‘Cluttering’ and ‘hoarding’ are subjective terms.
They are now also clinical terms used in mental health.
They speak of a happenstance of history, of what happens when a generation born after a war, brought up on rationing, then grows to be the most materially wealthy and healthy ever to have lived. They have it programmed into them to be discard an item while there is still worth or use to it is evil and they have oh so many items.
Hoarding itself occurs when the life that is behind appears happier than what is ahead. The future is frightening or simply unknown, while the things of now and yesterday are comforting reminders of happier times and times that mattered. And then it all gets too much, there’s too much to deal with, the shame of the state of the place means no one can ask for help and the person withdraws and disappears. At least one council has realised this isn’t a choice and is being proactive.
There is a nine-point scale, with anything beyond ‘4’ a problem.
The first clinical question, which allows people to see what this actually looks like, is, “On entering the house, do you have to move something in order to sit down?
While tidying up two months ago before visitors, I dropped a bunch of picture frames. One set was from family. Another was a picture that had hung on my wall for twenty years. I cut my hand badly when tidying up the glass. So they have sat together in a bag since – I wanted to get rid of them, but they were good frames, a familiar picture and I didn’t want to. They were also too big for the dustbin, so needed a trip to the tip.
Yesterday, we dug out the dustbin and fitted them in.
The house already looks a little more spacious.
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Please write about that scale. Will be extremely usefull to decide who, in my household, has the biggest problem. ;^)
Might even be me, though I would love to see the other weirdo living here, to realise his aproach to stashing for “Just-in Case” isn’t effective. I often tell him Justin doesn’t live here! He does get the reference but still likes to be prepared for WW 3.
A couple of scales:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-42854122/hoarding-where-are-you-on-the-clutter-scale
Click to access clutter-image-ratings.pdf
A chest of drawers might help the bedroom images a bit earlier.
The issue round here is paper. Electronic records are all very well, but I’m old enough to have had to deal with the systems failing and I still have academic work saved on floppy disks. But there’s a line that’s been crossed when something causes injury and despite wanting to get rid of it months later it’s still there. Although, that is better than not wanting to get rid of it.
Another issue is that due to life’s unpredictability I hold on to clothes and things that I wouldn’t have the time or ready cash to go out and buy again if I suddenly needed to, such as job dress code changes. Something helpful is my new Vithus collection from ikea – three panels wide. The rule is that, except for shoes and coats, all my clothes have to fit in it. Had a clear-out, took five bags of clothes accumulated over 20 years to charity and I’ve still got room!