Clutter. We all have it. Maybe it is just a drawer, closet, extra room or office. Sometimes, an entire house. Over the past 50 years, the average size of American homes have tripled (Adler, 2006) and have at least 300,000 things “from paper clips to ironing boards” in them (MacVean, 2020). It gets worse. Twenty-five percent of families with a two-car garage can’t even park their cars inside of them (Becker, n.d.).
I am not a minimalist, but have to admit that I am a simplest. I like things, but not a lot of things. However, I have two children and that makes a huge impact on how much stuff we have in our house. I can’t tell you how many times I have been cleaning up after my two boys have gone to bed and I wonder out loud, “What is this stuff? And, where did it come from?” At one point I cleared away at least of the toys they had accumulated over the years and no one even knew it was gone. Of course, I have that same thought when I walk into our garage too!
Decluttering your space has a myriad of benefits for healthy living. If dishes in the kitchen are clean and stored properly, people are more likely to eat in and cook healthy meals (Crane, 2016). Getting rid of clutter is also good for you because a lot of times it gets rid of dust and toxins that have been laying around for a long time and improve allergy symptoms (Crane, 2016). Additionally, people may experience an increase in mental health as they are forced to get rid of things that carry a lot of emotional baggage (Crane, 2016).
What is the best way to get started in creating a clutter-free life? Marie Kondo, the well-known tidying expert and founder of the The KonMari Method™ encourages people to discard items that no longer spark joy (Konmarie.com, n.d.). Her rules of decluttering encourages people to make a commitment to tidying up, envisioning an ideal lifestyle, focusing on getting rid of what no longer serves you, following a certain order of tidying by category, and focusing on object that sparks joy for you (Konmarie.com, n.d.). I have her books and after a few months of really focusing on intentional decluttering have a much more harmonious house! It’s definitely not perfect, but it’s a good start!
Adler, M. (July 4, 2006). Behind the ever-expanding American dream house. Retrieved from: https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5525283
Becker, J. (n.d.). 21 surprising statistics that reveal how much stuff we actually own. Retrieved from: https://www.becomingminimalist.com/clutter-stats/
Crane, K. (November 8, 2016). Why decluttering Is good for your health. Retreived from: https://health.usnews.com/wellness/mind/articles/2016-11-08/why-decluttering-is-good-for-your-health
Konmari.com. (n.d.). About Marie Kondo. Retrieved from: https://shop.konmari.com/pages/about?_ga=2.217119574.1171948352.1586190039-1018387578.1586190039
MacVeon. M. (March 21, 2014). For many people, gathering possessions is just the stuff of life. Retrieved from: https://www.latimes.com/health/la-xpm-2014-mar-21-la-he-keeping-stuff-20140322-story.html
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