Isn’t it time to declutter your surroundings?

We’re all guilty of accumulating clutter. The word clutter does sound derogatory for items that you may love and can’t part with. Clutter is something that you have lying around your house that no longer serves its purpose. The thing is that some people can’t help collect things even if they seem not useful at the time the decision is made to keep them. It could be an empty bottle, an empty plastic container, a cardboard box or even items that are broken but for some reason can’t part with them.

I’m sure you’ve bought tinned biscuits and thought it could be used as a sewing box or a first aid kit. But then you put it away with the intention of turning it into one but you never do. Years later the box is still sitting in the cupboard but by then, of course, you no longer need to turn it into anything. Despite this you still can’t bring yourself to throw it away. It’s true that some things look just too pretty to discard and I think that’s half the reason clutter begins. Pretty soon the pile of clutter includes cardboard boxes, large and small, glass bottles that could be turned into ornaments or vases, tins that could be used as storage for other things, and even broken plates. But not all clutter is disused items. Some people are compulsive buyers of things they don’t need; they buy them simply because they like the look of them, and because they can’t help themselves.

Some people buy clothes, others books, some keep buying shoes and handbags and others still buy mountains of crockery and files (boxes and boxes of files) most of which they will never read, wear or use. In fact it’s very likely that these people forget they’ve already bought something, because it’s tucked away out of sight, and will frequently buy it again. Bear in mind, though, that clutter only ever becomes problematic in small living spaces. You truly end up stuffing things in drawers and cupboards, hoping that when you open the doors they don’t fall on top of you. The more the clutter and the smaller the space, the greater the chance of an avalanche happening.

Aside from taking up unnecessary storage, clutter can cause other issues that haven’t even occurred to most people. A few years ago, our small flat was suddenly filled with furniture that we didn’t need or have space for. A friend of the family was leaving the country and offered it to us for free. The quality of the items in his flat was fantastic but the problem was our flat was already fully functioning and did not need anything else. I was flabbergasted when these items began to fill our place including the bedroom in which I sleep. The place was chock-a-block! Do you know what that did to my brain? I couldn’t think clearly for the lack of space anywhere. Clutter may be around you but it also ends up being in your head.

People also forget that the more packed a corner is with unnecessary clutter the harder it is to clean. Dust begins to gather around the items and on top of them because you just can’t move it to clean the area behind it. And if it’s not dust, it could be mould because of the lack of circulation. Or it could be cockroaches because they love warm, dark places.

When you’re storing excessive items that you don’t need, you invariably end up storing them among things you do or will need at some point. This means that when you need something you cannot find it and moving the unnecessary items out of the way to get to the things you do need is a huge burden.

Isn’t it time to declutter? Out with the old and in with the new is the mantra we all should live by. I believe that if you haven’t used something in years, even if it’s a sofa or an electronic item, donate it. If you haven’t read something in years, donate it. Clearing your clutter will free your mind to think more clearly.