonderful tips!
Haha shopping is definitely the cause of my cluttered room. Or rather the brands who keep sending me clothes, I can’t even move in my room right now haha! x I definitely need to declutter and get rid of things that I don’t need anymore! x
You nailed it. The clutter I have is because I don’t get rid of mail… AND have a hard time throwing away things I haven’t used – especially clothes!! I really really need to get a grip! Great list!
Great read! I keep up with the dusting every morning and I make sure I put things where they are supposed to be before I go to bed. I do not want to get stressed so early in the morning if I wake up with a sink of dishes to wash and a gazillion things to pick up from the floor.
This was such a great post and very helpful. Ihave routine and do try to keep my home organized for the most part in a daily basis. Doing this has helped me have so much more time to get other things done and actually feel more energized. I am guilty of keeping junk mail tho! That’s still a work in progress Lol
This was the perfect article for me today! I am on a mission to de-clutter my home. I need to find peace in the chaos of life! My sweet husband however likes to hang on to EVERYTHING!
Absolutely agree with you on this one.
I have a terrible deal of snail mail spams lying in my attic. Gotta get rid of that.
I’m huge on clutter. My husband not so much so we always bicker on it. He’s always throwing things around instead of putting things where they belong.
I hate a cluttered home. I’m also a bit obsessive compulsive though lol, but there’s something about decluttering and cleaning that gives me a spark of joy. When things start to get busy and stuff piles up around the house I definitely feel myself being more stressed, and less productive in general.
Clutter totally stresses me out! I recently read the Magical Art of Tidying Up and it was life changing in how it makes you think about objects you don’t need but can’t let go of.
IGreat post. I’m guilty of keeping things I’m attached to because of some sentimental memories. 🙂
P.S. I’m happy so happy every time I find a quality blog that I love and yours is definetly one of them. Keep up the good work!
I really tried to simplify my life by giving up clothes that I don’t wear, anymore. Know what? It breaks me to let go the clothing’s of a newborn because I’m still dreaming to have another one after a miscarriage. The mails! Hahaha, I am not yet done peeling and arranging those stamps and postcards. Time can tell.
Ohh jeez I struggle with all five 🙁 I really need to work on the steps. I think cleaning during the week will be my first goal. I get so tired of cramming stuff under my bed and in the closet every time I get ready to have guests over.
This post is so relatable. We have an entire storage unit in our basement full of stuff that my husband absolutely refuses to get rid of even though he hasn’t touched it the last 4 years. I managed to get rid of a good amount. We will be moving shortly, and I gave him a 2 month deadline after he moves. Whatever he hasn’t used within that 2 months is gone.
Yes, yes and yes! Clutter makes me feel stressed! And my kids know it too. I always have them clean up before bedtime so I can wake up to a semi-clutter-free home. It’s still a work in progress. Contacting AMVET this week and donating a bunch of stuff!!
Definitely guilty of a lot of these but number 1 especially. We are the worst at throwing away things we don’t need. Organizing during the week is a little tricky with 3 ages 4 and under. I feel like I’m chasing 3 tiny hurricanes!
We must love our home and to love our home it should not be cluttered. The points mentioned by you are all so true. Especially holding on to useless stuff.
[…] You have a clutter free zone in your […]
Oh my… I am guilty of all the 5 reasons. I’m a working mom so I don’t have time clean up after work. I am slowly getting there, I’m cutting back on shopping, next that I will tackle is do some cleaning and throw out the junk.
I need to read all of this. I am trying to be more of a mininalist slowly and I need to get rid of a lot of junk. Some things I am sentimental too but the junk can go!
I am guilty of over shopping for things I don’t need – my wardrobe is so clutter – this has inspired me to have a look and see if I really need everything! Also sentimental attachment is a huge thing for me but I usually put things in boxes in the attic so my house doesn’t look cluttered 😛 Great blog post!
Jade! Don’t hide your clutter. You might become a hoarder. LOL. Just kidding, it should not get to that, but I say hold on to sentimental things you cannot part with, but don’t keep the clutter in the attic just for it to be out of sight. I too have stuff in my wardrobe that I could (should) get rid of.
There’s a desk area in my kitchen that has become a “catchall” and it annoys me to no end. I need to tackle that clutter ASAP!
The key for me is organizing the things as soon as I see it being not in place. My kids think I am crazy for being this way but I told them they will appreciate it when they have their own place and see how being organized helps.
Oh gosh do I hate clutter and so much of it is my kids’ stuff. I just cleaned out my entire closet, and I’ve been so mean and making them do the same. They just want to hold onto everything.
Ohhh I am guilty on most of the items! Hahahaha but good thing you have the Easy Fix section. Thanks a lot for this! It gave me a lot of idea.
Great blog post! very interesting and brilliant photos! Keep it up.
I am SO familiar with being stressed out. The least I want to see is clutter at home. It adds up to the mental stress. Having a clean space and working area would be nice.
After spending 12 hours in office, I don’t get the time to find out what is cluttering my house. But I really want to find out the reason, and work on it. Your tips are great. I’ll try to work out on these tips this weekend.
For me it is my kids for sure. But, my shopping can definitely get in the way sometimes.
I always keep things I seldom use. I mean there might be a time when I will need them again. This is the main reason my house get cluttered sometimes.
Yup I can agree with all thi, I am awful for buying little bits and ending up with a cluttered house, I need to try and start letting it go.
It can be so easy to let clutter build up. Realizing why your home is cluttered is a great step to making it less cluttered.
This was a read for me. I felt like you were speaking directly to me. I’m trying to purge all that I don’t need, don’t use and don’t want.
I am glad my post came across to you the way I wanted it to Mimi. I hope the tips will be able to help you to purge the stuff you don’t want. It is a bit difficult to start and get going, but once you do, you will feel a sense of relief and a true weight lifted off your shoulders.
I don’t have a sentimental attached to a lot of items in my home. This week my home is cluttered due to the various DIY projects I’m working on over the weekend.
I always feel cluttered so I am always trying to find ways to make it look better! I will take the tips you mentioned here and try a few!
Hi Jeanette. I understand you completely. The key is getting rid of the clutter rather than organizing it. 🙂
I too believe that clutter can cause stress and sometimes it drains my energy from looking at it. I’m going to have to get rid of my clutter because it’s really distressing to me. I need to work on getting rid of items I never use. I was just looking at a stack of unopened mail sitting on my desk before reading this. I should have opened it lol.
LOL, yes Terri, you should have. 🙂 Clutter causes stress, overwhelm and anxiety. I used to always get agitated and anxious about all the STUFF we had. The more I purge stuff, the less worry I feel. Just don’t try to do it all at once, so you don’t feel frustrated and give up.
Agree that clutter can lead to stress. I grew up being taught when your done with it put it away. Touch something once and move on to another project.
I try to go paperless whenever possible and go online for most transactions. It helps with the clutter. This year, I’ve been taking one room at a time and getting rid of stuff I’ve been hanging on to for years that has no sentimental value. The older I get, the more clutter free I become.
You are doing it exactly the way it should be done Alli. 🙂
My house is cluttered for more of a sad reason. My husband died 3 1/2 years ago. My son had just turned 16 and my daughter was a couple weeks away from 19. My son has not been able to let go of my husband’s things since then plus he accumulates more. I know one of these days he will start letting go of some of it, but for now I try to be understanding and keep things in one area.
Hi Christy. Just reading this immediately brought tears to my eyes. I am so sorry to hear about the loss of your husband. I think your kids should hold on to the items for as long as they need to. I lost my mother to breast cancer when I was 18. My mom never made it to her 50th birthday. I feel like after 16 years, I think about her and still cry every time. The pain has eased over the years but I feel it is something you never get over. I have also gotten good at hiding my pain and putting on a brave face. Letting go of items from love ones is a slow and gradual process. When the time is right, you will know. I wish you and your family continued strength and lots of love. It is so important to hold on tighter to each other now more than ever.
Lots of hugs from Vienna, xoxoxo S.