Houston, we have a problem. San Francisco, we have a problem. AMERICA: We have a problem. The problem is clutter and filth. There is cleaning and clutter anarchy in many of today’s homes.
How did we get here? Recreational shopping, the pervasive thoughts that everything we own is a “collectible,” our inability to throw things away, thoughts of “What if I need this?” and “I shouldn’t throw something away that’s just going to go in a landfill” as well as our aversion to maintenance of our homes. All of these thoughts and beliefs keep us a prisoner in our own homes.
In short, our homes are controlling us – we’re not controlling them. Yes, America, we are living under a deluge a junk and excess. Not only that, but there’s dirt and filth under all of it. And if that’s not bad enough, there are now “extreme” pest companies.
These companies come to poison, trap, and haul away all manner of pestilence and vermin that are brought on by the avoidance of purging the flotsam and jetsam of living that no one takes the time to tackle. And, if the mess is profound, then cleaning isn’t done, and this can lead to problem like silverfish, roaches, mice, rats, and worse….
Is that what’s going on in most American homes? No, but it’s getting bad out there. Really bad. Many families live in chaos because of over scheduling and activities -- and our need to fill up every waking minute with something making it so that we don’t devote the time that we need to on our homes. We don’t want people coming over because we don’t want anyone to see our mess. This is what’s most common, although the other side is growing.
Recently, psychologists and other home experts are beginning to look at the common connections between being overweight, the need to consume, and America’s overwhelming, interminable clutter. This has been a long time in coming.
Some psychologists believe that clutter, like obesity, is based on our need to consume. Well, going back to first year college psychology, we know that would fall under “oral fixation.” The psychological “I am, therefore I must consume” kind of thinking is what gets us into trouble.
I’m not a psychologist, and I realize I’m walking into a minefield here, but this is my personal theory about stuff, clutter, and weight. I find it interesting that psychologists are seeing a connection between weight and clutter, noting that there is an oral connection. The oral fixation, in my mind, has another step.
I’ve traveled extensively around the world and if there’s one thing I’ve noticed, it’s that American babies are constantly “orally gratified.” That is, American parents think that children must be “occupied” orally at every waking moment. I blame the problem on our reliance on pacifiers. No other country uses them like we do. And no one else is as cluttered and as fat as we are.
Interestingly, we link the oral fixation we get from these with being “pacified” – and then as we get older, we are pacified with five doughnuts, constant consumption of sodas, and worthless yet compulsive shopping. Now we have generations of people who must be gratified every waking moment – which leads us to overconsumption -- and that brings us to the incredible cluttered messes that we have in our homes.
For more information, see the article below on the psychology of clutter.
News reports on America’s compulsion for clutter
US Material Wealth Leads to Clutter
Now, even though this is a cleaning column and the focus is on cleaning, there can’t be clean unless the clutter’s gone, so these are not separate issues.
Get to the Bottom of Clutter and Cleaning
The next step is to understand that all that clutter isn’t just junk and mess everywhere, it’s a collector and transporter of filth, dust, and makes true cleaning next to impossible. Below are some of my past articles on cleaning. I hope it will help to inspire you and your family to get control of your lives by getting control of your homes. Believe me, this is something that I constantly fight in my own home, so I understand this problem very well because I'm living it, too.
Here's snippet from a famous Chinese proverb to motivate you:
If there is harmony in the house,
There will be order in the nation.
If there is order in the nation,
There will be peace in the world.
Work on getting your home in control
The Out of Control Home
Prepare Your Home for Fall
Clean Well, Clean Right
Do You Know How to Clean a Toilet Right?
Microfiber Towels: The Best Thing Since Soap and Water
Get the Edge in Cleaning
The Clean Habit, Making Clean Habits Part of Your Life
Get a New Attitude
Kids Can Clean Too! Raise responsible kids who care about their homes and help their families
Keep Yourself Motivated
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More Housecleaning Resources
Don’t be afraid to order a book on housekeeping. We aren't born with a “cleaning gene” so you aren't defective if you order some books on housecleaning. In fact, a housekeeping book is where I learned not to wrap sheets around an agitator in the washer and to put them in a bundle on one side! So much of our cleaning habits are outdated, too, so don't be afraid to learn some new tips and ideas. It might be the thing to get you motivated!
Good Housekeeping The Complete Household Handbook: The Best Ways to Clean, Maintain & Organize Your Home
Home Comforts : The Art and Science of Keeping House
The Well-Ordered Home: Organizing Techniques for Inviting Serenity into Your Life
Keeping House: Hints and Tips for a Beautifully Clean Home
Laundry : The Home Comforts Book of Caring for Clothes and Linens
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Kathryn Weber is the publisher of the Everydayclean.com Calender -- the calendar that helps you end the power struggle with your house. Keeping a clean home is about knowing what to clean when. Virtually everything that needs to be cleaned is on this calendar in a year-round cleaning schedule that helps you keep your house clean easier and faster. Click here for more information.
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