Why Having Too Much Stuff is Bad For Your Health?

“What if I’ll need that in the future?” We all have bits and pieces of junk scattered all around our house that we obsessively cling to and don’t want to get rid of (okay, some of us may have more than a smidge!). Bidding farewell to your oh-so-precious stuff can be worse than a break-up (particularly for hoarders). Many of us tend to get way too attached to some sentimental items, even if we don’t use them at all. Souvenirs, gifts, band t-shirts from exes, old armchairs, childhood toys, inherited things, these items are the hardest to let go of!

Letting those objects taking over your lives can seriously cause a lot of damage to both your physical and mental health. From triggering anxiety to reducing your working memory and abilities to focus, a dirty home can be a real source of stress and has its own share of dangers for you and your family! If you have a parent or relative who has a growing clutter collection, there could be a hoarding disorder within your family. It might start as a collection of knick-knacks or several piles of paper. Over time hoarding tendencies can escalate, especially after a traumatic event like a death or divorce.

If you aren’t taking care of the clutter in your home, you may not be taking care of yourself. Keeping your home clean, organized, and clutter-free doesn’t have to be perplexing and time-consuming. As long as you know what to look out for, you should be able to keep on top of it. Let’s check out some common ways our stuff can take from us and their adverse effects on our health.

Can Hugely Impact Your Toddlers

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Clutter inside your home can quickly become a breeding ground for germs, dust, and allergens, which can adversely affect your toddler’s health. A dirty house can also trigger numerous behavioral issues in children. Kids who grow up in crowded, unorganized homes will have trouble maintaining personal hygiene at a later stage.

These behavioral problems may even persist into adulthood, where they’ll find it challenging to organize their own lives. A messy home can also be a significant distraction that can hinder your child’s ability to concentrate on a task and eventually lead to learning disabilities or speech delays.

Asthma

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If you do not vacuum and store your floor regularly, you may be exposed to dust and allergens. It’s essential to have the best vacuum cleaner for carpets in your home. Even if your carpets look great, dust could be lurking deep within the pile. As such, this can create great havoc and can also cause breathing issues such as asthma.

Itchy Eczema

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Let’s be honest; nobody likes tugging that fitted sheet off the bed and hauling it to the washing machine (not to mention the folding of said sheets after the wash). But dirty bedsheets harbors an alarming amount of hidden nasties, which can be hazardous to your health!

Even if you can’t see grime or stains, your sheets are pretty nasty. All those dead skin cells, oils, germs, and bodily fluids collect on your sheets and pillowcases with bacteria multiplying fast. In addition to attracting bacteria, dirty sheets rub against your skin while you sleep and that friction can lead to skin irritation, allergies, itchy eczema, flare, just to name a few.

You Can Easily Get Hurt

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Living with lots of clutter also puts you at risk of getting hurt. When your floor is full of clothes, or way too much furniture and boxes, stumbling and falling will happen more frequently. Shelves crammed to the brim can also be a threat if something falls off or a piece of overloaded furniture tumbles over.

Interferes With Your Relationships

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Have you ever had a fight with your parents or spouse over “stuff”? If you have, you are not alone. Managing a home full of stuff can be overwhelming and exhausting. It takes a lot of time and energy to spend picking up and sorting through your items to get what you need. When a significant portion of your time and energy is spent managing your messy stuff, you’ll have less time and energy to give to the people you love. And as a result, this can hugely interfere with your relationships.

A cluttered home can often lead you to feel embarrassed about your messy surroundings and not invite company over. As such, your relationships suffer, and you can often find yourself feeling isolated. Bringing in a professional might ease any family tensions and make the process smoother.

A Real Source of Stress

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The biggest way clutter impacts your life quality is the amount of stress it adds to your house and how it can steal your happiness in your home-sweet-home. Instead of being a peaceful sanctuary to kick back and recharge after a long day’s work, your house becomes another source of stress! Stress affects us in so many ways, increasing blood pressure, slowing digestion, even interfering with sleep. Clutter has also been linked to heightening anxiety and depression in some people.

Influences Your Snacking Behavior

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Research has shown that living in a cluttered home can even impact your eating habits. People living in cluttered homes are more likely to make less healthy food choices because the clutter causes them to feel stressed and overwhelmed.

Knowing more about the devastating effects of clutter and how it is harming you can help you towards the path of simplifying and decluttering your home. These alarming facts can be your fuel and motivation to clear the clutter and create a space that brings you peace. If decluttering and organizing seem impossible and overwhelming, you should consider hiring professionals like Families In Need/Caring Transitions of South Florida, who will remove you from emotional history. They’ll help you reclaim your health, time, and life back through their junk removal and other organizing services.