We recently came across an article in the Daily Mail ‘Inside a Hoarder’s Home’ and were horrified at some of the pictures.
This article is about a dapper man in his 70s who has been living in his 4 bedroom house for over 33 years. A photographer spent a year with the man and created a series of touching images to shed light on the condition of being a compulsive hoarder. His house was almost inaccessible because of the piles and piles of clutter that had been hoarded over decades.
Many of us can relate to this to some extent – and although many of us are unlikely to admit it, there’s bound to be a tiny hoarder in us all. Whether it’s down to the fact that you like to hold on to family heirlooms, collect photographs or perhaps holiday souvenirs from all the different places you’ve visited.
You can be labelled as a hoarder for being lazy or if you’re stubbornly attached to possessions – but clearly too much clutter is bad for all of us.
If you in any way think or fear that you may be hoarding in your home, then perhaps you need to take a look at our tips to declutter and create some ‘space’:
- Declutter – Gradually
Don’t go through your home picking up everything you think you don’t need and throwing it straight away. This may lead to strong feelings of regret and anxiety. Instead why not start slow and go through one small space or one room at a time every week or month. This way you’re more likely to get rid of the stuff you know you don’t need and are able to reorganise the space or room each time.
- Scale Down Your Collections
Do you really need to keep all of those childhood report cards or birthday cards that you have accumulated over the years? Maybe it’s time to go through all of your collections and decide which of them are the important ones that mean something to you – then you can recycle the rest of them. This will create more storage space within your home.
- Get Rid Of Unused Items
Try to avoid the tendency to put something aside “for now”. Take the time to make a decision about an item there and then so you don’t have to come back to it later and think again each time you decide to get organised. Do you really need 25 cookery books (which you rarely ever open?).
- Store Things Away
If you cannot make the decision to lose or keep an item, then here’s an idea – why not store it away somewhere neatly. That way it will be kept hidden away, still reducing the clutter. For this test, it’s often useful to purchase some sort of shelving or storage system to fill an awkward space in your home – not only does it keep that item out of the way reducing the risk of clutter, but it also makes the most out of the space in your home.
Use this as a test – give yourself 3 months and if you can go for 3 months without getting that item out, then you know you can let it go without regret!
And remember – if you’re ever wondering whether or not to throw out an item – consider recycling or handing over to a friend or charity shop. It’s much easier to get rid of an item when you know it’s going to go to a good home.
cluttercollectionsdeclutterhoarderhoardingorganisational tipsorganisingshelvingstorage
what do you think?