Is it high time to clear out excess items from you home, get rid of junk, or haul a load to the dump?
Many folks might not be aware of it, but a cluttered home – or any area of it – can have a seriously negative effect on any number of aspects of your mental state. Often it’s difficult for homeowners to make the decision about what stays and what goes, and that’s true even for those of us who aren’t what they call “hoarders.”
When you only have so much square footage in your home, however, it’s pretty common to have to make those tough decisions. Studies have shown that a home that is cleaner, tidier, and features more open space is increasingly conducive to people being creative, emotionally responsive, thinking objectively, and enjoying peace of mind and a greater sense of being entirely comfortable and relaxed. There’s even more in the way of benefits to having an uncluttered home – but those ones alone should be convincing enough!
If you live in a single-family dwelling, one area of the home that’s prone to become cluttered is the garage. It’s quite natural for items to accumulate there, and it’s equally natural to be a little more okay with the ‘mess’ in there than it would be for more interior parts of the home. But having less and less space in your garage is detrimental too – ask any Saturday mechanic who’s got less than 3 feet on any side of the vehicle while he’s working on it.
So, in the interest of getting rid of some of the clutter in your home, we’ve designed this checklist that you can reference anytime you’re weighing whether something ‘stays’ or ‘goes’.
- Do I really need this?
We live in a very consumerist-oriented society, and as such we’re hardwired to buy items. Many times we hold on to items long after they’ve ceased to become useful, practical, or even functional in some cases. This kind of behaviour is somewhat unhealthy – you probably don’t have any issue deciding to give clothing that you’ve outgrown or no longer find attractive to the Goodwill, so why not make the same decision for many of those ‘things’ that are simply taking up space in your home and haven’t moved in many years?
- Could someone else make better use of this?
And when we say ‘someone’ here, we mean anyone – from family members to neighbours to the less-fortunate in our society. It’s very true that often when you ‘give something away’ to someone who needs it more than you do, there’s a very liberating and redeeming feeling attached to it. You’ll like the extra space you create at home, and you might make someone else very happy. Win-win.
- What could I add to this space if it wasn’t full of _______? Or maybe just the space itself is preferable?
Keeping in mind what we’ve shared above about the mental health benefits of decluttering your home, this 3rd question is quite possibly the best of the three. For example, if there wasn’t that 8’ high stack of boxes full of this / that / the other in the corner of your rec room, maybe an exercise machine could be there in its place? Or maybe just creating some open space is just what you and your family need to open things up a little – or a lot!
If you come around to the idea of undertaking a purge of unnecessary items in your home, you may find that transporting all of it – wherever near or far it may be going – is more than you yourself can handle. Load and Lift is is a professional and prompt professional junk removal company in Trenton Ontario area, and we’re always ready to spring into action to assist you with making more space in your home. ‘Spring’ cleaning can occur any time of the year, and it’s highly recommended!