Do You Have Control Of Your Clutter

(Image courtesy of BuzzFarmers)

Let’s face it, we all have those heirlooms from our childhood that we just can’t seem to part with (stuffed bear from infancy, anyone?) Though there are appropriate items to hang onto, generally it can be tough to squeeze every last item into our apartments. Though we may say that we’ll change and promise to downsize, the challenge then becomes deciding what to keep and what goes.

If you find yourself harboring items that you have no use for ( a closet full of salt packets collected from fast food restaurants, or something of the sort,) you may need to think about decluttering. This checklist fromapartmentguide.com may help you to decide if your clutter is warranted or a problem. Keep reading to learn more!

1. You avoid social gatherings in your apartment. If you’re a hoarder, it’s only natural to not want people all up in your personal space. The whispers, the side eyes, the hesitance to sit down. You can smell the judgement from a mile away. Or maybe it’s just the mountain of dirty laundry piling up in the corner.
2. Insisting that you’ll use stuff that you know you never will. That broken blender and your worn out high school gym shoes will never see the light of day again. But you refuse to let go of these and countless other neglected gems that make you the hoarder you are.
3. Your apartment is no longer livable. Are you unable to properly use the kitchen or bathroom because it’s full of junk? Is your sofa or bed buried underneath another pile of random belongings? If you can’t utilize your spacethe way it was meant to be used, there’s definitely a problem that needs to be addressed.
4. You see “value” in ordinary things. In theory, it’s a nice idea to hold onto those things passed down from your parents and grandparents. But if grandma’s collection of knit Christmas sweaters are stashed in the back of a closet 365 days a year, you clearly don’t cherish them anyway. In your mind, tossing these items will result in guilt for years to come. Newsflash: it won’t. If it absolutely tears you up inside to even think about getting rid of your decade old hot pink poofy prom dress, you might indeed have a hoarding problem.
5. You collect insane amounts of duplicate items. What’s your weakness? A utility closet overflowing with cleaning supplies? Over 75 boxes of Saltine crackers? Do you have enough identical items to last you through the apocalypse and beyond? Hoarders are notorious for accumulating quantities of products that’ll last for weeks, months or even years.
6. You just can’t stop buying stuff. Even though your small space is packed to the max, you continue to acquire all kinds of things. If you’re constantly bringing new items into your apartment without doing some purging to make room, you might be a hoarder.
7. Your entire life is on the line. True hoarders experience life-changing events due to their habit. Relationships suffer when partners don’t realize why you just can’t stop. Debt piles up when you insist on stockpiling certain items. Your lease could even be in jeopardy if your space becomes a health or safety hazard. Yikes!