Common Sense Health: How clutter causes problems

By Dr. Gifford-Jones and Diana Gifford-Jones on January 31, 2025.

Have you ever walked into a home, or even a single room, and wondered, “How do these people live in such a mess?” Collecting and holding onto too much stuff causes many problems – economic, social, and emotional. It is not a common way to assess your health. But having a look at your home is an interesting diagnostic tool.

“Cluttering” can be expensive. About 11% of American households rent a storage unit at an average monthly cost of $85. Nearly half of self-storage customers rent for a year or more, costing over a thousand dollars!

Some nationalities are more compulsive about clutter. For instance, Germans and Swedes seem less inclined to pile up unused things. The Swedes have a saying that stresses you should not leave a mess for others to clean up. They call it “death cleaning”.

Studies show that clutter breeds emotional chaos for some people. A study at Princeton University showed that with too much stuff around, the brain is unable to process information well. Another study from the University of California revealed that clutter can have an adverse effect on hormones. For instance, women who live with a mess did not show the normal decrease in the stress hormone, cortisol, that usually occurs during the course of a day. Moreover, they experienced an increase in depressed mood. In some cases, living in a mess means social isolation stemming from the embarrassment of friends not able to get in the door for all the mess.

A messy home can also lead to falls. Getting older is a dangerous process. Seniors are less agile, and vision deteriorates. Tripping over a mess can cause a fractured hip or other serious injuries.

For messy households, there is nothing like the workload that comes when parents move into retirement homes. This topic doesn’t feature in my new book about Healthy Retirement Residence Living, but that’s my oversight. Fortunately, my own family does not have this problem, but the tales are legendary of families who must sort through room after room of “stuff” collected over a lifetime.

If you’ve decided it’s time to get rid of clutter, there’s good news. Decluttering does make people feel psychologically better. It provides a sense of accomplishment and well-being. Equally important, decluttering gives people a sense of personal control, lowering stress.

If getting rid of clutter is good for you, why don’t more people do it? There are lots of reasons. Are people too busy? Is there just too much stuff? Does procrastination win?

Just as a voyage of a thousand miles begins with the first step, the best thing is to just get started. Set small goals, so you don’t become overwhelmed before you even begin.

Experts in decluttering offer sage advice. Sort your things into three broad categories, “Keep, Discard, and Maybe”. Then repeat with the “Maybe” stuff as many times as needed.

Break the work into small chunks of time. Spending 30 minutes on one task is enough, so you don’t get overtired or bored and say, “What’s the use?”

Remember that deciding to clean up a mess means the clutter has to go somewhere. This is a time when you can make less fortunate people happy. Donate clothing, electronics, books, furniture, and other items to The Salvation Army, Goodwill, and other charitable organizations.

Hmm. I can just hear my wife saying, “So Giff, when are you going to toss out those old shoes?” But like old wine, I find it hard to say goodbye to old shoes.

They remain on my “Maybe” list.