Look at any catalog that markets home decor items. You will notice some beautiful decor. And these beautiful rooms all have one thing in common regardless of the marketer. That thing is the absence of clutter. So even companies that are trying to sell stuff try not to show too much stuff in any room photo. Keep in mind that professional interior designers decorate these rooms. So professional designers avoiding too much stuff in a room should tell us something.
Good realtors tell their clients to get rid of some of their stuff when listing a house. This is because they know that the house will be easier to sell and will fetch a higher price because of it. Also if you check into a hotel and got a cluttered room, it would not impress you. These all show that too much stuff in any room is bad. We will now look at why it’s bad, what causes it, and the benefits of fixing it.
Here is why it is bad.
We have shown that too much stuff is bad. Now here are some of the reasons why it is bad:
All rooms have limited space
Every room has a finite amount of space. Some of that space is necessary for important furniture. Some of that space is also needed for people to move around in the room. Too much stuff in the room will start to encroach on these spaces. When that happens, clutter will start to pile up on horizontal surfaces or in people’s paths. This problem will only get worse with more stuff in the room. In short, having more things in a room means having fewer places available to put them.
Too much stuff ruins the space
There is a reason why every decent interior designer avoids clutter. That is because it clashes with everything including itself. So, clutter can ruin the looks and function of any space. There is no way to decorate well around clutter without removing it. And removing the clutter will improve the looks by more than any added decoration. It’s for a similar reason why removing weeds will improve the looks of your yard by more than adding any flower.
Too much stuff wastes time
The most convenient location for an item is its proper place. That way, you never have to search for it. When there is too much stuff, there are not enough proper places to go around. Some things will have to be out of place. You will now have to waste time searching to find them. Of course, that is if you can even find them.
Too much stuff wastes space
As I said before, all rooms have limited space. Unnecessary stuff will use up some of that space without giving you any benefit. This wastes your space. Even worse, it can waste your space while making the room harder to use. In extreme cases, you can run out of useful space.
Too much stuff can waste money
The first way that stuff can waste your money is if you buy unnecessary stuff. Even if it’s on sale, it’s not a bargain if you don’t need it. The second way is for the clutter to cause you to misplace something. This can cause you to buy something when you didn’t need to. You only needed to find the one that you already have. A third way is for you to use paid storage. This turns your stuff into a liability that you have to keep paying for. One example is a picture in paid storage. In this case, you would be paying money to not look at the picture.
Here is what causes it.
Clutter buildup can happen over time if you get more stuff than you get rid of. Here are some things that can cause it:
Valuing items more than the use you get out of them
Valuing items beyond their use makes it easy to value useless items. This problem leads to hoarding. If an item is useless, then it is a waste of space. Wasting space on useless items will often result in having no more useful space left.
You should only value things for the use that you get out of them. This should be so even if that use is decoration. Let’s face it, if something is useless then it cannot benefit you. So you should consider it worthless because it is. This mindset is crucial to getting the most value out of your things.
The habit of buying unnecessary stuff
Buying without a need removes limits on what you buy. It also makes it easier to keep stuff you don’t need. This habit makes it easy to convert money into clutter.
You should only get something if you need it and have no substitute. And when you do, you should discard the one that no longer works. This will help to avoid getting and keeping useless things.
Getting stuff without having a place for it
Not picking out a place for stuff remove limits on how much you can buy. It also trains you to have things out of place. After all, something cannot be in its proper place if it has none.
You should only get something if you have a place for it. You should also keep it in its place when you are not using it. When things are in their places, it’s easier to keep your home tidy. It is also more convenient because you don’t need to search for anything. Also, if you replace something that no longer works, it encourages you to discard it.
Just in case items
Many people consider it better to have something you don’t need than to need something you don’t have. They often feel this way about “just in case” items. But having what you don’t need is not better. This is because having things you don’t need can deprive you of things that you do. For example, excessive clutter can deprive you of a comfortable home.
Only keep “just in case” items for emergencies. So a fire extinguisher and a first aid kit are okay. But there is no such thing as an emergency catalog or trinket. Spares for vital equipment also qualify as emergency items. But you shouldn’t keep too many spares. So having a few spare pens is okay if you have a home office. But you don’t need dozens of them.
Here are the benefits of fixing it.
If you had too much stuff, getting rid of some will improve your quality of life. You will notice some of these benefits right away, and some might take more time. Here are some of the improvements that you will notice:
More space
Whenever you get rid of excess stuff, you add space back to your home. In fact, the volume of what you got rid of is about equal to the amount of space that you added back to your home.
Space is easier to keep tidy
Having fewer items in a room means having more places available to put each item. This will make it much easier to find a place for each item. In turn, this will make it much easier to keep your place tidy.
Home looks better
When tidiness goes from being impossible to being easy, your home will be tidier. Because tidiness is important to the decor, your home will look better. What was once a cluttered mess will become a tranquil haven.
More time
You will spend less time shopping. You will also spend less time organizing and tidying up. You will also spend less time looking for misplaced items. This means that you will have more time left to do what you want.
More money
You will only buy things when necessary. You will also spend less on replacing misplaced items. The result is that you will have more money available.
In summary, all rooms have limited space, and too much stuff will ruin that space. Also, too much stuff wastes time, space, and money. It often happens from overvaluing things or getting unnecessary things. It also happens from getting things when you don’t have a place for them. Keeping “just in case” items also adds to this problem. Avoiding these pitfalls will help you to avoid the clutter caused by too much stuff.
If you fix this problem, you will notice many benefits. You will have more space and your space will be easier to keep tidy. Your home will look and work better. You will also have more time and money to do what you want. You will notice some of these benefits right away, and some will take more time. But they will all improve your quality of life.