15 Benefits of Decluttering Your Home

There are many benefits of decluttering your home. It can improve your health and wellbeing as well as your environment.

A cluttered, messy home or workspace can have a significant effect on our psychological wellbeing. It can cause us to feel anxious, stressed and overwhelmed. It can impact our ability to focus and process information. Unnecessary clutter can turn even the simplest of cleaning tasks into mammoth events.

I have always had a pretty major problem with clutter in my house and life. When I start a new hobby or interest I tend to collect anything and everything to do with that new hobby. If I find a pair of shoes or trousers that I like, I then want one in every colour. It gives me a little happy fix at the time. But it eventually ends up overwhelming me and overfilling my home.

I’ve been working hard to address the clutter problems in my house. And I’ve found that the positives from a tidy, uncluttered space far outweigh the effort of actually decluttering in the first place. And the feeling of calm and control makes me much happier than receiving yet another parcel from Amazon and having to try to find somewhere to store/hide it.

Here are 15 ways you can benefit from decluttering your home

1 A clearer mind

Clutter limits your ability to process information. Decluttering your space can also declutter your mind leaving you feeling lighter and giving you a sense of freedom. You will find it easier to concentrate with less visual distraction.

2 Reduced stress and anxiety

Having clutter around you all the time leaves you with a nagging feeling that there is always something you should be doing. This can be stressful and exhausting. A clean, clear room at the end of the day provides a far more relaxing atmosphere to unwind in.

3 You will have more free time

After clearing the clutter you can look forward to spending more time doing the things you love. Not only will you spend less time looking for lost items if you have fewer things. Less clutter means you won’t have to spend so much time on housework.

4 It can improve your social life

No more making excuses when people ask to drop by and your home is a tip. You won’t mind inviting your or your children’s friends round if you feel your house is tidy and organised.

5 It can give you more energy

When your space is decluttered, not only will you save energy on everyday tasks with less things to put away or dust. You will also be spending less energy stressing about your messy environment.

6 Family and hobby time will be more enjoyable

Time spent with the family or pursuing your hobbies will be easier and more enjoyable with less clutter. You will be able to eat meals together at a clear dining table. Or you can easily get a game or craft project out to work on if you don’t have to move junk out of the way first.

7 You could help those with greater needs

Donate some of your unwanted possessions to a local charity or shelter. They would be put to much greater use than when they are just sat at the bottom of your cupboard.

8 Your sleep could improve

Having less clutter in your bedroom means less on your mind as you are trying to fall asleep. Plus, think how much nicer it will be waking up to a beautiful, clear, calm room each morning.

9 You will save money

If you can see what you already have you will spend less on duplicate purchases. As you declutter you will also be more careful about what you bring back into your home. Not only will you want to keep your newly found space. The process of sorting through your things and realising you actually have 10 identical black t shirts or 5 unread books on the same subject will make you see where you are spending your money on unneeded purchases.

10 You can make money

Sorting through long forgotten possessions could unearth some valuable items that you no longer want. Sell them for a bit of extra cash to put towards a fun experience rather than more stuff. Or give your kids an incentive to clear out some of their old toys by making some money from Ebay or a car boot sale.

11 It can create a healthier home environment

Less clutter means fewer dust particles in your home. This can improve allergy symptoms and overall wellness.

12 Decluttering gives you a sense of achievement

As you finish each decluttering task it can leave you with a satisfying sense of accomplishment. You feel you are gaining control over your life and moving towards your goals. Make a list of areas to declutter and enjoy ticking each one off.

13 You will have more space in your life for what matters to you now

Maybe you are considering taking up a new hobby but don’t know when you will fit it in. Letting go of clutter associated with old hobbies or interests leaves space for what actually makes you happy in this stage of your life.

14 It can reduce feelings of guilt

Not only can old hobbies you are no longer interested in take up lots of space. Keeping hold of things related to activities you feel you should be doing or used to love doing can cause guilt when you are not spending time doing them.

15 You will be passing on good habits to your kids

Not only will your children benefit from having more space to play and less choice to distract them. They will also hopefully grow up with the same “less is more” mentality.

I hope you’ll agree that all these benefits of decluttering make the initial hard work more than worthwhile in the long term. And you don’t have to wait until you have enough time for a great big sort out. Just 10 minutes a day is all it takes to start to see a difference in the amount of clutter around your home. Pick an area or a set of items, start your timer and get purging.

Would you like help making decluttering a regular habit? Read my post 10 ways to build a new habit and make it stick for some great tips and ideas.