Decluttering - How it can make you healthier

The #1 New York Times bestselling guide to decluttering your home and the inspiration for the hit Netflix show Tidying Up with Marie Kondo is the latest in the self-help trend.

Everyone has things that they don’t need and items that they should clean through and get rid of… maybe some of us have a little more than others. Not too big of a deal, right? According to Psychology Today and Web MD, people have a tendency to feel anxious about life being out of control if they are surrounding themselves with more things than they can manage.

What stays?

What goes?

What if I get rid of it, and then need/want it?

Whether you’re tackling the task to free up a little extra space that wasn’t there before, or simply to stress less and feel a sense of accomplishment, start with the simple thought of “a place for everything, and everything in its place”. If it’s something you want to keep, find somewhere to keep it. If there’s no where for it, then it’s time for it to go. Bright, colorful storage items can give your area the structure it needs, along with that pop or splash of color to brighten your mood. Try adding dividers or small containers in drawers to help organize. Repurpose plastic containers, shoe boxes or old gift boxes – get creative!

Focus on one area at a time.

It’s easy to feel overwhelmed if you try to start too many rooms or areas at once. Decide where you want to work first and create a plan.

• Bedroom
• Closet
• Kitchen
• Bathroom
• Laundry Room
• Family Room
• Attic / Basement
• Garage

Once you’ve picked your starting point, follow through with these next four steps to keep it simple.

1. Put away – this is by far the easiest because most items involved in this step already have a home, they just need to be put back. It could be a coffee cup in the basement, or a sweater in the dining room – making this a quick and easy step!
2. Donate – just because something doesn’t have a use for you, doesn’t mean it’s useless. Many gently used items can be donated to a charitable organization in your area.
3. Recycle – check with your local recycling guidelines on what can and can’t be placed in the recycling bins.
4. Trash – if it’s broken or can’t fall into any of the above steps, throw it away.

Don’t let the clutter in. Easy things like keeping on top of your mail, making donating a habit, storing things where you use them, or simply buying less, gives you easy ways to prevent clutter. When things are done halfway – leaving folded laundry on the bed or dresser, the address book being left on the table when you’re finished with it, or forgetting to put away the toaster/crock pot/mixer – more clutter will be quick to follow. A clutter-free home is easier to keep clean, and quicker to clean.

“Making space allows better quality cleaning to take place and fresher premises reduce the opportunity for infections to thrive and bacteria to breed.”¹

Now that you can look around and see that the clutter in your home is handled, you can also take care of handling the airborne clutter that you can’t see – pollen, mold, bacteria, viruses, pet dander, dust mites, smoke particles, cooking odors, and airborne chemicals. This clutter causes much more than anxiety. These airborne particles can be a danger to the health of you and your family. FilterQueen can help you there. The Defender is recognized by the FDA as a Class II Medical Device, and filters 99.99% of airborne pollutants down to 0.1 micron in size. 

1. The De-Cluttered School: How to create a cleaner, calmer and greener … By Jane C Anderson 

By Kim Reising

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