A messy home can have a surprisingly negative affect on our mental health and wellbeing. From clutter and filth, to dust and decay, the consequences of mess go beyond aesthetics and can cause debilitating emotional, social and physical distress.
Nasty Surprises
One the the most obvious and disgusting outcomes of a messy home is that it is prone to attracting unwanted, pesky visitors, such as rodents, cockroaches, spiders and ants. These creatures are attracted to leftover food scraps, accumulated waste and other debris.
Piles of clothing and clutter also make excellent hiding spots for spiders. Species such as the much maligned white-tail spider are known to frequent clothing piles, and enjoy making their homes in your piled laundry.
For infestations of these pests, as well as mice, rats and roaches, it’s best to call in a pest control professional to locate the source of any nests and block any existing entry points. If you’re wanting to decrease the frequency of these infestations, it’s a good idea to practice better home hygiene, beginning with the kitchen.
Make sure to wash all soiled items after use, and wipe surfaces clean of crumbs and debris. Reseal used products and place them in the fridge or in a sealed cupboard. For bedrooms and bathrooms, store fabric items and clothing on hooks and hangers.
Metaphorical Mountains
Symbolism can be important when it comes to our emotional wellbeing, and you don’t have to look far in a messy home to find your first metaphor. If you’re the type of person who likes to collect mountains of stuff, or considers the floor an appropriate place to store clothing (ie; a floordrobe) it can be an indication of other emotional or physical issues which might be affecting you.
Cleaning and organising can seem both needlessly tiring and unnecessary at times, especially if you’re already stressed or tired. Unfortunately, the benefits of a clean house will be most obvious to you in those times of emotional distress, and can further impact your ability to pull yourself out of it.
To combat mess or clutter building up over time, set yourself small and completable tasks to complete every day which are non negotiable. For example, wiping down the bath or shower after using it, or cleaning the toilet every third day. By putting small and manageable routines into place, you can stop insurmountable or stress-creating mess from ever building up, and in turn give yourself a cleaner, healthier space to live in for those moments when you’re truly craving peace and clarity.
Visitors? No Thanks!
Another not-so-nice consequence of a messy home is its potential impact upon your social life. A messy home can create the inability to host guests in your home, resulting in a lack of social connection. For many people this can be isolating and lead to further stress and discomfort.
If you’re trying to create a neater, more easy to manage space in order to improve your social life, start gradually. A good place to begin is in the kitchen. A clean kitchen is a more inviting space to cook in, and it’s often a hub of activity and social happenings within a house. Regularly clean your stove, cooking utensils and dishware. By doing so you’ll always have clean dinner dishes and cups for tea and coffee in the event of guests.
Once you’ve made an effort to clean your kitchen, try to organize your living and dining space into a more social-friendly space. Create an area with clustered chairs so that it’s inviting for guests to sit at. From there, move gradually to cleaning the bathroom, any outdoor areas, and then bedrooms.
Reforming a messy house into a more manageable and liveable environment will have positive emotional and social outcomes for you and your family. By starting slow and engaging professionals where necessary, you can regain control over your house and your clutter – one small step at a time.
This is a sponsored guest post that does not necessarily reflect the views or ideals of Mommy Ramblings.
