The De-Cluttering Survey: Disadvantages

Photo by: Sira Anamwong

Are there any disadvantages to de-cluttering? I asked our participants.
Their response?  Yes—8   No—8   Sometimes—4 

“Our daughter is very creative, and as a small child, she loved to do art projects; often that required spreading out over great areas. It made for great conflict at times! Also, too much emphasis on being de-cluttered can result in a lack of spontaneity, and a sense of being uptight over things out of place.”

“Well . . . the process of me de-cluttering the house is very stressful for our family. I am surrounded by people who hoard! Seriously! My husband's office . . . I have finally learned to just close the door and not go in there. One child collects rocks, and every little scrap of paper with doodles must be saved. Another has just recently joined the ranks of saving rocks, nuts (like acorns found in the park), and papers. My small child is the only one who is not bothered when Mommy ‘cleans’ his room. It's fine to keep things nice and tidy, but it should not involve a Mommy meltdown once a month!"

“After a little time goes by I think, ‘Man, I wish I wouldn't have thrown that away.’ Ha ha.”

“Getting rid of things you might need. I don't understand people who give away their baby clothes after every pregnancy and then have to get more at the next one. Even with yard sale and consignment shopping, that would add up. Even aside from that, I have gotten rid of things that I later on wish I hadn't. Some might see that as too much attachment to ‘things,’ but I see it as careful stewardship of my possessions.”

“As a new missionary, we started collecting stuff because there was no Walmart around the corner, if you needed something. Years later and things are more readily available. I am trying to overcome that mentality. There is also the disadvantage of getting rid of something you should have kept, but I really think the chances are minimal. I can't really think of a significant occasion where that has happened to us.“   

“I bring in more stuff I get in good deals, that we can use. Sometimes, I don't have a home for that . . . so I am a hoarder/de-clutterer . . . ha!”

“You might throw out something that is actually useful, just because you’re tired of seeing it and never using it. You know the Murphy’s Law Corollary: If you throw away something you haven’t used in five years, you will need it two weeks later.”

“Not that I can find. I love de-cluttering. Well, I guess the downside would be getting everybody onboard. Kids and hubby love to hold onto stuff.”

“I don’t see any disadvantage at all. If something is extra, the best thing is to get rid of it. I think the hardest part about getting rid of extras is the attachment we feel to things, even in our imagination and fantasies about what we can really use or do with them—and then we never do.”

“Sometimes the things I pull out to de-clutter make their way back to the shelf or box because it IS something we should save. My husband is my balance in this process, because sometimes I just want to get rid of everything because the clutter gets on my nerves! Sometimes in my de-cluttering, I forget that there are things that are just pretty that add beauty to our lives. If you de-clutter too much or do it without balance, then you can miss out on having lovely things. Sometimes we don't need to be absolutely practical about everything, but we do need to stop and ‘smell the roses.’ Having kids reminds me of this because to them every scribble and every rock collected and every ‘present’ from friends are precious treasures that I would otherwise ‘de-clutter.’ They remind me that some of these things are reminders of special relationships and people in our lives, and we don't just have to de-clutter everything that doesn't serve a practical purpose.”

“The biggest disadvantage is that sometimes you need or miss something you got rid of. But when you weigh the cost of rarely needing to replace something against the peace of mind and beauty and freed-up brain cells, it’s definitely worth it.”

EDITOR’S COMMENT: Quite a few of our survey participants agree that they sometimes later need something they’ve given or thrown away.

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I will never say that the disadvantages of de-cluttering outweigh the advantages. But I think it’s at least caution-worthy that we examine the disadvantages:

• Friction in the home
• Getting rid of things that have value to our children
• When de-cluttering actually increases the stress level in the home
• Stewardship—when over de-cluttering produces real needs later
• The house looks sterile and not homey.
• And, the biggie: getting rid of things you need soon after they’re pitched or given away

Stay tuned for one more post about Finding Balance in De-Cluttering. It will include some recommended reading and links. If you missed Parts 1 and 2, please scroll down to enjoy them.

The De-Cluttering Survey: Advantages

Photo by: photostock

I asked our twenty participants, “What would you say is the number-one benefit or advantage of de-cluttering?” Here are their answers:

“It is so much easier to keep a de-cluttered house clean. There's also just something so . . . beautiful . . . about walking into an organized, de-cluttered room.”

“FREEDOM! I've seen how clutter can hurt people's relationships. There’s so much responsibility with each little item that you spend your precious time taking care of things rather than people. Also, if there's too much clutter it's a testimony problem, too. I'm not talking about a perfectly neat home; I'm just talking about a home devoid of so many material things. Where is the focus?”

“To me, it makes me feel cleaner and organized. I don't struggle with tripping over things. When I feel organized, I feel better.”

“Not being a slave to your STUFF. Being a good steward. Some of it has to be personality-geared. Some people are more pack rat-ish than others (family members' names withheld—wink). Getting older helps, also. You don't feel the need to collect stuff like you might have when you were younger and starting out. Cleaning is also important. If I can't throw it in a washer or dishwasher, I am less interested—as a general rule.”  

“I hate clutter, so for me the main benefit is that there is no longer clutter, and the side benefit is that I know where stuff is.”

“It’s easier to find places for the things you need to keep.”

“There is less stress on the family and the marriage when the house is neat.”

“Getting rid of stuff that isn’t used in my home usually means it can be used by someone else whether it's clothes, toys, kitchenware etc. Also, it makes room for more stuff! Ha ha! (But seriously around Christmas, I usually do a big de-clutter to make room for new presents.)” 

“Less stuff to keep up with, clean, store, and a freer and less cluttered state of mind. But I don't think de-cluttering is necessarily a virtue in itself. It seems to be a thing now. I don't see a need to regularly look through everything I have to see if I need to weed out a few things, just to do it.”

“It is a wonderful feeling of being on top of things and not UNDER it all!”

"I had way too much stuff. I just didn't know it. I wasn't truly free of clutter until we moved to (the mission field), and I had to sell all of my worldly belongings in yard sales. I kept only books and very, very useful items, photos, and memories. (Most of those are in storage). We brought with us only what would fit on the plane. Only then was I truly free. And, it feels amazing! I felt like I took off a huge burden. It is so easy to keep my house clean now. I know where everything is. It made such a difference. My husband and kids are much happier, too, and I don't spend so much time just keeping up with stuff. Clutter is very time consuming. If I don't love it or use it, it goes! I also pay more for one item and get quality rather than have lots of inexpensive, less quality things. So what I have is nice, I just don't have a lot. (That goes for clothes, too.)"

“I appreciate the sensation of order and lightness.”

 “I don’t feel so pressed in by material things. It allows for open spaces and reduces a feeling of claustrophobia.”

“It is very freeing to not have a bunch of stuff that needs cleaned, sorted, maintained all the time. What we have in our home is what we use, so everything has a purpose. It keeps my attention on what is important and makes me less likely to be ‘looking’ to buy more things or get the latest/most stylish trend. I know that if I buy something, then something else has to go, or the new item has to have a definite purpose to make it worth the purchase.”

“There are so many, but peace of mind must be first. You can find things, you have more room to move about, you have the beauty of more spaciousness—and you don’t need to worry about your children pitching all your stuff in a dumpster when you die (and maybe throwing out really great stuff in the process because they are overwhelmed).”

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Three definitions of clutter. “Any possession, habit, thought pattern, attitude, or activity that

            1) you don’t need or use any more,

            2) doesn’t fit or work for you like it used to, or

            3) doesn’t add value and meaning to your life as it once did,” and “Anything that complicates your life and prevents you from living in peace as you live out your purpose.”

The author’s conclusion? “Clutter is an issue of the heart. It keeps us from following Jesus fully. We simply cannot make room for Him when so many other things are in the way.”

From Clutter to Clarity: Simplifying Life from the Inside Out, a book by Nancy Twigg, recommended by one of the participants.

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What do you think? What are the advantages of de-cluttering? Do you think it's an "issue of the heart"? Stay tuned for some very interesting comments on the disadvantages in the next post of our series. (If you missed the first part of the series, scroll down. It's about people's practical systems for de-cluttering.)