Are you hoarding? Do you have clutter?

There is a difference between hoarding and clutter. According to the International OCD Foundation,

“Simply collecting or owning lots of things does not mean someone has hoarding disorder (HD). A major feature of HD is the disorganized nature of the clutter — in most cases, the living spaces can no longer be used for everyday living as they were intended. Moving through the home is challenging, exits are blocked, and normal routines within the home are difficult.”

I’m not a psychologist, but if someone has hoarding disorder, they likely need professional help. If you simply have clutter, Veteran Hauling can help.

What is clutter?

Clutter is more likely confined to specific spaces like a garage, attic, storage space, or basement. These areas are often “out of sight…out of mind” to your everyday living. But they can take up valuable space or prevent other things from being stored properly.

Is the stuff in your garage preventing you from parking your car there? That makes it unpleasant during inclement weather, carrying groceries, and performing general maintenance. It doesn’t take much clutter to keep a car in the driveway.

Is paying for a storage space for those “in case I need them” items necessary? Chances are if you had the space for a few months or a few years…you might not need the contents. Take serious inventory of the stuff and organize it in a way you can keep it at home. Or better yet, donate, sell, or get rid of items you just don’t need.

If you’ve ever downsized to a smaller house, this becomes a serious decision-making time. We moved a few years ago and cut our homes’ square footage in half! There was no way we could keep everything. We had to prioritize and really thin the herd!

But in the end, we felt good getting rid of things we didn’t need (or know we had!) anymore. Do you have clutter? Start with one space and create piles for donation, trash, and keep. Take inventory of your stuff and make sure the “keep” pile is truly worth keeping.

 

If you would like information on Veteran Hauling and receive a free quote for any project you may have, please contact us by phone, text, or email.