#Decluttering can help you protect your health during the #coronavirus #pandemic, says HealthFirst. It can improve your focus if you’re attempting to work from home, as well as lower the stress and anxiety that coping with a pandemic can produce (and the boredom of being at home). What’s more, decluttering, #organizing and #cleaning can help eliminate allergens, improve sleep and even provide some low-impact exercise. And if you give what you don’t need to ClothingDonations.org, you can feel good that your extra stuff went toward a good cause.
Author: Jordank
Editorial Coordinator
Continue to Keep Hard Surfaces Clean
Keeping your home #clean is more important than ever during the #COVID-19 pandemic. While most infections are passed through shared airspace, Wired says, you may still be able to pick up the virus from a surface. Clean (removing dirt) and disinfect (killing germs) all frequently touched surfaces in your home — doorknobs, tables, kitchen and bathroom counters, faucet knobs, light switches, and remote controls. And do this daily if anyone has had contact with the outside world.
Declutter to Take Control of Your Quarantine
Spending more time at home doesn’t automatically result in a #cleaner, more #organized space. You’ll have to #declutter more often to stay on top of all the accumulated #WFH materials, school work, clothing and foodstuffs that you ordinarily might buy or use outside the home. Fortunately, ClothingDonations.org is still offering free, contactless #donation pickups just like it did pre-pandemic. Start weeding through the things that you don’t need, don’t want or don’t fit to get control of your #COVID bubble today.
More Time at Home Means More Clutter
The #quarantines and #lockdowns of COVID-19 have most people spending more time at home, says Apartment Therapy — and more time at home means more household #clutter. Not only have you stocked up on canned goods and work-from-home supplies, but there may also be school projects, toys and games laying around. To maintain a sense of order, do the little necessities such as taking out the trash and doing the dishes. If you find time in your schedule, tackle a larger #organization project you’d been putting off.
Hygge: Cozy Without Clutter
Hygge (pronounced “hoo-guh”) is a concept celebrated mostly in Denmark that heralds the creation of a cozy, welcoming living space. Originally, the concept is thought to be the indoorsy, affirming answer to Scandinavia’s long, bleak winter nights.
Since English-speakers don’t have a word for the concept, picture yourself relaxing in a warm ski lodge after a long day of skiing or snowshoeing, with cup of tea or hot chocolate in hand, a crackling fire in the hearth, and a wooly blanket in your lap.
Nice, huh? Now bring that feeling home.
What’s missing from that picture is all of the #junk, papers and #clutter you’ve collected over the years. Because at the core of the #hygge concept is #simplicity — cognizant of the fact that extra #stuff is #anxiety-producing, hygge takes a #minimalist approach.
#Minimalism gets a bad rap as stark or cold, says Simple Lionheart Life, a minimalist blog, and Scandinavia’s penchant for modern design might underline that misconception. But hygge is a different kind of minimalism that’s all cozy blankets, candles and #calm.
To embrace it (and survive the long, socially distanced winter), you’ll need to get rid of the #clutter that’s overrunning your space; it’s distracting from what’s really important and may actually be getting in the way of your sense of inner peace.
“Hygge isn’t about ‘things’ at all,” the blog says. “It’s more about slowing down and being present to appreciate and enjoy your life. And finding ways to celebrate ordinary moments and make them special.”
To embrace it, figure out what you value and what makes you feel good about your home. Then, get rid of everything that isn’t contributing to that feeling. Throw the stuff somebody might still want into boxes and bags, and contact ClothingDonations.org for a donation pickup.
Keep your favorite blanket, a candle, and a couple of good books or board games, of course, because once you #declutter your home, you’ll want to relax and enjoy how #clean and #cozy it is mindfully — hyyge-style — by yourself and with family and friends.