Why Should Decluttering Be a Priority in 2022?

The Importance of Routine Decluttering

Brainstorming New Year's resolutions? Make decluttering one of your resolutions for 2022. With everything going on in the last two years, New Orleans homeowners have been staying home more and shopping online more. That means lots of new stuff probably came into the house in recent years. BUT, did you get rid of some of the older stuff? New Orleans homeowners should make it a priority to assess everything and look for opportunities to purge and declutter for the New Year.

Problems Caused by Excessive Clutter in New Orleans Homes

Needless to say, a cluttered home is often chaotic and causes unnecessary stress, especially in an already stressful time. Additionally, excessive clutter can be the source of various problems in your New Orleans home. Clutter makes cleaning difficult, restricts air circulation, hides underlying maintenance problems, and causes health & safety concerns. 

Clutter Makes Routine Cleaning Difficult: There are more surfaces to clean when you have more items. This alone makes routine dusting, sweeping, vacuuming, mopping and cleaning a bigger project than if it were a decluttered and organized space. Clutter also implies extra hurdles to navigate through in order to clean all of the nooks and crannies. Areas that are difficult to access (if they can be accessed at all) are frequently ignored and left uncleaned. As dirt and debris accumulate on all those surfaces and in all those nooks and crannies, sanitation becomes a growing concern. 

Clutter Restricts Air Circulation: All that stuff restricts air flow and allows the build up of warm, moist & stagnant air that can cause issues like high humidity and indoor mold growth. Allowing proper airflow and circulation throughout your New Orleans home is critical for healthy indoor air quality, moisture control, and mold prevention. Clutter obstructs airflow and increases the likelihood of moisture buildup due to humidity and condensation. Clutter also fosters the accumulation of indoor contaminants that cannot be effectively cleaned with all that stuff in the way. You can improve air circulation, prevent humidity accumulation, reduce indoor pollutants, and improve indoor air quality by committing to routine decluttering.

Hidden Issues: As furniture, contents and personal belongings build up, you can see less and less of the walls and floors which hides potential maintenance issues. Hard to reach likewise means hard to see. All that clutter could be concealing property damage and hiding underlying maintenance issues that should be probably addressed right away. As you begin to declutter your home, you may uncover indicators of hidden water damage or hidden mold growth that would have gone undiscovered otherwise.

Health & Safety Risks: As you accumulate more and more clutter, the health and safety risks in your home become greater. Issues like limited emergency egress, fire hazards and trip hazards all become very serious issues if clutter gets out of hand. So get rid of some of that stuff, so you can make your home more organized, more efficient and easier to navigate.

Decluttering Tips for New Orleans Homeowners

• Make a list: Lists help to lay out a game plan and keeps your end goal in perspective. It also feels great to cross things off a list as they get done. By celebrating the accomplishment of smaller goals along the way, it makes the overall decluttering project seem more digestible as a whole. 
• Know your limits: Establish realistic expectations and set achievable goals for yourself. Break the decluttering project down into multiple, smaller parts as needed. If you are up against a pretty decent sized cleanup, do not be afraid to call in reinforcement. 
• Sort your stuff: Establish a sorting system for your items.  Sorting your items will help to break down a large cleanup into smaller, more manageable tasks. Be sure to transport full boxes to the designated locations IMMEDIATELY so they don't just end up sitting around waiting for your next New Years Resolution. 
• Rule of Thumb: Develop general guidelines of what to get rid of and commit to them.
• Practicality: Some organizational tools and methods work great for some people, while it may be a complete disaster for others. Make sure you organize your stuff so that it is most suited to your needs and most functional for your daily routine. 
• Regular Maintenance: Establish a routine to declutter on a regular basis, similar to your regular home maintenance routine.