“With the deluge of gifts many people exchange at Christmas, it seems a good time for soul-searching over the Western obsession with stuff”, writes trend forecaster James Wallman.
“Clutter is postponed decisions.” Start decluttering your home and mind today!
There are some surprising statistics that reveal just how much stuff we actually own. And with Christmas coming up in less than four weeks’ time, now is the time to think about clearing out what we don’t use in our homes. The same goes for the accumulation of unwanted stuff in the workplace too.
And if you are moving home, it can save an enormous amount of cost and time when it comes to packing for a move. Of course, there are always those items that are treasured, and then storage is an option.
Stuffocation – owning too much stuff
Most of us know we own too much stuff. We feel the weight and burden of our clutter. We tire of cleaning and managing and organising. Our toy rooms are messy, our drawers don’t close, and our closets are filled from top to bottom.
For those of us who own garages, more than three-quarters of garages are not used to park our cars, but rather to house our extra stuff. The evidence of clutter is all around us.
British research found that the average 10-year-old owns 238 toys but plays with just 12 daily. That’s a lot of extra toys taking up a whole lot of space! And could be more useful if sold or donated.
What do we have accumulated that is unused in our homes?
On average, we have a total of 143 unused items stashed away in a typical British household.
Shoes: There are so many unworn or unused shoes in British homes that, put heel to toe, they would go once around the world.
CDs and DVDs: If piled on top of each other, in Britain, all of these that we don’t listen to or watch anymore would stretch a staggering 7,641 miles into space.
Clothes: When it comes to our wardrobes, the research revealed there are 3.8 billion items of unworn clothing lying around in Britain. On average, we each currently own 53 items of unworn clothing.
How much space would we save by clearing out?
Accumulatively, we could free floor space equivalent to an entire room if we have a good clear-out.
Why do we hold onto clutter?
Those who are still hoarding their clutter are doing so for various reasons. Some can’t find the time or inclination to sell it on secondhand sites.
Two thirds of Brits are keeping unused items ‘just in case’ they need them again. Thirty-four per cent said they keep some due to sentimental value.
Donating clutter to charity is a great solution for everyone
Oxfam Trading Director, said: “There are about 27 million households in the UK, and if each one has 143 unused items, we’re talking about more than three billion CDs, DVDs, homewares, accessories and clothes cluttering up a mind-blowing amount of space!
Donating clutter to charity is an ideal solution – not only does it liberate precious floor and storage space in our homes, it also raises money for people who really need help”.
“An average bag of donated stuff – like clothes, books, music, DVDs and homewares – can raise enough money to help two vulnerable families buy desperately-needed food in an emergency”.
But there’s always a need for storage
For various reasons, it is not always easy to part company with our extra belongings. It could be family memorabilia or a ‘just in case’ item. Or it could be that you are in between houses and need temporary storage.
These are just some of the things and some of the reasons people make use of storage units:
- Out of season extra clothing: Especially large winter coats and jumpers
- If you have too much furniture: but haven’t fully decided on what to keep yet
- Lessen the stress of moving: if you haven’t sorted out the timing between your old and new home, then storage could come in handy
- Staging your home in order to sell it: when you want to clear home space to give it an uncluttered feel to potential buyers
- Renovating a home: and need to clear some of your belongings to make space for building work
- Downsizing: you’ve made a quick decision to move to a smaller home, but still have all your stuff and need time to sell it or make room for it.
- Store a loved one’s belongings: It is a sad occasion, but often happens when a loved one passes away and the family doesn’t know what to do with their things. Give yourself time and space to go through their things later.
- Student life: In between student years and perhaps a change of their accommodation leases.
- Travelling or working abroad for a while: it is easier to store than sell, especially if it is not for too long a time period
- Renting out your house: and you plan to return at some point
- Organising an Inventory for business: store extra inventory if you don’t have enough space at your outlet or factory
- Keep items safe: Facilities are more secure than garages, garden sheds and many homes and offices, like our storage facility with 24/7 security.
- Decluttering for better organisation: giving you flexibility in your home space, and also in the size of storage you may need while giving you peace of mind
- Working from home: the pandemic saw many people fast-track to working from home. This meant creating an office space and moving surplus items to storage.
- Baby on the way: this often requires clearing out of a room, or making the space safer. So some things need to be packed away for a while.
- Empty nesters: your children have left home but haven’t quite settled into their new long-term home, so there is still plenty of their belongings that will be useful. And also sentimental.
- Change in relationship status: and the need for storage space until life works itself out.
- Storage space in a hurry: sometimes life throws us curved balls and unexpected dilemmas, and we suddenly find ourselves needing extra storage space in a hurry.
Why not store offsite?
Not in your own home or garage, or office, but at a secure storage facility?
Our Shires containerised storage facility is over 1.5 million square feet and it’s capable of storing all of your business or household items. We do this safely and securely for hundreds of businesses and home owners across the UK.
But if you know you’ll never need or want your excess items again, then perhaps it is time to truly declutter for good!
Ultimately, in the long term, it is about living more fully with less clutter. Good for our mental health, good for our planet, good for living space, good for our budget when we move house and don’t have to take excess goods with us.
