One decluttering expert believes your rooms should be empty of everything except things you use on a daily basis; another thinks you should only keep the items that make you happy. Who’s right? No one.
The fact is that we’re all different. One person’s decluttered home is another person’s nightmare, feeling either too empty or still too full. So how do you determine what is an Acceptable Clutter Level (ACL) for you?
The easiest way is to take a favorite room of your house, perhaps your living room or den, and strip it down to the bare essentials: a place to sit, a light source and one entertainment item, like a television, laptop or Bluetooth speaker. Remove all artwork from the walls. Then spend time in that room and see how you feel. Spend more than an hour; spend a few evenings. Soon you’ll know what more is needed in that room, if anything, to make you comfortable.
Years ago, we rented a cottage for a family vacation. The cottage had a small living area which was filled with a kitchen table and chairs; no sofa. We nearly went crazy that week trying to live without a sofa. We’d sit on the chairs, we’d sit on the beds, we’d sit on the floor….nothing felt right. Our kids did just fine without a sofa, but we were suffering. That’s when we learned we had to have a sofa to be comfortable.
If you go to realtor.com, you’ll find that many people who have put their homes on the market these days have stripped them of most personal effects in an effort to make their homes look cleaner and larger, and to allow potential buyers to picture themselves living in them. This makes sense when you want to sell, but for some people, it will make sense for their current home. They’ll enjoy that uncluttered look on a daily basis.
Others need to have many personal items around them to be comfortable. You may be one of them. In that case, you’ll want to start with a stripped room and then begin adding items to the room that make the room feel more comfy without feeling too cluttered. Add a few things and then live with the room that way for a day or two; you’ll soon know whether you need more stuff (or less) in that room.