Clutter Close Call

Some of the dangers and pitfalls of a cluttered home are more obvious than others. When your home is dominated by clutter you can’t use your valuable space to the height of its potential. In other words, you are bound and controlled by your possessions.

As evidenced in shows like A&E’s Hoarders, clutter is often related to mental illness, such as compulsive and obsessive hoarding.

But living in a space that is stifled by junk poses another problem that can have more physical effects.

A few weeks ago, NBC in San Diego covered the story of a house fire that was caused, in large part, by clutter.

“When firefighters entered the home to fight the fire, they had trouble getting to it because of all the boxes and clutter inside.”

This is an extreme situation to be sure, but it illustrates an important point: clutter is more than just a mess, it can cause real damage to your property and impact your life.

Stories like this one serve as a reminder to everyone that, while it might be easy to just throw stuff near the door to keep it out your way, out of sight and out of mind does not equate to out of harm’s way.

So look around your home and if you find you’re on that slippery slope to “clutter overwhelm”, it might be time to tackle that clutter and keep your space free and clear of junk. It could make all the difference in the world.