A cluttered home can feel like a drain on your time, health and wellbeing. Yet as we try to get back to the normal, frenetic pace of life – while still wondering if that’s possible – many people will have less time to keep their homes clutter-free.
Inspired by eternal tidy-upper and t-shirt rolling enthusiast Marie Kondo, there has been a shift towards living a fuss-free life by maximising space and decluttering our homes.
Thanks to her book The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying and the consequent Netflix series, scores of people have been decluttering in the past couple of years.
But what exactly are the benefits of tidying up? And can decluttering really make a positive impact on our homes and lives? We have taken a look.
Making you money
Many of us need to find ways to come up with some extra money from time to time. Assessing our finances and budgeting effectively can help, but so can having a good clear-out.
In a recent study of eBay auction listings, it was discovered that many household items such as vinyl records, old comic books and vintage clothes could fetch favourable prices online.
You could get an average of £28.39 a pop for selling a comic book that you’ve just had stored away, while a vinyl record could go for £38.74.
If you have a collection of Pokemon cards, the average listing price is £69.33. However, if your cards are rarer, you could get up to £10,000 for them. That would certainly be beneficial to most people!
Reducing stress and anxiety
It has been proven that clutter in our homes produces high levels of the stress hormone cortisol, which can cause anxiety and depression in the long term.
While the level of clutter may be subjective to each person, storing unnecessary items out of sight in a tidy manner can reduce feelings of stress and anxiety, proving that decluttering can benefit the way we feel.
Making your home easy to maintain
When you have less stuff, you’ll have less stuff to clean and take care of. This makes it easier to stay on top of keeping your house clean.
An easy-to-maintain home will free up your time to enjoy other things in your life, helping you feel happier and more content.
Providing you with a good night’s sleep
A clear, calm, tidy home creates the perfect environment for a deep and peaceful night’s sleep. Without so much stuff distracting you, your mind can rest when you sleep.
In addition, a decluttered home will also give you fewer tasks to complete before bed, eliminating the feeling that you forgot something as your head hits the pillow.
Keeping you moving around
Decluttering and tidying up requires a certain level of physical exercise. By moving around our homes and taking unwanted stuff to the charity shop or post office, we’ll be getting some much-needed exercise.
Exercise has a positive effect on our wellbeing and the more we can move around, the better we’ll feel.
As recent studies have shown, the benefits and positive impacts of decluttering can help facilitate improved health and wellbeing in our lives.
So why not start decluttering your home and begin enjoying the benefits of a tidier, happier, clutter-free life?
