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There are many beneficial reasons to declutter your home. With a clutter-free home, you can have a space that’s perfect for entertaining. Plus, a little decluttering goes a long way toward making a room seem bigger.
Getting rid of clutter can also make you feel great. A recent study found that 71% of people decluttering their homes report that doing this makes them feel accomplished. Check out this infographic for more interesting statistics about clutter.
Before you start decluttering your home, it’s understandable to want this to happen in an eco-friendly manner. Fortunately, there are many ways to achieve this goal. With that in mind, here are five eco-friendly ways to declutter your home.
1. Stagger it Into Manageable Chunks
When it comes to taking care of tasks, it’s often disheartening to look at a long list of things to do. Instead of doing that, try sorting your decluttering tasks into chunks. This is much better than trying to take on every task in front of you. The process of getting more done by breaking tasks into smaller groups is otherwise known as micro productivity.
Another reason to break your tasks down into smaller chunks is to feel more productive. Sometimes, crossing off a few items on a long list isn’t very motivating. By having small lists, you can get that special sense of pride that comes with achieving a group of your decluttering goals.
2. Donate Extensively
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A great way to declutter your home is by donating what you no longer use. By doing this, you’re decluttering your home. Best of all, this eco-way friendly way of decluttering helps those in need. Many people also feel great after giving their unwanted items to those who are less fortunate.
Another great reason to donate your items is that it helps prevent the world’s landfill problem. The average consumer throws away almost 70 pounds of clothing per year, much of which end up overcrowding landfills. When this happens, it causes your thrown away clothing and other unwanted items to pollute nearby soil and water.
3. Repair, Don’t Replace
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You can also declutter your home with the environment in mind by repairing your belongings. It’s understandably tempting to buy brand-new versions of new items. However, it’s often a better idea to have these products repaired.
Repairing items or having someone else repair them prevents you from buying brand-new products. When enough people do this, it lowers the overall demand for a product. With less product demand, companies use fewer natural resources to manufacture them.
You might also find that products you want new versions of are under warranty. Most warranties cover full replacements of products during a specified period. If you can find the warranties for these items, you could end up saving yourself lots of money.
If you don’t have the money to hire a professional repair person, consider learning how to fix items yourself. You never know, this could turn out to be a fun hobby. Regardless of what you want to repair, it’s likely that you can find information on how to do it.
4. Beware of What You Buy
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While you’re decluttering your home, take note of items that you find a lot of. Sometimes, it’s easy to get addicted to buying items that seem useful at one time. However, as many people learn, things they buy can often become clutter.
Staying aware of what you buy helps you avoid letting clutter accumulate in the future. You can keep a list of items you have now. With this kind of list, you’ll avoid buying extras of things you already have.
If you need another reason to avoid clutter, consider a recent study from the National Soap and Detergent Association. The results of this study found that having a decluttered home reduces time spent on housework by 40%.
5. Accept Your Imperfections
It’s important to note that there’s nothing wrong with having clutter around your home. Almost everyone in the world has cluttered spaces. It’s nothing to feel ashamed of. What’s more important is recognizing that your home has become cluttered. By doing this, you’re ready to start working to solve this problem.
Another reason to accept your imperfections is that your clutter is already causing enough stress in your life. It’s been scientifically proven that surrounding yourself with clutter increases your cortisol production. With that in mind, there’s no point in causing yourself more unwanted stress.
When your body produces lots of cortisol, it’s often because you’re too stressed out. Over time, the spike in cortisol you get from clutter can lead to a range of serious health problems. A few of these conditions are high blood pressure, anxiety, and depression.
Congratulations on taking action to start decluttering your home! By following these tips, you’ll know you’re decluttering your home in an eco-friendly manner.
