How Clutter Can Affect Our Lives and Why We Keep It
After reading Karen Kingston’s blog “Why people keep stuff” and Gretchen Rubin’s blog “Test Yourself: Do You Have Clutter Mentality?, it is apparent that I am not happy. Karen Kingston is an expert on the Feng Shui art of space clearing. Gretchen Rubin is a thought-provoking author of books on happiness. I must admit that I have used every excuse written in her blog, and truth be told, I immediately cleared some “stuff” off my desk after reading this article. Karen Kingston says clutter could add to our weight problems. Geez, I’m in trouble.
There are very few homes that I walk into for a seller consultation that don’t have clutter. We all have it, and it is the biggest woe of people who are starting to think about putting their home on the market. Some of the clutter is easy to eliminate. Step 1 could be going through your attic, kitchen cabinets, garage, and basement and pulling out all the items that you have saved that are broken (with the intent of fixing them later). For goodness sake, why do you want to save a lamp that has a broken cord? (I threw a very dusty one of these away about a week ago.)
About 8 years ago, I hired a personal organizer who gave me some great advice:
- Make 3 piles – Definitely Keep, Definitely Get Rid Of, and Not Sure. Take a second look and then get rid of the second 2 piles. Do not let the throw-aways stay in your house overnight.
- Install organizers in your closets – organizing your closet does not have to mean $$$$ to a professional closet company. A trip to The Container Store along with a few tools, and you can do it yourself.
- Buy clear containers and put labels on them for the “stuff” you are keeping.
Clutter multiplies when you don’t have a specific place to put it. Do you have a specific place to put the mail? Do you have enough hooks and closet space to keep the coats? Do you have your household tools and cleaning supplies organized in a specific place? Have a simple organizational system in place so that you don’t pick something up, look at it and then set it down in a “clutter collector” spot with the idea of putting it away on a rainy day.
My clients who recently renovated this home in University City wanted a high-quality, clutter-free home in a top-notch neighborhood. They bought the smallest house on the block and then maximized the space with well designed built-in storage areas. The custom bamboo cabinet in the kitchen has shelves, a junk drawer, and wine cubbies. They had a designated area for the recycle bins that was out of sight but easy to get to. They squeezed in a closet in the baby’s room under the eaves.
They built in a desk and a window seat that opened for toy storage. By putting a lot of thought into storage in the planning phase of the renovation, this small home became very easy to keep clutter-free.
My goal is to heed the words in Gretchen Rubin’s blog; William Morris admonished, “Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful.”
The Decluttered Home
The Top 8 Reasons Why You Have Clutter
For a private seller consultation, contact Barbara Heise by text or call (314) 503-4856
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