ATLANTA—Eighty percent of people say they declutter weekly and that the home office and children’s bedrooms are the top two areas for accumulated clutter, according to a recent survey conducted by the green cleaning leader, Maid Brigade. With published research stating that clutter causes anxiety, confusion, and depression it’s no wonder that Maid Brigade survey participants say that an organized and clutter-free home is the number two factor influencing their overall well-being.
“When clutter gets out of hand, chaos isn’t far behind,” says Marie Stegner, consumer health advocate for Maid Brigade.“To alleviate stress in my home, I tackle messes one room at a time and spend 15 minutes each day picking up.”
Other rooms rated by Maid Brigade survey participants as topping the clutter list were the playroom, kitchen, and family room. To help you keep calm and conquer the clutter, Stegner and the house cleaning experts at Maid Brigade offer these 10 clutter cleanup tips.
1. Practice the “in-out” rule. For every new item, discard an old one.
2. Spend 15 minutes per day picking up before it becomes overwhelming.
3. Label four boxes or bags: Keep, Donate, Trash, Hold. (If you haven’t touched the things in the hold box in one year, their time has come.)
4. Reward kids for cleaning up and sharing what they no longer use, to make it fun.
5. Use baskets and bowls to collect mail, pens, and loose change that accumulate on countertops. Empty weekly.
6. Handle mail and email once. Take any action needed as it arrives, then file or discard.
7. Add furniture that does double duty such as a coffee table that also serves as a storage chest to contain items in the room where they’re used.
8. Declutter drawers by emptying everything in front of you. Put only what you really use back and eliminate the rest.
9. Create a “magic triangle” in your kitchen between the stove, refrigerator, and sink and keep frequently used kitchen items there.
10. Avoid randomly buying storage containers to hold things you don’t use or need. It just adds to the clutter. And, those containers take up space.
Want to know more about how to manage clutter? Visit Stegner’s blog at www.maidbrigade.com/blog for more decluttering and cleaning tips. For more information about the Maid Brigade survey and its results visit http://www.maidbrigade.com/survey.
About Maid Brigade
Headquartered in Atlanta, Maid Brigade is the only house cleaning service that is Green Clean Certified® with more than 400 franchise service areas in the United States and Canada. Established in 1979, Maid Brigade is the green cleaning industry leader and has a longstanding legacy of providing quality customer service and consistent and thorough cleaning using the most advanced techniques and equipment. The company has also implemented a consumer advocacy program in response to reports from the Environmental Protection Agency linking chemicals in traditional cleaning products to a wide range of health risks. For more information visit www.maidbrigade.com or call 866-800-7434.
