Decluttering homes can be one of the most important keys to improved quality of life.  Households tend to accumulate an extraordinary amount of possessions over time.  Most families don't notice that they are actually drowning in their own belongings until they feel the need for more living space or they cannot find what they are looking for in the big pile of clutter.

How Do Households Accumulate Clutter

1. Impulsive Buying

Many people are guilty of buying things on impulse.  These things usually turn out to be non-necessities. Sale events in malls and department stores tend to encourage people to buy things they don't really need with the discounted price as the come-on.

2. Attachment to Personal Belongings

Through time, people will develop a certain attachment to some of their belongings largely due to sentimental reasons.  The desire to keep them is natural  but keeping this attitude in all belongings is tantamount to unnecessary hoarding.  In time, clothes and shoes will no longer fit, books have already been read, and replacement furniture and appliances have already been bought.  This is the right time to let go of these possessions to make way for what is actually needed.

3. Lack of Home Organization

When homes are not organized and needed things cannot be found, the next course of action is to buy another. This automatically results to double items.  Accumulated double or triple items usually end up in clutter.

How can Households Declutter

1. Stop Adding to the Pile of Clutter

The first step of home decluttering is to stop and desist from buying items that are not needed.  Impulsive buyers should train themselves to stay away from sale events.  For people who actually wait for sale events to buy items, it would be best for them to plan and save for these items and avoid the urge to buy more.

2. Consider Donating 

Items that have been lying in storage for months or years because they are no longer being used should be sorted.  There are items that have to be thrown away but there are more that can still be donated to others in need.  Donating not only declutters the house but it also provides a sense of well-being in knowing that a good deed has been accomplished.

3. Hold a Garage Sale

Holding a garage sale is the perfect opportunity to clean and declutter a home while earning from the effort. Many material possessions spend indefinite time in storage because their owners see them as too valuable to let go without monetary consideration.  One year of non-use is a safe gauge for determining items to be included in the garage sale.

My Say

Modern living has made many of us hoarders of material things that we don't actually need.  When we clutter our homes with unnecessary things, we tend to make our lives more complicated. Advertising and marketing efforts of companies tend to make us feel that we need to buy something and that we are less than complete if we don't have what they are offering.

That said, we as consumers must learn to be more discerning of our needs and wants.  There is no question about buying what we need.  It is the wants that make us clutter our homes to a level that is no longer beneficial to us.  Let us start decluttering our homes and claim the improved quality of life that is meant for us. 


Image: www.simple-organization.com