Is Clutter Bad for Your Mental Health? – VINnews

The survey, which was conducted among 2,000 homeowners with garages, looked at how they deal with clutter and found that nearly a third of respondents struggle to keep their homes organized. Nearly half of respondents said that organizing their home has an impact on their mental health, and 80% feel more motivated when their home is clutter-free. Similarly, 73% expressed feelings of being overwhelmed when their home is cluttered.

Many people try to get ahead of this feeling, as 35% of those surveyed even say they enjoy organizing “a lot”, although a quarter feel exactly the opposite.

Too many things

One in seven homeowners admits that their home is currently disorganized. On average, homeowners have 25 things out of place in their homes, often in their bathrooms. Of these respondents, half take time to find the right place for those items, sometimes indefinitely.

According to respondents, the most difficult home storage areas to keep organized are the garage, closet and drawers.

It can be difficult to get rid of items, especially if they have sentimental value. The items currently taking up the most space in Americans’ storage spaces are home and holiday decor, old papers, and clothing or shoes.

With the abundance of “junk” in their home, 46% would be embarrassed if guests saw the current state of these areas. At 52%, the garage ranks as the most common place to store “junk,” such as old kitchen appliances that need a clean. The race for second place is very close: 34% say drawers, 32% shove stuff into their cupboards.

Thirty-five percent said it’s been at least a few months since they organized the “junk” areas inside their home, and another 23 percent said they tried to organize their garage at least a year ago.

“For many homeowners, the garage, like other classic ‘storage areas,’ can be an afterthought,” says Gretchen Ganc, executive vice president of strategy and analytics at The Container Store.

“There is a world of possibilities in these spaces that may surprise you in terms of how useful they can be. While you ideally want to keep your home’s storage areas under control before they reach the point of clutter that will only overwhelm you more, sometimes you have to tackle a space in your home where clutter has already taken over.”

The garage needs some love

From car storage to an indoor golf simulator, garages are an extremely useful place in our homes. However, there’s something about the garage (maybe it’s all that open space?) that makes it a great place to throw away all the stuff you don’t use. 37% of those surveyed by The Container Store say their garage currently looks like a nightmare. Another 21% of homeowners admit they avoid going into their garage altogether, just to avoid the clutter.

Even the semi-organized struggle: 60% say they use their garage as storage for necessary items, while 58% admit it’s filled with random stuff. 43% say their garage storage system doesn’t meet all their needs.

“Garages aren’t a one-size-fits-all solution, which is why we offer custom spaces and complementary organizational solutions that fit your specific needs,” explains Ganc. “To help determine what type of organizational system will work best for you, we suggest defining your goals for the space: what do you need to store, what do you hope to do with the space you free up, and how can you maximize the space you have to work with?”

Storage solutions can make a huge difference in the garage and throughout the home. Decluttering any room can have huge mental health benefits, as research has shown that people are less irritable, less distracted, and more productive in an organized home. A room as important and large as the garage could really free up space for other items that are more important and really ease the mental load.

This article was produced by Media Decision and distributed by Wealth of Geeks.