Clutter Hoarding

Clutter hoarding is a growing problem these days. Many people think of hoarders as lonely stay-at-homes who probably have a screw loose. But according to the International Obsessive Compulsive Disorder Foundation, one in every twenty Americans are secret hoarders. You may never suspect that someone you know is a hoarder. I had that happen. A dear friend of mine was recently found dead under a pile of her belongings that had fallen on her. She was very popular and known for the colorful outfits she wore, including special all-green outfits for St. Patrick’s Day, all-red for Valentine’s Day, and so forth. I never suspected that the reason she no longer invited us to potlucks at her house was that the house was being buried in trash and clutter.

Clutter consists of things “stuck” in the wrong place, and as our houses fill with clutter, we get stuck. As my post “Clutter Cleaning” pointed out, the ancient Chinese philosophy of Feng Shui emphasizes the importance of chi, the term for universal energy, the energy that permeates everything around us. When the flow of chi gets bogged down by clutter and dirt, we get bogged down.

Clutter hoarding impairs mobility and interferes with such basic activities as cooking, cleaning, showering, and sleeping. The dust, dirt, and rodent droppings commonly found in extreme clutter can lead to headaches, respiratory problems, and allergies. Home maintenance often suffers, leaving individuals without heat in freezing winters and without air-conditioning in sweltering summers. Hoarders and their families, especially the elderly, are at high risk of injury in a fall or even death, literally being buried in the clutter. Family relationships can suffer as other members feel angry, trapped, and resentful about a hoarder's accumulation of clutter.

If you feel like clutter hoarding is taking control of your life—or even if you just want some hints on cleaning up the messes we all are tempted to accumulate in our homes—get a copy of Declutter Fast: How to Get Your Home in Order.