Are your walls closing in on you? Is your floor space severely diminished due to the build-up of clutter? You have only yourself to blame. Stop making lame excuses and think of all the disadvantages you and your family have to put up with each and every day because of your reluctance to be rid of it.
The main disadvantage of living in a home full of clutter is that clutter actually breeds more clutter. The explanation is simple and extremely logical: you can’t find a particular item because there is too much clutter in the way and it takes you too long to locate so you go and buy a new one which thus adds to the clutter. Makes sense doesn’t it? You soon end up with far more similar items than you will ever need. This type of hoarding may be unintentional but it is hoarding nonetheless.
Other occupants of the house will never miss an opportunity to complain about your clutter unless you happen to provide them with something remotely useful which they feel they desperately need on the spur of the moment. They will likely express their eternal gratitude and you will enjoy some well-earned respite from their tirades but all this is soon forgotten when they trip over some more of your clutter that you have left in their way.
There are many other disadvantages to clutter; it prevents proper and correct enjoyment of household things; an extreme example of this is books stored in the bathtub.
Clutter slows down the rate at which you can get things done, purely because you have to move at least half a dozen things out of the way first before you reach the item you want. This also causes avalanches – usually of books and clothes when you see the item you need but it is at the very bottom of a pile. You have chests of drawers and cupboards you can’t open because of all the things in front of them. You can’t shut doors because of all the things hanging on the handles and drape over the tops. Do you really want to live like this?
Clutter makes everything look bad. There are likely some very useful items in that pile of junk in the middle of your lounge but the rubbish detracts from the good. Be warned – sort it out before someone comes along and throws the whole lot out while you are not looking.
Clutter is not good for dust allergy sufferers; some of whom happen to be incorrigible hoarders themselves. You sneeze and cough your way through piles of old magazines and dust catching ornaments knowing for your own health, well being and perhaps sanity that it would be far better to part with your junk but something at the very core of your being prevents you from doing so.
Moths, mice and all manner of malevolent munchers love your clutter – it is a veritable free feast to them. They will devour your stash of goods left in the garage or the attic and soon it will be no good to anyone but the ragman. Far better to part company with it and donate to charity while it still has some wear in it.
On a serious note, clutter can be a fire hazard if stored too near a heat source and can, of course, be a hindrance if a property needs to be evacuated quickly.
There really are no advantages to clutter at all so clear that clutter and enjoy all that living space you didn’t realise you had. There is no excuse nowadays to hold onto your clutter and wrap it around you like a security blanket. There is every facility for recycling so why continue to inconvenience yourself and your loved ones?