Tips for Clearing Your Clutter
Clutter in and around your home could have a negative effects on both your emotional well-being and your physical well-being. Not only does clutter create a sense of disorganization and mess, but to a person trying to escape a burning home, navigating through a maze of clothes piles, magazines, newpapers, or old electronics can be downright hazardous. Clearing your clutter is a fire-wise investment.
Boxes stacked to the ceiling packed full of stuff not only adds to a feeling of claustrophobia, but it adds fuel to any fire. Clutter may impede your escape and it creates hazardous conditions for firefighters who are trying to get into the home and fight the fire at its source. Central Kitsap Fire & Rescue firefighters strongly encourage residents to clear your clutter before it becomes a health hazard.
We understand that clearing clutter can be an overwhelming chore. What to keep, what to throw, what to give away or recycle? At times, it feels as though clutter takes on a life of its own. Once you have decided to clean, it is natural to begin to ponder whether the item you are about to toss might come in handy at some future date. Just remember, a clutter free home is less likely to become a place where fires occur.
Make this spring the time to give clutter a life far away from you.
Clearing Clutter Tips
Select the room you are going to start clearing of clutter and designate three piles with the following labels: Garbage, Give Away, Keep
Garbage – This includes any item you do not need, want, or that is damaged and broken. If you save newspapers and magazines, now is the time to haul them to the recycling. The trash is not the place for items that could be recycled, sold or given to charity.
Give Away/Sell – Remember, your clutter may be a treasure to others. Be ruthless with yourself and remember that if you haven’t worn or used an item in the past year, donate it to charity or sell it. Prom dresses, baby clothes, dishes, lawn equipment and other valuable items may be worth selling at a garage sale or on a free Internet site that sells new and used items.
Keep – These are items you need on a regular basis. Check yourself by deciding if you have a place for each item. If the “keep” box contains more than will fit in your home without cluttering an area, take time to determine if you really need the items. If you do need these “essentials”, come up with a storage solution that fits into your home.
If your home or garage is cluttered and a challenge for you to maneuver in, it is a good bet firefighters would have a hard time with access in the event of a fire or emergency. Central Kitsap Fire & Rescue urges you to become fire-wise and clear your clutter today!
