5 Reasons Why You Should Declutter Your Home

There’s no doubt about it: decluttering has become highly fashionable. Countless articles have been written about it, books have been published, and entire websites and blogs are devoted to the magic of tidying up.

Since the trend began, “decluttering experts” have cited numerous ways that purging our homes can improve our lives, including better mental health, increased productivity and lower stress levels, but it's hard to know whether to give credence to these claims.

Even if decluttering your home doesn’t provide the dramatic life overhaul you were expecting, it will simplify your routine no end and help you maximise your space. Here are five reasons you should start decluttering your home, right now.

Mental Clarity

Your environment can have a significant impact on the way you feel. So if you’re feeling stressed, depressed or unmotivated, take a look at your surroundings. Whether clutter is physical, digital or mental, it’s all linked, so if you want to improve mental clarity, start by decluttering and organising the items in your home.

Fewer Decisions

If you’re the kind of person who stresses over what to wear in the morning, what to have for breakfast and even which coffee cup to use, decluttering your home will remove many of those annoying decisions from your day. Say you have a “capsule wardrobe” of clothes you love, you could pick any one of them up and know it’s going to fit and be comfortable, or you only own three coffee cups, and they’re all identical. Suddenly you’ve freed up valuable time that would otherwise be spent searching for the items you need or trying to make decisions.

So, invest in storage solutions for items you could do without, but may need later on in life. It’s all about making your daily life more straightforward and less stressful.

Safer Home

Let’s face it: your home will be safer when you have less stuff lying around. Piles of clutter can create obstacles around the house that make injury more likely, especially if you have young children, and can even pose a fire risk. What’s more, it’s easier to proof your rooms for babies and pets when you own less.

Save Money

By taking stock of what you already own, and didn’t need to buy in the first place, you will prevent yourself making the same spending mistakes in the future. Each cluttered drawer, overstuffed cupboard and item hanging un-touched in your wardrobe is an example of money wasted. By paying attention to what you throw away, you will learn to save money by adjusting your shopping habits.

Make Money

Don’t just throw your unwanted items in a bin bag, as there is good money to be made from your clutter. Sell new or good-condition items on eBay, Gumtree or Facebook and hand the rest to your local charity shop. Donating to a good instead of hanging on to your junk will make you feel great, and making money on your clutter could help you save for that holiday or house move.