It’s the season for New Year’s resolutions. And for homeowners, that often means turning our attention to our living spaces.
While a light cleaning can make the home feel somewhat more tranquil, consider aiming for a full-blown declutter this year. Whether you plan on selling your home with top realtors this year or simply want to create a blank slate for the year ahead, here are a few reasons to declutter your home.
Mess Is Stress: The Mental Health Toll of Clutter
According to psychological research, clutter takes a genuine toll on your mental health. The science behind why mess causes stress is complicated, but here’s a quick simplification: clutter adds excess stimuli to your immediate environment, which forces your brain to work overtime processing everything.
This extra kick in activity causes your brain to revert to a panic state – spiking your cortisol and hampering your focus.
Your Best Foot Forward: Decluttering for a Home Sale
A more practical reason to declutter is to prepare your home for a sale. Any of the best realtors for hire will tell you that home buyers want to see a blank slate. They want to envision themselves in the space.
The only way to achieve this blank slate is to declutter your home as best you can. In these cases, work with top realtors in Toronto (or insert your city or area) to devise a game plan. You might also consider working with a dedicated decluttering, move management or home organizing service.
Keeping Your Home Hygienic
Clutter tends to hide all of the allergens, dirt, critters and mildew we might normally attack on sight. Out of sight, they proliferate, potentially causing severe hygiene issues around the home. This is why you often find hazard specialists called to aid people with hoarding issues.
Of course, that’s an extreme case – but even lightly cluttered homes can be susceptible to unwanted hygiene issues.
Aiding in Home Management and Organization
Have you ever bought a pack of batteries only to discover that you bought those same batteries a month ago? It’s a common slip-up in most homes, causing us to overspend on household items and foodstuffs.
Decluttering helps you avoid that overspending and overstocking. Once you clear the excess items from your home, you can implement an easy-to-follow home inventory system – basically, a running list of what’s on hand, posted visibly on the fridge or filed away in an online app.
Sprucing the Place Up for Guests and Pop-Overs
If you’re someone who likes to entertain – or unlucky enough to get unannounced pop-overs from acquaintances/family – it’s beneficial to keep a clear, unobstructed space. Rather than throw yourself into a mad-dash cleaning tizzy every time you make plans, give your home one good, thorough decluttering. Starting from a clear and clean foundation makes tidying for guests much less stressful.
Preparing for Life Transitions
Life throws all sorts of curveballs: relocations, new jobs, new relationships, divorces, deaths in the family, etc. Some are welcome, while others leave you feeling lost. In either case, these transitions can be disruptive, making it challenging to stay on top of essential home management. Decluttering helps you prepare for these big life changes by starting with a clear home and easily followable organization principles.
Now that you know the reasons, consider putting “declutter” on your list of New Year’s resolutions. With a few days of effort, you’ll be rewarded with a stress-free, marketable, manageable and beautiful home.
