Clutter Trouble! Is Your Mess Trying to Tell You Something?

“Clutter,” I muttered. “Clutter, clutter, clutter.” I shook my head, trying to clear the cobwebs before taking a good look around.

On the wellness spectrum, clutter is really a big deal. At best, dust gathers. When it’s out of control, confirming home healthiness becomes impossible. Clutter is between you and the health and safety of your home.

Mice, mold, insects, spills, leaks and other hazards all hide amongst the clutter. Often, problems aren’t seen until it’s too late. Before you even know it’s there, the problem has gotten worse.

1. Recycle plastic, paper, tins. Seriously. Grab a bag and move it on.
2. Drop off a load at the re-use store. You help others and get a tax deduction.
3. Give things away to those who need the item, neighbors or friends or family, perhaps?
4. Take a load to the dump.

But in some cases, our clutter controls us, not the other way around. Clutter can be a symptom of illness or disease, either physical or mental.

Some diseases, such as Alzheimer’s, present a unique set of challenges to a healthy home investigator. Each day is different for a person who suffers from Alzheimers. Caregivers are pressured to step up their monitoring of the actions of those under their watch. In these types of cases, “the last thing you expect” is often the thing you find. For example, one home-bound Alzheimer’s patient stored uneaten food inside an air duct. As a result, I looked in all the out of the way places inside the home for other items that may have been stowed in an inappropriate or dangerous location.

Human impact issues can both create and reveal a diverse set of issues in the environment. The range might include hoarding, drug abuse, emotional distress, misuse of house systems, neglect, ignorance, pet damage, economic distress, tobacco smoking, cooking practices, patch-up repairs without the right tools or methods, incontinence, and more.

Do you have clutter trouble? Then you and your house may have healthiness problems.