When you’re busy working all week, not to mention exhausted by the diabolical Metro Manila traffic, skipping grueling weekend tasks like home decluttering is the most logical thing to do. After all, you’re depleted of energy, and you only have two days to replenish for another week of labor and commute. You’d surely want to rest the weekend off.

But did you know that, while it doesn’t seem harmful in any way, continually increasing home clutter can be detrimental to you and your loved-ones’ health and safety?

Before you think ‘nah who doesn’t have a cluttered room or two at home’, here are four reasons why we believe you shouldn’t skip regular decluttering no matter how drained you may be from the tiring workweek:

1. Clutter makes your home an ideal breeding place for pests and rodents.

If you hate the idea of sharing your dwelling place with unwanted guests like cockroaches and rodents, clear every corner of your house and deprive pests of sites to breed under your roof. Having too many stagnant items inside the home gives pests and rodents a haven to live in and multiply, and evading traps and other pest elimination efforts are easy for them if plenty of stuff blocks your way to catch them.

Pests and rodents carry bacteria and germs, and they spread these harmful organisms in your environment when they make contact with your daily necessities like clothes, bags, footwear, toiletries, and—worse—cookware and dinnerware.

2. Clutter can cause accidents inside the house.

Another reason why it’s unhealthy to keep clutter in your home is that when you get used to it, you’ll adapt the habit of leaving things in a disarray. You won’t bother putting items back where you got them since there’s no strict need for organization anymore.

Now when things are strewn everywhere; papers under the table, toys on the floor, heavy boxes on top of cabinets; anyone in the family becomes prone to injuries caused by slips or falling objects.

These types of accidents, which can inflict life-threatening harm, can be avoided entirely if everything is placed and stored correctly in the house.

3. Clutter can trigger allergies and respiratory problems.

When dust accumulates heavily inside the house due to clutter, even family members without respiratory problems become at risk of acquiring them.

Dust can trigger allergic rhinitis, and it can lead to serious asthma attacks, bronchitis, and tracheitis among people with chronic respiratory conditions.

Respiratory conditions can be debilitating, and it can cost your loved-ones many days off from school or work.

 4. Clutter can induce anxiety, stress, and depression.

Clutter is not a highly-recognized cause of depression in the country, but an untidy environment is scientifically proven to be a great source of anxiety and stress, which can both lead to depression.

The logic behind this is simple. You can’t relax in a messy space. When you see clutter everywhere, you unconsciously bookmark organizing tasks in your head, and this can always make you feel tired even during your downtime.

But clutter doesn’t only clog your home physically; it can also affect the energy of productivity and positivity inside your dwelling place. When chaos surrounds you, you’re less likely to spend time on working out or doing anything meaningful inside your house.

What’s worse is when you need to find necessary documents that unintentionally blended into your sea of clutter. You’re sure to experience stress digging through mixed papers of scratches and valuable materials.

Clutter—at first—may seem harmless and inevitable. But when you don’t do anything about it, it will lead to excessive disorder in your household, and at the end of the day, it can cause considerable damage to your quality of life; physically, emotionally, and mentally.

How to get rid of clutter

To make your home clutter-free, make it a habit to:

1. Organize. Make it a cardinal rule in the house to arrange everything in order before the day ends. This way, it will become second nature to everyone in the family to keep every corner of the house clean and clutter-free before going to bed at night.

2. Declutter. Dispose unnecessary items that take up space in the house on a regular basis. Learn to break free from the “sentimental value” mentality and you’ll be sure to enjoy a clear and clean dwelling place after a few sessions of decluttering.

3. Control. Don’t buy things you don’t need. Unless it’s functional, don’t purchase items that will only add to your collection of dust-inviting decors.

Your home is your pride but, more importantly, it is your sanctuary where you replenish for the next day’s journey. Don’t let all the clutter deprive your peace of space. It is, after all, the most important thing you need to keep balance in you.

###

Home maintenance is a fulfilling and chaos-free rendezvous when you live in the San Lorenzo Place by Empire East. The four-tower development is conveniently located within the Central Business District of Makati and is a few minutes away from some of the country’s prime shopping malls, academic institutions, health centers, and corporate towers. It’s also linked to the Magallanes Station of the MRT3, so commute to the Northern side of the metro from Makati is hassle-free.

The San Lorenzo Place is all about making each day relaxing and fun, like a vacation, for its residents. It offers world-class amenities that are sure to reward you a refreshing day outside of work. And when you feel like going out with friends and loved-ones, top-notch restaurants and hangout places are also within reach.

Relish a high-end lifestyle at one of the poshest communities to rise in the leading business district of the country, the San Lorenzo Place by Empire East.

For more information about Empire East and its Transit-Oriented Developments across Metro Manila visit www.empire-east.com; or call 810-3333 or 0917-8-EMPIRE. You may also like/follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram through username @empireeast.

INQUIRER.net/JV