Personal Story

Spring is here! Spring cleaning is still a thing, isn’t it?

I remember as a child doing spring cleaning both at my house and at my grandmother’s house. It involved a lot of heavy-duty cleaning that tired a child out! Getting started was hard. We had to go through all of our stuff and declutter it, gather all our tools and supplies, and then receive assignments for who was going to do what. Spring cleaning took a long time, but the house sure looked wonderful when we were done.

Years later, my children and I did spring cleaning at the end of our home school year. I planned to get through the whole house in two weeks. Every weekday morning, we would gather our equipment and then get started! The goal was to clean a couple of rooms every day until the whole house was decluttered, cleaned, and organized. It always felt good at the end of that two-week period when the whole house was clean. We always celebrated with a special activity or treat.

One of the most important things about Spring cleaning is to declutter before you start cleaning. Hoarders have a hard time decluttering. That’s what we’re going to talk about today.

What is hoarding?

Hoarding is having a hard time parting with possessions. This could be because a person is uncomfortable getting rid of some items or keeping large numbers of the same type of item. These items could be valuable or have no importance. The clutter can get so bad that a person doesn’t even have a path to walk from one side of the room to the other.  Large piles of papers or books could be stacked on every flat surface in the house.

De-cluttering Is Difficult for a Hoarder

If the hoarding tendencies are not fully ingrained, steps can be taken to learn habits that would result in less clutter.

Sometimes hoarding tendencies get so bad that a person needs to see a health care provider or mental health provider with expertise in helping people with their hoarding disorder. Sometimes these hoarding casas can be a threat to health or safety for individuals.

Uncluttering Tips

The person who has clutter should not feel shame. They are not alone. Decluttering is like losing weight, only this weight is the amount of personal belongings have gotten out of control.

Getting rid of clutter is like putting your house on a diet. Once you’ve accomplished your goal of a clutter free home, you will feel relief and be able to enjoy your life at a whole new level.

It takes more than sheer willpower to declutter your home. You may benefit from having a buddy to help you with the process. The right person encouraging can make a lot of difference. They can help you make the hard decisions of what’s important to keep and what you can part with.

Deciding what to keep and what to toss is a personal decision, and having some predetermined steps could help you. Perhaps you can start by putting some things that you do not think you will need, but are not ready to part with, in a box and put them in the garage for a month to see if you need to retrieve that item for use. It may help you to part with special things by taking a picture of the item to help you remember it.  You will find enjoyment in giving the items you no longer need to someone who needs them.

I have heard these rules:

• When in doubt throw it out.
• Use it or lose it!

These rules have helped me declutter my house.  

Action

This spring take a few minutes to assess the amount of belongings in your home or personal space. If you find that you have too many items, find a buddy and get to work reducing the clutter in your home. You will be glad you did!

May God bless your healthful endeavors!

Joni

P.S. How do you declutter?