10 Signs It Is Time to Declutter Your Home

May 13, 2022 · 4

Many people think of clutter as trash lying around the home. However, clutter is not just trash that needs to be thrown out. Clutter can be articles of clothing, toys, paper, and anything lying around in inappropriate places. If you look around your home, you will probably find plenty of clutter that needs to find a home. By learning a few simple decluttering tips, you can win the fight against your growing clutter.

Signs That It's Time to Declutter Your Home

You're Struggling to Find Things

Do you often find yourself wondering where you put something important? If so, it might be a sign that you are living with too much clutter. It's hard to find what you need when there's clutter everywhere. By decluttering the rooms in your home, you won't have to waste countless hours tracking down lost items.
You Can't Close Your Cabinets and Drawers

No home is complete without functioning cabinets and drawers. Ideally, you should be able to place things inside of these spaces and fully close them. However, this isn't a reality for adults with overly cluttered drawers and cabinets.

To solve this problem, start clearing these areas and tossing out what you don't need. It might also be a good idea to buy cabinet and drawer organizers. You might amaze yourself at how quickly a few well-placed organizers put an end to cluttered cabinets and drawers.
Paper Piles are Growing Around You

Everyone has bills, letters, and other important documents to keep track of. However, problems can start happening when you're not organizing or throwing away your papers. Soon, you might find that paper piles appear throughout your home. Not only are paper piles signs of clutter, but they're also a clutter-related fire hazard. Papers burn extremely quickly, and piles of them ignite quickly.
You Haven't Seen Clean Floors in Ages

Another common problem area for clutter is your floors. At the end of a long day, the floors are an easy place to toss shoes, clothes, and other items. Over time, it can become hard to see, or remember what clean floors even looked like!

Once you start cluttering up your floor space, your entire home begins to feel cluttered. Having so many belongings that you need to use virtually every inch of floor space is a clear warning that you have too much stuff. Plus, everything feels crowded. All it takes is for one little thing to be out of place and the whole house looks messy. To put an end to cluttered floors, consider buying a few shoe racks or storage bins. These items give you places to store clothing and other items that commonly end up on the floor.
Dishes are Also Piling Up

Almost everyone leaves a few dishes in the sink from time to time. If you're not keeping up with washing dishes, a few plates can soon turn into a sink full of dirty dishware. Food left on dirty dishes can also attract ants, cockroaches, and other pests.

These piles of unwashed dishes also contain the stench of bacteria from spoiled food. For a safer and cleaner kitchen, start cleaning or placing dishes in the dishwasher immediately after using them.
Mountains of Laundry Start Popping Up

It's hard for many people to find a chore they dread more than doing the laundry. This is one reason why both clean and dirty laundry can start to pile up in a home. You might think about throwing away clothing in your piles of laundry. The problem is that throwing away unwanted clothes often sends them to already overcrowded landfills. Clothing can stay in landfills for over 200 years. Instead, consider donating clothing you no longer want to charity.
Your Car No Longer Fits in the Garage

One of the most cluttered spaces in many homes is the garage. A recent study found that, for 50% of adults, the garage is the most disorganized are in their homes. If there's no way you can get your car into your garage, it's often due to excess clutter.

By decluttering your garage, you can use this space to store your vehicle away from the elements. You might also use your newly clutter-free garage as a gym, workshop, or other bonus space.
There is No Tabletop or Countertop Space in Your Home

People living in cluttered homes also have difficulties finding tabletop and countertop space. It's easy to see why so many homes have cluttered tables and counters. These spaces are within arm's reach, making them convenient locations for items you'll get back to later.

One tip for reducing cluttered kitchen counters is to get rid of small appliances you don't use regularly.
It Takes Forever to Clean Your Home

No one wants to spend all day cleaning their homes. If daily cleaning turns into an all-day task, this is a sign of a clutter problem. It might surprise you to learn how much time you save by getting rid of clutter. Research from the National Soap and Detergent Association found that decluttering your home can eliminate 40% of housework-related tasks.
You Feel Like You Have Too Much Going On

Living in a cluttered space can make you feel like you have too much going on because you're surrounded by all that you need to do. If you're feeling less focused, like everything is a distraction, these are clear signs you need to declutter your home.

The truth is that cluttered environments make for cluttered minds. Usually, when I feel myself being a little scattered and unfocused or not knowing what I should be doing, I simply stop and clean. This helps to see the areas where I'm accumulating clutter again.

Pay attention to how you're feeling. Your feelings can be an excellent sign that things are starting to get out of control.

Heeding these signs will help you keep on top of your clutter as you accumulate new things. Pay attention to these signs and your clutter won't get out of control!