Stress, fatigue, and sickness may not always be the result of a hectic lifestyle. It can also be due to the kind of environment you are living in. Most people do not understand how clutter affects their health. A messy, disorganized home can result to health hazards if it is not properly sorted out and stored.
With that said, a cluttered home environment is not only unsightly, but it is also unhealthy. There are various dangers associated with having a disorganized, messy house. For one, a messy home holds mass amounts of pet dander, dust, and dust mites. These things can result to poor quality air which will then lead to asthma problems. Other health hazards caused by clutter are listed below.
Slip And Fall Accidents
Did you know that the leading cause of home injury death in the country are slip and fall accidents? This type of home injury is very common in cluttered homes. A disorganized house increases the risk of this type of accident because various items are strewn around. Thankfully, this type of accident is preventable. All you have to do is organize your clutter and keep unnecessary items off the floor.
Fatigue And Lethargy
People who live in cluttered homes constantly feel tired. For instance, if you are living in a house where things pile up and other items are scattered across the floor, you might feel like you lack the energy to begin cleaning the space. The stagnant energy that stacks up around the mess causes fatigue and lethargy. You have to understand that cleaning up the mess will free up the energy in your home; thus making your body healthier and improving your vitality.
Respiratory Problems
One of the main problems of an extremely cluttered home is when you can’t reach certain items and you can’t clean the items or dust them. With that said, dust will continue to accumulate, making the household more dangerous for everyone living in it, especially toddlers with a history of asthma.
Since clutter can accumulate dust and allergens, it can aggravate or make the symptoms worse of various respiratory health problems, such as asthma. Based on the studies conducted by the Alliance for Healthy Homes, people who live in messy homes are at a higher risk of respiratory complications. The best way to address this problem is to de-clutter and organize your things at home and thoroughly clean the house. As a rule of thumb, the lesser the stuff you have at home, the fewer things that can collect dust.
Depression And Anxiety
Excessive clutter and disorganization can lead to depression and anxiety. If a person lives in filth and clutter, her relatives and friends may stop coming over. That person may feel shut off; thus, she might withdraw from socialization, leading to depression and anxiety. On the other hand, clutter and disorganization may also be symptoms of mental health problems, such as depression. This means that an unhealthy and unsanitary home can result to mental distress, and mental distress will lead to more clutter. This is a vicious cycle which must be stopped.
If you notice that your home has become unhealthy due to the extreme disorganization, it is time to seek help. You can ask your family, relatives, and friends to help in sorting things in your house. If you find it hard to let go of certain items due to their sentimental value, you can consider storing them someplace else. For instance, you can store them in self storage so that you can keep the items while avoiding clutter at home.
Addressing chronic clutter and disorganization will help prevent health hazards from developing. With the list of health hazards brought about by an untidy home, you will understand the importance of organization and proper storage.
Citations:
- Dennis Sitarevich.”Couch A”. April 15, 2006. Online Image. Flickr. June 25, 2013
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The author, Kris Lim, is a writer for health and wellness websites. She also writes about the importance of proper Torrance storage to prevent the development of health problems.