Study Reveals Clutter Linked To Depression
Do you have a house full of clutter, broken items you will fix one day, things you have not used in over a year, clothes that no longer fit and toys that belong to children that have already grown up? Perhaps it is time to declutter. The motivation can be a cleaner house but now there are beneficial health issues to take into account as well. A study by UCLA CELF (University of California, Los Angeles Center on Everyday Lives of Families) has revealed that a cluttered house has a direct correlation with depression.
An excerpt from the findings details behaviours that many of us can identify with.
"We put our stuff anywhere in the house, everywhere there’s room, or even if there’s no room. Park the car on the street so we can store our stuff in the garage. Pile the dirty laundry in the shower because there’s nowhere else to store it and no time to wash it. George Carlin famously observed that “a house is just a pile of stuff with a cover on it."
Here are a few things to check if you are a hoarder.
1. Is your cupboard full of clothes you cannot or do not wear?
2. Are you using a spare room for storage space?
3. Can you park your car in your garage or is it full of other 'things'?
4. Do you struggle to throw out boxes of items you have purchased?
5. Do you keep equipment/machines/appliances that are broken?
If you answered yes to one or more of the above then you may want to check out our 10 Signs Of Hoarding Habits post to see if it is time to detox on your clutter and clean out your home. What next? If you have identified a need to clean up you act, here are a few tips and hints to get you started.
1. Pick one room and stick with it, only when you have that room clean should you move on. This will reduce the problem area and make the daunting task of cleaning the entire house a better easier to manage.
2. Use the one-in-one-out rule. Each time you purchase a new item an old item must be thrown out or given away. In this way you can ensure that extra, unused items will not stockpile and cause a cluttered home.
3. Make a cleaning roster, place it on the fridge and then stick to it. It doesn't have to be big tasks, a simple pack shoes away or rinse the basin will do. A few five minute tasks each day will add up at the end of the week.
Need more help? Check out our 5 Things In Your Home You Need To Trash post for items that you don't need but are causing clutter in your home. Of course you can always rent a self storage unit and have your home clutter free by this evening. Check out our handy self storage space estimator to find out what unit size will suit you.
An excerpt from the findings details behaviours that many of us can identify with.
"We put our stuff anywhere in the house, everywhere there’s room, or even if there’s no room. Park the car on the street so we can store our stuff in the garage. Pile the dirty laundry in the shower because there’s nowhere else to store it and no time to wash it. George Carlin famously observed that “a house is just a pile of stuff with a cover on it."
Here are a few things to check if you are a hoarder.
1. Is your cupboard full of clothes you cannot or do not wear?
2. Are you using a spare room for storage space?
3. Can you park your car in your garage or is it full of other 'things'?
4. Do you struggle to throw out boxes of items you have purchased?
5. Do you keep equipment/machines/appliances that are broken?
If you answered yes to one or more of the above then you may want to check out our 10 Signs Of Hoarding Habits post to see if it is time to detox on your clutter and clean out your home. What next? If you have identified a need to clean up you act, here are a few tips and hints to get you started.
1. Pick one room and stick with it, only when you have that room clean should you move on. This will reduce the problem area and make the daunting task of cleaning the entire house a better easier to manage.
2. Use the one-in-one-out rule. Each time you purchase a new item an old item must be thrown out or given away. In this way you can ensure that extra, unused items will not stockpile and cause a cluttered home.
3. Make a cleaning roster, place it on the fridge and then stick to it. It doesn't have to be big tasks, a simple pack shoes away or rinse the basin will do. A few five minute tasks each day will add up at the end of the week.
Need more help? Check out our 5 Things In Your Home You Need To Trash post for items that you don't need but are causing clutter in your home. Of course you can always rent a self storage unit and have your home clutter free by this evening. Check out our handy self storage space estimator to find out what unit size will suit you.
Posted by Stor-Age Self Storage - 03 July 2015 | Tips And Hints