A cluttered kitchen can be a source of stress and anxiety for many people. The chaos of a disorganized space can make it difficult to prepare meals, find ingredients, and enjoy cooking. But did you know that decluttering your kitchen can have a positive impact on your mental health? In this blog post, we’ll explore how kitchen decluttering can help reduce stress and anxiety, and promote a healthier, happier lifestyle.
Welcome to the Year Long Thorough Declutter Series! We will be starting in the kitchen this month. Each day in the “kitchen declutter” is dedicated to spending only 30 minutes decluttering your specific daily task. We will be working 5 days a week, so you can take 2 days to enjoy time with your loved ones.
Also, you can get the complete digital printable copy of the Year Long Thorough Declutter Series Calendar and Checklists here. The printable digital download is delivered to your email. It includes 25 pages of printable calendar pages and checklists to help you declutter every room in your home. You can find that here. Now, let’s look at how kitchen decluttering can improve your mental health.
The Link Between Clutter and Mental Health: How Kitchen Decluttering Can Improve Your Mental Health
Research has shown that cluttered spaces can contribute to stress and anxiety. When our environment is disorganized, it can be difficult to focus, relax, and feel at ease. This can lead to feelings of overwhelm, irritability, and even depression. Clutter can also create a sense of guilt and shame, as we feel like we should be able to keep our spaces tidy.
The Benefits of Kitchen Decluttering: How Kitchen Decluttering Can Improve Your Mental Health
Decluttering your kitchen can have many benefits for your mental health. First and foremost, it can reduce stress and anxiety by creating a more organized and functional space. When your kitchen is tidy and everything has a designated place, it becomes easier to find what you need, prepare meals, and clean up. This can help to alleviate feelings of overwhelm and frustration.
In addition, kitchen decluttering can also promote a healthier lifestyle. When your kitchen is cluttered, it can be difficult to find healthy ingredients, plan meals, and cook nutritious meals. A decluttered kitchen makes it easier to prepare healthy meals and snacks, which can have a positive impact on your physical and mental health.
If you’re ready to declutter your kitchen and improve your mental health, here are some tips to get you started:
- Start small: Decluttering can be overwhelming, so start with a small area, like one drawer or shelf.
- Sort and organize: Once you’ve identified the items you want to keep, organize them in a way that makes sense to you. Group similar items together and use containers or baskets to keep things tidy.
- Get rid of what you don’t need: Be honest with yourself about what you really need and use. Donate or sell items that are in good condition, and recycle or throw away items that are no longer useful.
- Keep it up: Once you’ve decluttered your kitchen, make a commitment to keep it organized. Clean up as you go, put things away when you’re done using them, and do a regular deep clean to keep things in order.
Decluttering your kitchen may seem like a small thing, but it can have a big impact on your mental health. By creating an organized and functional space, you can reduce stress and anxiety, promote a healthier lifestyle, and feel happier and more relaxed in your home. So why not give it a try and see how it can improve your life?
Struggling to decide if an item is clutter? Use these questions below to help you determine whether to keep or toss any item.
Struggling with the daily housekeeping chores and wondering: What Housework Should Be Done Daily? Grab my free ebook to walk you through the process. What Does a Deep Clean Include? One of my best Deep Cleaning Home Tips is to use a House Cleaning Planner. Check out my ebook on this topic, entitled Make Over Your Homemaking. Use this link to get it at a discounted price. Better yet… get it FREE when you subscribe to my site. Also, you can find my room by room Declutter Guide at the end of this post designed to help you learn tips and Decluttering Ideas For Your Home.
Maybe your house is clean but cluttered. If so, you need to know a few Declutter Tips and Ideas before you start using the Step By Step Decluttering plan I use. Does a Cluttered House Cause Stress? You Bet! Let’s look at a reputable, mental health site to answer that question and see exactly How Kitchen Decluttering Can Improve Your Mental Health.
Then you can learn Why and How To Start to Purge Your Entire Home.They have given us 8 ways mess leads to stress and exactly How Clutter Affects You and How Kitchen Decluttering Can Improve Your Mental Health. According to Psychology Today:
How Clutter Affects You: Clutter can play a significant role in how we feel about our homes, our workplaces, and ourselves. Can a Messy House Affect Your Mood? You bet! How Does Clutter Affect Your Life? Messy homes and work spaces leave us feeling anxious, helpless, and overwhelmed. Yet, rarely is clutter recognized as a significant source of stress in our lives. (source) But, unnecessary stress is one aspect of How Clutter Affects You.
How Clutter Affects You Mentally can help provide the motivation you need to know How to Clear Clutter and Get Organized. Why does mess lead to so much stress? (source)Getting rid of all of that stress can be one of the best declutter motivation tips you need for some instant Declutter Inspiration. Look at How Kitchen Decluttering Can Improve Your Mental Health:
- Clutter bombards our minds with excessive stimuli (visual, olfactory, tactile), causing our senses to work overtime on stimuli that aren’t necessary or important. (source)
- Clutter distracts us by drawing our attention away from what our focus should be on. (source)
- Clutter makes it more difficult to relax, both physically and mentally.(source)
- Clutter constantly signals to our brains that our work is never done.(source)
- Clutter makes us anxious because we’re never sure what it’s going to take to get through to the bottom of the pile. (source)
- Clutter creates feelings of guilt (“I should be more organized”) and embarrassment, especially when others unexpectedly drop by our homes or work spaces. (source)
- Clutter inhibits creativity and productivity by invading the open spaces that allow most people to think, brainstorm, and problem solve.(source)
- Clutter frustrates us by preventing us from locating what we need quickly (e.g. files and paperwork lost in the “pile” or keys swallowed up by the clutter). (source) So, experiencing constant frustration is another aspect to How Clutter Affects You.
Overwhelmed by a Messy House? It can really affect you negatively. How Do You Deal With a Cluttered Mess? One way is to have a plan, set aside a specific time, and learn the steps to declutter your home. What Cleaning Should Be Done Daily? I have a room by room specific Printable House Cleaning Checklist linked above. Also, you can find my room by room Declutter Guide at the end of this post.
For a clean, simplistic look, one of the best Deep Cleaning Home Tips is to declutter a room before cleaning and then use an Easy House Cleaning Schedule to maintain it. Declutter Checklists can help you learn How to begin to Purge Your Entire Home.
How Does Clutter Affect Your Life? As you can already see, there are at least 8 ways we become negatively affected by clutter. Also, I though it might be thought provoking to look at some statistics on clutter to learn more about How Clutter Affects You and How Kitchen Decluttering Can Improve Your Mental Health.
- US consumers buy 40% of the world’s toys, but bear only 3% of the world’s children.
- Most people wear 20% of their clothing 80% of the time. (source )
- 9.4% of U.S. households rent a storage unit. (source)
- People do not look at 80% of the papers and information they keep.(source)
- The average American house is double the size it was in the 1950s–and getting bigger. (source.)
- The U.S. Department of Energy reports that one-quarter of people with two-car garages have so much stuff in there that they can’t park a car. (https://www.becomingminimalist.com/the-statistics-of-clutter/)
- According to the National Soap and Detergent Association, getting rid of clutter would eliminate 40 percent of housework in the average home.(https://www.becomingminimalist.com/the-statistics-of-clutter/) Wouldn’t eliminating a lot of housework provide some declutter inspiration? Read on for more Decluttering Ideas For Your Home.
Today, we’ll lay out the solutions for the steps to declutter using my tips on Why and How to Declutter a House. Plus, we’ll look at a few ways to answer the concern of How Clutter Affects You and what you can do about it.
A few guidelines to keep you on task:
1.Only spend time on your specific daily task.
2.Do not get side-tracked or distracted.
3.Work within a time of day that you have the most energy and stamina.
4.Avoid thinking too long about whether to keep or discard an item. Recruit help if you are stuck in the decision process.
5.Avoid cleaning during your declutter. Getting rid of the clutter is your priority. Cleaning can be accomplished later.
Your task today for August 15th is to: Declutter fine china, silver, and crystal
Just a quick recap of what we did yesterday, August 14th. The August 14th Task in the Year Long Thorough Declutter Series was to declutter any dry and shelf-stable foods that aren’t stored in your pantry.
Why aren’t they in your pantry? If you are like me, storage can be an issue. Maybe you have a tiny pantry or no pantry at all. Maybe you have heavy items that weigh down your shelves. Whatever your situation, you have foods and drinks that get overlooked because you don’t see them daily in your fridge or pantry. For me, that includes large emergency food storage.
The pantry floor is where I store my own emergency food shelf-stable items. The reason for this is because of the weight of these items. One huge white container is stored in my laundry room above the washer and dryer. It contains emergency foods that are shelf-stable for up to 25 years, so long as they stay sealed and unopened.
For lack of space, some similar items, also stored in my laundry room. These bags contain dried rice I purchased from a large discount store for our emergency food stash.
Finally, I have a few large containers that actually did fit in the bottom of the pantry. You guessed it…more emergency food.
So, why do I store them indoors? That one is easy. Bugs. We live in hot, humid Alabama, so bugs live here year round. I can’t risk them damaging our emergency food supply, so I prefer to keep these indoors.
To declutter these areas today, I checked expiration dates and vacuumed around and under these items. I found some flavored water that expired in 2017. Yuck! So, that had to go. Otherwise, I just moved some things around to check for any damage to the packaging and to prevent those pesky bugs that might creep in.
If you are interested in starting an emergency food supply, check out the link below for a great place to get started.
Find out more here.
So how are YOU doing in this Year Long Thorough Declutter Series? I hope you are making progress and staying motivated. I’m right here with you, doing those daily tasks and pushing through to develop good habits. Remember that decluttering has many benefits. One benefit is thankfulness for what you have.
If you have lived in a cluttered environment for years, you may have even become depressed and discouraged at all of the clutter that surrounds you. Maybe you have even allowed that clutter to comfort you.
Remember this, God is your comfort. Not things.
2 Corinthians 1:3-4 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.”
Be mindful of the suffering of those around you. As you declutter, let God show you if you need to hand off anything specifically to someone who needs it. Hoarding and refusing to part with possessions can make you become selfish and stingy. My advice: Do not be “married” to things. Things will come and go, but people are the greatest asset. Decluttering can turn your “trash” into a blessing for someone else. Have an open hand, and let God lead your decisions as you give freely.
I hope you are enjoying this Year Long Thorough Declutter Series. If you haven’t already, subscribe to my blog for daily tasks and inspiration to keep you motivated. Also, feel free to share and invite others to join you, so we can all cheer each other on.
Kitchen Declutter
Your task today for August 15th is to: Declutter fine china, silver, and crystal
Need to deep clean? I have lists for you to guide you along.
My How to Deep Clean Your Kitchen list can be found here.
My How to Deep Clean Your Bathroom list can be found here.
My How to Deep Clean Your Kids’ Rooms list can be found here.
My How to Deep Clean Your Living Room list can be found here.
My How to Deep Clean Your Bedroom list can be found here.
You can get your printable Daily Housekeeping Routine and Deep Cleaning Your House Schedule here. This 15 page printable kit is delivered digitally to your email for you to print and personalize. What Does a Deep Clean Include? It includes a daily schedule, calendar pages, and deep cleaning checklists for every room and area of your home. Below is a sample page of what you’ll get in my printable set designed to help you create your personal Housekeeping Schedule Printable.
Also, to keep up the general housework, you may need to create a daily housekeeping schedule that suits your specific needs. To do so, I have created a helpful series you can read here.
Need to Declutter Every room? I have declutter checklists for every room and every space in your home to guide you along below.
Also, you can get the complete digital printable copy of the Year Long Thorough Declutter Series Calendar and Checklists here. The printable digital download is delivered to your email. It includes 25 pages of printable calendar pages and checklists to help you declutter every room in your home. You can sign up here.
How to Declutter the Guest Room or Your Kid’s Room checklist can be found here.
How to Declutter Your Laundry Room and Patio checklist can be found here.
How to Declutter Your Coat Closet/Hall Closet/Linen Closet checklist can be found here.
How to Declutter Your Home Office checklist can be found here.
How to Declutter Your Attic checklist can be found here.
How to Declutter Your Garage checklist can be found here.
How to Declutter Your Living Room checklist can be found here.
How to Declutter Your Kitchen Checklist can be found here.
How to Declutter Your Entry/Foyer/Mudroom checklist can be found here.
How to Declutter Your Clothing checklist can be found here.
How to Declutter Your Bedroom checklist can be found here.
How to Declutter Your Bathroom checklist can be found here.
Happy Decluttering!
To Subscribe to this Declutter Series, drop me a comment below. Your email will be sent to me but will not be posted publicly. You’ll receive a daily declutter task via email for the daily task we are working on. You can unsubscribe at any time.
New to deemiddleton.com and don’t know where to start? I recommend going in this order:
Step 1: Check out this post on the 1st step you should take to get organized. Also, you can get the complete digital printable copy of the Year Long Thorough Declutter Series Calendar and Checklists here. The printable digital download is delivered to your email. It includes 25 pages of printable calendar pages and checklists to help you declutter every room in your home. You can sign up here.
Step 2: Create a daily Housekeeping Schedule. You can use this series to start to set up your own schedule. You can also use this simplified weekly schedule.If you often ask: What is the fastest way to clean a dirty house? Or, if you struggle to get organized and have tried and failed time and again, you can likely find out which of these 11 reasons cause you to fail to get organized.
Step 3: Get decluttering strategies here.…Sign up for the Declutter Series and get your entire home decluttered in just 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week.”Declutter Your Home” checklists are provided in each email.
Step 4: What is the fastest way to clean a dirty house? Use a timer and use the Deep Cleaning Checklists above. They will help you get your home sparkling after you’ve decluttered.
Interested in becoming a full-time blogger like me? Check out my blogging series. At the top of every page on my blog, you’ll find a drop down menu. Just select the BLOGGING category.
Check out the most popular posts on deemiddleton.com:
14 Things That Make Your Home Look Cluttered
How to Create a Daily Housekeeping Schedule
How to Clean House When You Are Completely Overwhelmed By Clutter
What is Preventing You From Getting Organized?
Also, check out a great post on decluttering over here from becomingminimalist.com. Joshua Becker has some great tips on decluttering and minimalism.
For further reading, check out the fly lady here. She has some great cleaning and decluttering ideas plus excellent organization tips to get you started.
Need some Inspiration to Declutter? Join us for the Year Long Through Declutter Series by subscribing by email below.
Affiliate Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase through my link, I’ll be compensated at no additional cost to you.
To Subscribe to this Declutter Series, drop me a comment below. Your email will be sent to me but will not be posted publicly. You’ll receive a daily declutter task via email for the daily task we are working on. You can unsubscribe at any time.
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