When we occupy the same space for a long time, we can sometimes lose sight of our immediate surroundings, even as they start to degrade. Such is the case for many folks who like to hold on to things for longer than they should. Often, the problem of having too much clutter can hover under the radar until someone points it out. If you describe yourself as a bit of a pack rat, keep reading to learn how to know when your home is too cluttered and when you should try to change up your habits.
You Always Feel Like You Need To Clean
If you regularly have the thought, “I need to clean up my house before I do anything,” but then never do, you could have some serious hoarding tendencies. If you won’t let people over to your house because you’re embarrassed by the state of it, that should be your red flag that something needs to change. Don’t keep putting it off. You know what you need to do; you just have to find the will to do it.
You Keep Thinking You Need More Storage
You’ll know it’s time to declutter when you can’t stop thinking about getting more places to store things, rather than just getting rid of items you no longer need. When you feel like you need more storage, take a second to examine the real problem. What do you need that storage for? Are you storing things you don’t want in the first place? If so, you don’t need storage; you need to do some cleaning.
You Have “Junk Areas”
If you think about your house right now, does a specific area come up as a place to store things when you don’t know what to do with them? Maybe it’s a junk drawer or a junk closet? These kinds of places are not necessary. If you are designating specific areas in your home purely to house junk, that’s a clear sign something needs to change.
You Keep Losing Things
One of the easiest ways to know when your home is too cluttered is to think about how often you misplace important items. Things going missing among all the junk and clutter is a common side effect of having that junk and clutter. It’s not that you are a forgetful person; it’s just that your home works against you when it comes to finding things. A solid organization plan will help ensure you know where your essential items are.