A mess in an apartment: a concept, a description with a photo, psychological causes, awareness, ways to deal with clutter and easy cleaning rules. How clutter affects a person Turns us into fat people

Mess in the house - only a reflection of our inner life. We are sure of it Melva Green and Lauren Rosenfield, book authors “Breathe freely. How clutter at home can help you sort yourself out. It is useless to study storage systems, it is not enough to be able to. In order for order to reign in the house, you need a careful analysis of all the accumulated rubbish, a leisurely cleaning, during which you can not only part with unnecessary things, but also create space for a new life.

At its core, getting rid of trash is a deep spiritual practice that helps you get closer to your loved ones and to yourself.

We have selected some universal tips from the book that will help you make your home cozy and find peace of mind.

Come up with symbolic words for each room

Any room in the house - it is not only a functional room where we eat, sleep, wash, work or communicate with households and guests. It is also our little universe, the center of our unique life. There must be something special, attractive in it.

Before you start cleaning, the authors of the book advise you to choose at least three symbolic words for each room that describe the atmosphere you want to create in them. For example, words for the bedroom - "rest, relaxation, love", for the kitchen - "creativity, inspiration, comfort", for the living room - "communication, light, appeasement." Such formulations will help in the cleaning process: after all, it is important not only to get rid of trash, but also to decide what exactly you want to achieve.

Creating an atmosphere becomes the goal of designers and architects. You should approach your home space in the same way.

Take a look at the interior

In order to clearly understand what items and things to get rid of, Melva Green and Lauren Rosenfield suggest doing some simple but very effective exercises.

For the hallway: walk out the door, and then enter as if you were a guest who came here for the first time. What is the first thing that catches your eye? What feeling comes over you? What prevents you from experiencing positive emotions? Remove those things that turned out to be “superfluous” and caused discomfort. Head out the door again. Do this until you realize that the hallway is filled with life, not rubbish.

For the kitchen: Grab your favorite cookbooks and plan a dinner that's a real treat. Do not deny yourself anything, think over each dish. After planning your menu, go through each recipe and get all the tools you need to prepare such a dinner: pots, bowls, blenders, spatulas. Lay out on the table. And pause. If that's all you need for the perfect dinner, why do you need the rest?

Throw away unwanted items with empathy

As with any business, the right attitude is important for cleaning. The authors of the book advise against treating the process as a life-or-death battle: “Under the influence of adrenaline, we cannot act intelligently and think rationally.” It is best to treat unnecessary things with delicate participation and even sympathy. You can even speak kindly to them, "How did you get here?", "Let's get out of here and get you back to where you should be."

When touching a thing, try to evoke in your soul the sympathy that you feel for a lost child. To some items you will say, “You are in the wrong room. I know where you'll be better." Such things are sent to the box "for migrants". You will address others with the words: “You have wandered too far. You don't belong here, but I know we'll find you a home." These things go in a "charity" box.

Avoid negative emotions

There are only two types of emotions - absorbing (negative) and replenishing (positive). The goal of decluttering is to watch for absorbing emotions and prevent them from materializing in the home.

How many things do you keep to yourself because of guilt, regret, anxiety, and fear? It is extremely important to understand how much space these emotions occupy in life. If we are going to get rid of them, we must know what power they have over us. Now take these things away: donate, recycle, send to the landfill. The choice is yours, but you must say goodbye to the overwhelming emotions that these things cause!

Leave no secret places

Everyone in the house has such places where mountains of rubbish are hidden from prying eyes. You must pull out the contents of all the caches, deal with it and never hide anything anywhere again. As much as you would like it. The house simply should not have "secret" places.

You need to rid your home and your life of dubious things. It's not enough to get them out of sight. They will remain in your mind. Even if no one knows about their existence, these things will consume you.

Don't be afraid of empty space

Most people are afraid of empty space in the house, even a small one: emptiness is perceived as a flaw. "I'm willing to bet that your house - whether it is a studio apartment of twenty-seven square meters or a huge mansion - filled with things - written by Melva Green and Lauren Rosenfield. - Every flat surface is lined with objects. Each box is filled with a different little thing. Every closet is full. Nothing surprising. From an early age, we see that this is how these spaces are used. It seems counterintuitive to do otherwise. We are so used to it that we instinctively fill in any empty space.”

And, indeed, if we find an unoccupied space, the first thing we do - find something to do with him or worse - mindlessly fill it up with a bunch of rubbish. But try to leave it as it is, loose and breathable. In the end, you make room not for things.

Stick to the idea that not every place has to be filled or filled with something.

It is difficult for a person who is in an uncomfortable environment to do their usual things. The mess in the apartment significantly reduces the productivity of work and the quality of rest. Even the ancient monks believed that clutter was an uncomfortable environment for meditation. However, this phenomenon has psychological reasons.

in the house

There are people who were brought up by sloppy parents. They often ask: "What makes an apartment a mess?" This is a large number of things that are not in their places. For example: clothes that are scattered all over the room, mountains of dirty dishes, garbage on the floor, pieces of paper from food, and so on. A photo of a mess in an apartment of a clean person will shock you. After all, for him, every room in the house has its own meaning and affects the morale.

Why there is chaos

Hard-working people simply do not have time to clean because of the busy work schedule. However, in any free time, a clean person would put things in order in his house. Common causes of mess:

Protest against surrounding people and distressing situations. A person perceives cleaning as submission. Therefore, his apartment is constantly a mess. This is influenced by the upbringing by strict and clean parents who forced their children to clean the room all the time against their will.
Irresponsibility. The sloppy owner in the apartment is constantly a mess. He shifts his responsibilities to other family members. Such people try not to be responsible for their own mistakes and actions, shifting the blame to others.
Clutter reflects psychological problems that even folk wisdom speaks of. This is confirmed by the famous phrase: "A mess in the head is a mess in the apartment." People in this way unconsciously demonstrate to others their defenselessness and weakness in the hope that someone will help.
Fatigue. It happens that the owner constantly does not have enough energy to clean. This can happen due to heavy work or study loads. Gradually, a habit will be formed to do without cleaning.

Clutter causes stress in a person, it is difficult for him to be in such an environment for a long time. The mess can even cause some mental disorders.

Psychological reasons

The mess observed in the room indicates serious internal conflicts of the inhabitant of this room. In rare cases, this is one of the symptoms of a mental disorder, such as depression. Psychology of a mess in an apartment:

Not enough attention. A mess is a great way to get people around you to clean up. A person lacks attention, and he asks his friends or relatives to help with cleaning. They agree to this, which gives extra time and support to their friend.
Reluctance to become an adult. Some children were brought up in families where parents loved cleanliness too much. They could always force their heirs to wash dishes, sweep and put things in their places. However, most children do not like this scenario, so the mess for them is salvation. With the help of disorder, they protest, as well as unwillingness to obey their parents. Such a child, after growing up, will at all consider that a person does not need order at all. Also, a mess is a sign of a psychologically immature person. Such people, on a subconscious level, have the hope that someone will clean for them. They simply blame their problems on others, which speaks of irresponsibility.
Loneliness. When a person makes a mess around him, it means that he feels helpless and abandoned. Therefore, others do not need to ask why a friend has a mess in his apartment, you should just go to his aid. If people scatter things, then they want to declare their existence.

By disorder, a person unconsciously shows others that he is not doing well, as it seems. Relatives and friends need to pay more attention to such people. This may have a positive effect on them.

Serious mental problems

The disorder can appear in people who suffer from psychological disorders. Sometimes these can be serious illnesses. These include:

Anxious state. In life, events happen that knock a person out of his rut. For example: death of a relative, divorce, litigation, and so on. This leads to anxiety, which forces you to focus on experiences. People stop taking care of themselves and cleaning their homes.
Depression. In this state, a person loses meaning and interest in everything around him. He develops apathy, the desire to perform simple household tasks disappears. This is reflected in the order in his house. A depressed person loses strength and cannot keep his room clean.
Schizophrenia. This is a very serious mental disorder. A person suffering from this disease ceases to monitor his appearance, becomes apathetic and does not perform simple household tasks. Serious deviations in the work of the brain are reflected in the disorder in the house.

A mess is not always a reflection of a person's laziness. Sometimes this can indicate serious mental disorders. Such problems require serious treatment with specialists.

What does a mess in the kitchen mean

This place is the most important in the house. After all, in the kitchen a person prepares food, eats food and stores energy. A mess in the kitchen is, first of all, a neglect of hygiene and cleanliness. Such an environment deprives a person of a sense of comfort and protection.

Mess in the toilet

If the restroom is in a dirty state, then this means that a person has problems in relationships, at work. The mess interferes with personal life. Also, the mess in the toilet suppresses intuition and insight. If a person does not maintain cleanliness, but simply closes the door, then this indicates attempts to hide his life from prying eyes.

Mess in the bathroom

For most people, a new day begins in this room, in which a person brushes his teeth, bathes and performs daily hygiene procedures. The mess in the bathroom says that a person does not pay attention to himself. It also indicates a low self-esteem of the owner. A well-maintained bathroom helps during stressful situations. If order and cleanliness reign in it, people try to take better care of themselves and be more beautiful.

Mess in the bedroom

This place in the apartment is designed for relaxation and solitude. In the bedroom, a person replenishes energy, restarts the body for new achievements and achievements. An untidy room takes all the strength from the people resting in it. On a psychological level, in a messy environment, a person cannot get rid of stress and fully restore his strength.

Mess in the living room and dining room

In these rooms, people gather with their family or friends to socialize and have a good time. In an environment of disorder, it is impossible to fully do this. Psychologists recommend keeping these rooms utterly clean. After all, it is here that all discussions or the exchange of pleasant impressions take place. Friends are extremely unpleasant to be in a mess, because of this they may stop visiting.

Uncleaned corridor

This is one of the most important parts of the apartment. The mess in the corridor prevents a person from moving around all the rooms. Psychologically, the mess reflects that the owner is not confident in his actions, and it is easy for him to encounter difficulties at work or in relationships. Even dim lighting indicates poor interaction with the outside world.

How to clean up the mess in the apartment

Everyone is capable of keeping an apartment clean. To do this, it is enough to form such a habit. After all, it’s not clean where they clean it, but where they don’t litter. Best Clutter Control Rules:

Washing dishes after eating. If a lot of appliances are collected in the sink, a person has even less desire to clean them. After all, there are a lot of dishes, the food dries on it, because of this, washing is inconvenient.
Newspapers and letters should be looked at immediately upon receipt. It happens that a person postpones this activity for another time, which is why mountains of waste paper can accumulate. If you review it and put it in a closet or bedside table, the room will become much cleaner.
Needed after waking up. With the onset of morning, a person feels still sleepy and puts off this action, often forgetting about it. After a hard day, it makes no sense to make the bed, because soon you will go to bed. This is how chaos is created. To keep your bedroom clean, the first step is to make your bed every morning.
Need to free up space. The apartment is constantly a mess may be due to a large number of unnecessary things. A person needs to distribute all clothes and objects in their places. Some of them can be thrown away. It can be unnecessary books, spoiled gadgets, clothes, and so on. A person should not regret what he does not need. When a lot of items are collected in some place, they must be immediately put away in their places.
The kitchen table should be cleaned immediately after the completion of the cooking process and the lunch meal.

Many people put off small things for later, and because of this, a mess gradually arises. A person must clean up the process: put the phone back, take out the accumulated garbage, put dirty things in the washing machine, and so on. Performing small tasks, people step towards a permanent order and cleanliness in the house.

Light cleaning rules

Putting things in order in the house is perceived as a routine and tedious task. Some people just do not know how to get rid of the mess in the apartment. However, you can make cleaning easy and interesting. For this you need:

Ask for help from those around you. If a person lives with a family, then he can involve relatives in cleaning. With them, the process of restoring order will be fun. In addition, the cleaning process will be reduced in time by two or three times.
Good mood. For a better mood, the owners turn on music throughout the house. It uplifts the mood and makes cleaning interesting and fun. Also, a person can listen to an audiobook, combining pleasant listening with useful tidying up.
Developed plan. For the efficiency of the process, it is advisable to pre-plan its sequence and determine for yourself which rooms and actions you need to start cleaning from.
Visited places. For example, the stove or workplace must be cleaned every day. After all, in these places trash and garbage accumulates the most. You do not need to leave these places until otherwise you can spend a lot of time on them.

Each person can put things in order in his apartment. To do this, you need to realize the problem of the mess and understand its causes. Further, the habit of cleaning will form very quickly, and this process will begin to give pleasure to the owner and the people around him.

While some of us are comfortable living in our little mess, well-organized housing offers us a number of benefits, including psychological ones. Order promotes inner harmony and even allows us to think better.

Tricks to beat clutter in the house

Mess - something more than just things thrown in the corner. This is a kind of life philosophy that can fill our lives with chaos and tension.

In our article today, we will share with you some tricks that will help you win. mess in the house. These tips will be useful to you in other areas of life, for example, at work.

Clutter is an acquired habit

Some people like to live in a mess, because it allows them not to waste time on various household chores. And at the same time, they are able to perfectly navigate their chaos and quickly find the necessary things.

On the other hand, tidy housing makes family relationships more harmonious and one can hardly argue with the fact that it is much more practical to always store things in specially designated places for them.

As for the inner world of a person, our mind also functions better when there is no clutter in our lives. When our desktop is full of papers, folders and books, it becomes more difficult for us to focus and keep our attention on a particular topic.

Order at home and at work has a number of advantages. Therefore, it is worth forming this habit in yourself. Of course, clutter won't go out of your life overnight. To do this, you will need a lot of time and effort. But soon you will begin to notice the first changes for the better.

How nice it is when we return home and find all things in their places, and the visit of guests does not force us to hide a mountain of items and trifles in the closet. Imagine that you are sitting on the sofa to relax and your eyes do not cling to things scattered throughout the room.

Of course, restoring order takes time from us. This cannot be argued with.

But as soon as order becomes our habit, it becomes easier for us to maintain it and we become more organized in all areas of life. Gradually, our life is freed from stress and tension.

Tips to help you beat clutter

Weekend coming up? This is a good reason to clean up the apartment. You'll see, your house will be like new. Of course, in the future you will need to maintain this order.

But once you see how clean and tidy your home can be, you'll want to make the effort.

1. Start with one room

If you decide to get rid of domestic chaos once and for all, you should not try to start putting things in order in all the rooms at once.

Start with one specific room , for example, from the living room or kitchen. As a rule, we see them as soon as we get into the house.

Take all the objects lying around and put them in the places specially designed for this.

If any of these items are to be stored in other rooms, take them there. As soon as you start cleaning those rooms, you will understand where it is better to put these things.

2. Decide where to store each item

Only those items that we use in the kitchen should be stored in the kitchen. Books and magazines belong in the library. Clothes and shoes should be put away in the closet. When we get used to storing things in certain places, it becomes easy for us to find them at the right time.

Do you need a coat? Look for it on a hanger, not on a couch. The habit of storing things in certain places will help you out in moments of haste. and you will always know that the necessary items will be found quickly at any time.

3. Develop a cleaning algorithm

As for the cleaning of each of the premises, it would be better to develop a certain algorithm here. For example, collect dirty clothes and put them in the washing machine, then take out the trash, make the bed, put clean clothes in the closet, dismantle the shelves and racks, etc.

Such a plan will make it easier for you to put things in order in each of the rooms. In order to beat the mess, you need a strategy. AT In this case, you do not have to spend the whole day off cleaning.

4. Throw away unnecessary things

There are probably a lot of things in your house that you no longer use.

The time has come to get rid of them. Something can simply be taken to the trash, and something can be given to a charitable foundation.

One of the reasons for the disorder in the house is the accumulation of unnecessary things. We don't know where to store them, and these items end up on chairs, on the floor, or in a corner.

5. Clean up dirt right away

When cleaning your home, remember this golden rule: "clean up items immediately after use, clean up fresh debris and dirt, and tidy up without postponing this task until later." This recommendation should apply to all family members.

As soon as our house is filled with order and cleanliness, and all objects are in their places, we need to make efforts so that chaos does not take over our housing again. It's pretty difficult. On the other hand, all this is a matter of habit. The most important thing is to understand and realize the benefits of order.

6. Use boxes and containers for storage

Sometimes we don't want to throw away or give away things that we don't use. because they are the memory of important events or people for us. Maybe some things we don't need now, but may come in handy in the future.

In this case, the best way out is to buy a special box or a beautiful box for storing them. Perhaps you still have unused cardboard boxes from household appliances at home.

At the same time, it is advisable to mark these boxes and write what exactly is stored inside them. After that, you can put them under the bed, in the closet, closet or garage.

7. Buy new furniture

It's possible that the reason for your mess is that you don't have the right furniture., which would allow you to conveniently store all household utensils.

This does not mean that you need to force your home with various furniture. Also, buying new furniture should not be a reason to keep buying things you don't need.

Nonetheless, comfortable and functional furniture will allow you to remove from sight all those objects that create a feeling of disorder in you.

In one house, T-shirts and shirts are stacked and sorted by color; in another, a wrench accidentally ends up in a toy box. In one apartment, things hang neatly on hangers, in another they fall out of the closet. So why do some people have perfect cleanliness at home, while others have eternal chaos and chaos? What do the former know and what do the latter lack? Knowrealty talked to professional space organizers and found out the top 7 causes of clutter in our apartments.

1. Bad habits

Father from time to time was too lazy to hang clothes in the closet, leaving them on the backs of chairs and beds? Or did mom collect unnecessary, but for some reason terribly dear knick-knacks, placing them on the shelves, where over time they took up more and more space and brought less and less use? In this case, you probably won’t have a craving for minimalism and the habit of putting everything away. “If parents lived and raised their children in chaos and confusion, then the same attitude towards their home can be passed on to their children,” says Yuliana Myznikova, a professional space organizer and author of the Stopbardac blog. Of course, you can’t go back to the past, but it’s quite possible to work on your new habits. “Think in advance where you use this or that thing, a place from where it will be not only convenient for you to take it, but also where to return it. Tell the family where everything is stored, and even better - sign it. If you do not return things to their place, this will cross out all your efforts to organize the space, ”says Yuliana.

Photo: Ella's Kitchen Company Limited

Another organizer of the space and the author of the project "Everything in its place" Ekaterina Pushkareva also calls for starting to develop simple but useful habits in the name of order: washing dishes immediately after eating, sending dirty clothes to the laundry and clean clothes to the shelf, wiping the sink or faucet after brushing your teeth. Little things like this can save you a lot of cleaning time.

Photo: Wicker Paradise

2. Internal disharmony

Why is this happening? Yuliana Myznikova says that lovers of disorder often insist that a thing will come in handy someday. As a result, more and more rubbish accumulates in the house, which literally clogs the living space. And the only way to change something is to resolutely fight the “Plyushkin syndrome” and study. Anna, for example, advises to play the game The Burning House. What would be the first thing you save when running out of a burning house, except, of course, your passport, phone and laptop? The game will help you understand what is really valuable to you, and parting in contrast with everything else is much easier. Ekaterina Pushkareva advises using the “input-output” rule for the same purposes: when you buy a new thing, the same old one or give it away.

4. Cleaning "once and for all"

Many mistakenly believe that it is enough with a certain regularity to enjoy cleanliness the rest of the time. Not at all: the cleanliness of the apartment depends, first of all, on our habits. Mess does not happen overnight, so even the largest cleaning once a month will not give you any guarantees of cleanliness. Anna Chernykh is sure: you should not hope for a general cleaning, something else is more important here - gradually form a look at things that would reflect the values that are significant to you. Then the habits will change by themselves: many things simply will not get into the house, while others will gradually leave it - to a separate collection, to charitable organizations, to friends or to a landfill.

5. Overloaded surfaces

We all noticed that if you remove boring paintings and old posters from the walls, scattered small things from the coffee table, and everything that happened to be there by chance, the room immediately seems cleaner, more spacious and freer. It seems simple, but in reality it turns out quite differently. The problem is that on free surfaces in the house there are always those things that do not have a suitable place in the house. And obviously they just need to find it.

6. Lack of a systematic approach

If you get all the summer things in the spring, and don’t prepare the winter clothes for storage and don’t remove them, then scarves, hats, ski boots, fur coats and down jackets will constantly fall out of the closet, says Ekaterina Pushkareva. And yet, if there is no clear idea of what exactly is needed for the house, it is easy to buy a bunch of extra, useless things that will then gather dust unnecessarily. So making shopping lists and cleaning schedules, putting winter and summer things on the shelves in time for the next season will help to cope with household anarchy in the house. “For example, divide housing into zones and plan dates and times in your calendar when you will study in different parts of the apartment,” Yuliana Myznikova advises.

Photo: Rubbermaid Products

7. Keep different things in one place

There is a term "categorization". According to Juliana, it just reveals the essence of the principle of organized space, when things of one category are together and do not mix with objects of another purpose. That is, a first-aid kit in a drawer for documents and a box with wires in a cupboard do not contribute to the competent organization of space, even if, as it seems to you, there is simply no other place in the apartment. Yes, you just need to think carefully about where and how it is most convenient to store items of the same purpose in one place, since this will not only make the apartment cleaner, but also allow you to quickly find the right things.

Daria Golovina

The house should be a place of maximum security and comfort. Yes, we have heard the opinion of scientists that "creative disorder" stimulates creativity. But, nevertheless, we believe that nothing provides comfort and relaxation more than cleanliness and order. The only pity is that you can’t clean up once and keep it that way all the time. But these 10 golden rules will definitely help you maintain order from cleaning to cleaning. Even in a house with small children.

Few people like cleaning. But there is no getting away from her. Unless, of course, you dream of living in a mountain of dust, garbage and cat hair. But it’s quite possible to stretch the time between each “general” a little. Especially if you make these 10 rules of a clean house your daily habit.

Rule 1: everything has its place

Keys, jewelry, underwear, chargers, cups, and a collection of 90s CDs - everything in the house should have its own clearly marked place. Whether it's a shelf, a box in a rack or a cardboard box. This is the basic rule of any clean house. And it also greatly facilitates any search for "lost", because you always know what and where you put it.

Rule 2: put it back

The logical conclusion from the previous rule: after you use something, put it back. Wearing jewelry all day? In the evening, carefully return it to the box (even if you are going to wear it tomorrow). Combed? The brush returns to its glass. The same rule applies to children's toys. Teach your kids to put them back in the box after playing. And you yourself will not notice how this very simple habit will make your home clean.

Rule 3: Never leave dishes in the sink

As in the case of “put it back”, the dishes after eating must be returned to their place. Preferably clean. And it's easy to do: just wash it immediately after dinner or a cup of coffee, without putting it off indefinitely. It will be difficult at first, but it will become a healthy habit very quickly. And it will get rid of this unpleasant feeling “I still have to do something later”.

Rule 4: Leave nothing in the morning

It's all about household chores. Perhaps you will really solve this difficult work task much more efficiently with a clear mind, but it’s better to wash the dishes in the evening. Just like preparing yourself lunch, and at the same time clean clothes for tomorrow. These simple things will relieve unnecessary stress before work and make every morning really good.

Rule 5: Always make your bed

Yes, it's that simple. But this basic thing surprisingly sets an organized mood for the whole day. So when you get out of bed, make it up right away. And teach the same children from an early age.

Rule 6: "Is the iron turned off?"

Everyone knows this anxiety (closely bordering on paranoia), but did you forget anything when you left the house. But it will never happen if you learn to always do a basic check before going out: go through all the rooms and check all the sockets. And unpleasant doubts will disappear by themselves.

Rule 7: on the shelves

Most of us are faced with the fact that a huge amount of all kinds of pieces of paper quietly accumulates at home. Sometimes really needed. In order not to drown in this sea of waste paper, get into the habit of sorting all papers into special (signed!) folders or boxes: one for working papers, another for checks and warranty cards, a separate one for children's report cards or drawings, and so on. Such sorting will save you a lot of time, nerves and space in the apartment.

Rule 8: Write down

What needs to be removed, purchased or repaired - be sure to write it down and hang the list in a conspicuous place. So you definitely won't forget. And the probability of fulfilling the plan will increase significantly.

Rule 9: Plan Your Menu

How will this affect the order in the house? Take a look in your refrigerator and you will understand! You will be surprised how much money you save and how little food goes to waste if you start planning your family menu for a few days or a week in advance. After all, now you will buy only the necessary products, and not random sweets “just in case”. An extremely useful habit that is worth acquiring right now.

Rule 10: Throw away more often

Sooner or later, even the cleanest house is filled with things. Therefore, at least once every two or three months, arrange a “disposal procedure”: review your (and children's) wardrobe, selecting things that you will no longer wear and put them up for sale or donate to charity. The same applies to the many bottles in the bathroom, cosmetics, old magazines and flyers. Believe me, breathing will become much easier. And a place in the house will appear.

And in order to put things in order not only in the house, but also in everyday life, we advise you to find out. They'll fit right in.

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