23 Alarming Messy House Problems that are holding you back in life
You’ll often hear me say that being messy is aok.
And it’s true - there’s absolutely nothing wrong with you if you’re a naturally messy person.
Some people can’t sing, some people can’t roll their tongue, and some of us can’t keep a “normal” house tidy on a long term basis.
Being messy is morally neutral.
But that doesn’t mean that I think you’re better off living in mess, or that it’s not causing issues in your life.
Read on for 23 messy house problems that might be holding you back in life - some of them might surprise you!
I’ll share resources at the end for you if you’re ready for a calmer and more relaxing home - it’s easier than you think, I promise.
23 Messy House Problems
1) A messy house means you’re more likely to be late
According to OnePoll Survey, 1 in 9 people are late for work because they can’t find something they need to get ready.
Can you relate?
Top tip: for easier mornings, keep everything you need together
For instance, I keep all of the beauty products I need for my morning routine together in a basket in the bathroom. That way I can easily find everything and it’s easy to put that basket back in the cupboard so our tiny bathroom counter stays clear.
2) A messy house may increase feelings of depression, Stress & Anxiety
An Australia Institute study found that 40% of Australian people feel guilt, depression and/or anxiety about their cutter.
A Huffington Post survey found that Americans are even more stressed about their homes not being clean or organized enough, at 84%.
The main culprit of home related stress was clutter.
In this psychology paper, clutter was shown to increase the level of the stress hormone cortisol.
Top tip: start small
If you’re feeling blue, the last thing you’re going to want to do is start a big decluttering project.
My personal coping mechanism when everything feels too hard is to watch Queer Eye. The fab five love on people until they love themselves and after a couple of episodes I remember that I’m pretty lovable myself.
When I feel ready, I start small - a three minute timer, or one small shelf at a time.
3) A messy house may decrease your concentration levels
The National Library of Medicine used functional magnetic resonance imaging to prove that clearing clutter results in increased focus and productivity.
They could see a difference in brain scans of people in a tidy vs. a cluttered room - proof of “cluttered thinking”!
4) A messy house makes you buy duplicates
In this messy catch 22, you’re more likely to purchases duplicates when you can’t find items …which wastes money, adds clutter and causes even more mess.
Top tip: save money on duplicates
If you know you’ve already got one somewhere, consider buying the duplicate secondhand to save some money. Re-donate it when the original shows up.
5) A messy house may worsen allergic reactions
The Mayo clinic reports that common allergens such as dander, mites and mold can be found in clutter, worsening symptoms for allergy sufferers (here are their tips on how to allergy-proof your home)
6) A messy house causes you to lose items more often
Clutter, chaos and a lack of organization in a messy house causes us to lose more of our things.
In fact, the National Association of Professional Organizers estimates that the average person will spend one year of their life searching for lost items.
Top tip: start a drop spot for things that don’t have a home
Chose a spot for things that have no home. We affectionately call ours the shit-box, but it could be a dump-drawer, nomad-shelf or go-home-basket.
That way you only have two places to look for something - in it’s logical & labelled home, or in your drop spot.
7) More accidents can occur in a messy home
The more cluttered a home is, the higher the potential for falls and accidents.
Or worse, excess clutter may cause a greater risk in a fire by blocking escape routes, spreading flames and putting emergency responders in danger.
8) A messy house could be making you tired
This study found that being surrounded by clutter makes it harder for your brain to switch off and fall asleep.
Leaving you with a bad night’s sleep and even less energy to tackle clutter the next day.
Top tip: start with your bedside table
When decluttering, start off by clearing your bedside table to encourage better sleep.
9) A messy home could be negatively affecting your physical health
This study from Indiana University found that how clean your house was, was a bigger indicator on your physical health than how walkable your neighbourhood was.
I’m definitely more likely to squeeze in extra movement if the room is clear from clutter. Nowadays my movement involves a lot of dancing to the Encanto soundtrack :)
10) A messy house could be putting a dampener on your style
OnePoll Survey found that 10% of women feel depressed when they open their closet.
This just breaks my heart. I can vividly remember feeling so frustrated with having nothing to wear in my overflowing wardrobe that I’d silently scream through gritted teeth.
We tend only to wear around 20% of our clothes, which means that the outfits that actually make us feel good are hidden by uncomfortable clothes that don’t fit the person we are today, and stress us out just to look at.
It’s beyond frustrating.
11) A messy home might make you dread guests
If you’re a messy person, there’s nothing scarier than, “we’ll be there in 10 minutes!”
Or, even worse …an unexpected knock at the door!
I used to spend the majority of visits apologizing for or inwardly stressing about my mess.
12) A messy house might have a negative effect on your self esteem
My internal dialogue was that I wasn’t a “grown up” if I had a messy home.
That’s how I ended up feeling like a thirty-something teenage dirtbag that “didn’t deserve” a happy, healthy relationship, a good career, or a family. Luckily I was able to let go of that nonsense with help from my therapist.
Top tip - be curious about how to talk to yourself about your mess
Journaling or talking to someone you trust are both positive ways to work through any negative core beliefs you may have.
13) A messy home may cause extra stress and arguments
Whether you’re on the messier or tidier side of the spectrum, there’s often friction and arguments in a messy house.
In fact, I asked my email list if mess causes conflict in their home and 86% responded yes.
14) The things you love are hidden away in a messy house
Clutter literally hides the things we love.
Something can’t bring you joy if it’s buried behind a years worth of bills.
15) You’re less likely to cook in a messy kitchen
How many times have you looked at your messy kitchen, felt overwhelmed, and ordered take away or just eaten cereal instead of cooking? Me too.
A clean and organized kitchen is a great motivator to make yourself affordable and healthy meals.
My cooking skills and kitchen creativity is through the roof compared to when our kitchen was a constant mess.
16) A messy house might delay bill payments
Harris interactive advise that 23% of people pay late fees on their bills because they misplaced them.
17) It’s harder to clean a messy home
Cleaning a clear space is quicker, easier and more effective.
Cleaning around clutter just seems to move dirt from one spot to another.
18) A messy house is less relaxing
Our homes are supposed to be a safe haven and calming sanctuary - a place where we can unwind and refresh.
Mess represents put-off actions and delayed decisions, so it’s impossible to truly relax when surrounded by it.
19) Messy homes feel smaller & darker
Piles of clothes, nick-knacks, paperwork, and dust steal light and give even large spaces a claustrophobic feel.
20) Messy homes look dirty (even if they’re sparkling clean)
It sucks but a cluttered home that was just cleaned will still look less clean that a home that was cleaned a week ago.
Decluttered spaces are really forgiving, even if they’re not sparkling clean.
21) It’s harder to sell messy houses
Apartment Therapy recommends minimizing your overall clutter before listing your home.
A cluttered home gives potential buyers the message that there isn’t enough storage space, or that the home hasn’t been cared for.
Messy houses may look smaller and darker, and may attract low ball offers.
Remember that potential buyers open cupboard and closet drawers too, so there’s nowhere to “hide” the mess.
22) There’s always mess in the background of photos in a messy house
In the social media age, sharing photos and snippets online is part of day to day life for a lot of us.
Sometimes I don’t even notice the mess or clutter in the background until I go to post the photo.
23) Messy houses feed in to parent guilt
A UCLA study shows that items in the home increase by 30% during preschool years.
So there’s more stuff, more tiny messy people, and yet we feel guilty that we can’t keep our home looking Pinterest perfect.
Even worse, many parents believe that how our house looks is a reflection of how good or bad of a parent we are - which is just not true.
There’s no such thing as a perfect home and there’s no such thing as a perfect parent.
How to clean a messy house once and for all
If you’re ready to turn your messy house into a calm and relaxing sanctuary, here’s the secret:
We messy people do not have the luxury of being able to own as many things as we want.
We all have a certain amount of things that we can maintain and keep tidy
For us messy folks, that number is a bit lower.
Ideally, keep minimizing until it’s easy to keep your home tidy.
Here are some extra resources to help:
Clothes make up the majority of clutter and chaos in most homes so I always recommend that everyone starts there
Here’s how to create a capsule wardrobe in 2 hours
Here’s the capsule wardrobe guide for kids guide
Try this trick for storing clothes - perfect for messy people that hate folding clothes (this is the only way I can keep my bedroom floor clear of clothes)
Intro to minimalism & getting organized:
If you want to start exploring your relationship with your stuff, try this easy, one minute minimalism challenge
If you want to try my free 60 day challenge:
If you need more inspiration, check out these quotes to get you organized
Practical guides:
Here’s my easy decluttering method that works for every room in the house (it’s perfect for indecisive people as it includes this free interactive decluttering tool)
Here’s how to make tidying easier, and dare I say it - fun!
Here’s a quick guide to getting rid of the things you’ve decluttered
Specific problem areas:
If you’re a sentimental fool like me, here’s how to let go of sentimental items without feeling guilty
If impulse buys cause a lot of your mess, you can learn more about:
If you have kids, this 10 minute trick will drastically decrease your toy mess
If you want to feel better:
Check these underlying causes of clutter
Read this deep dive on being messy and lazy
If you want a good laugh check out these funny & fabulous messy people quotes
Conclusion
So we’ve covered 23 messy house problems, the secret to an easily tidied house, and lots of different resources to help get you there.
I hope you’re feeling positive and supported - please leave a comment below if you have any questions.
