The obvious upside of keeping your home clutter-free is the aesthetic benefit it offers, but there are plenty of other reasons to keep your home nice and tidy. A short list of these benefits includes improved safety in the home, increased productivity and more money in your pocket.

I’m not just talking about keeping your home from achieving “hoarding” status. This article is mainly targeted toward the household clutter that accumulates in the average household, such as closet clutter, messy kitchen and dining areas, excessive storage bins/boxes and other common household clutter. There are many benefits to keeping your home clean and organized, and below you’ll find 10 of the most important reasons to declutter your home and keep it that way long term.

Clutter Aggravates Asthma

Asthma affects about 25 million people in the U.S., according to the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI). Cluttered homes offer more places for dust to collect and dust is a major aggravating factor for people with asthma. Eliminating clutter helps to improve the air quality within a home to make it safer for children and adults suffering from asthma.

Pests

Clutter is a pest’s best friend. A messy, unorganized home provides plenty of hiding places for mice, rats and cockroaches. These pests often carry diseases like rabies, and insects, such as cockroaches, are terrible for anyone with asthma or emphysema.

Easier to Find Stuff

Have you ever spent a half-hour searching for your keys or some paperwork you needed for work? Be honest; most of us have. A clutter-free home helps reduce time spent searching and digging through stuff to find “other stuff”. In this way, decluttering your home can help boost your overall productivity and save you time.

Boosts Value

Decluttering your home is the least expensive way to increase its value. The real estate experts at HomeGain surveyed hundreds of realtors across the U.S., and the number one most recommended way to boost the value of a home quickly was decluttering.

An incredible 99 percent of agents recommend decluttering prior to selling a home, and studies show a 600 to 800 percent return on investment (ROI) when cleaning out a house.

Home will likely Sell Faster

If you’re in the market to sell your home, cleaning and decluttering can help it sell much faster. According to StagedHomes.com, 94 percent of clean and organized homes staged correctly sell in 29 days or less compared to 145 days for cluttered, messy homes.

By keeping your home clutter-free, it will save you loads of time not having to do a massive cleanout before your home hits the real estate market.

Reduces Injuries caused by Falls

Did you know household falls account for the largest number of home injury deaths? It’s true. The National Center for Healthy Housing states 33 percent of all household accidental deaths are caused by falls, which is ahead of poisoning (27 percent) and fires (18 percent).

Excessive clutter can greatly increase the risk of falls in the home, particularly in the elderly population.

Benefits Mental Psyche

Homeowners living in a cluttered home put a substantial amount of stress on their brain, and this can affect their quality of life. It’s amazing how a clean, organized home can improve one’s life.

Feng shui in the home all starts with clearing out the clutter. If feng shui is a bunch of mumbo jumbo to you, there are countless published studies proving that a clean, healthy home coincides with a healthy state of mind. Don’t believe me?…read the articles here and here.

Teaches Kids to be Clean and Organized

Practice what you preach. If you constantly harp on your kids to keep their room and play areas clean, set an example by keeping the entire home clutter-free and organized. Kids are remarkably observant, even when you think they’re not!

By keeping your home clutter-free, it teaches your kids essential organizational skills that will come in handy when they eventually become homeowners themselves.

May Help You Lose Weight

As previously stated, a clutter-free home does wonders for your psyche. It may even help you lose weight. Dr. Pamela Peeke, author and professor of medicine at University of Maryland, believes there’s a strong connection between a healthy mind and a healthy bodyweight. She recalls one patient who lost 50 lbs. after decluttering her home.

Dr. Peeke stated, “It wasn’t, at the end of the day, about her weight. It was about uncluttering at multiple levels of her life.”

Save Money

A clutter-free home actually saves you money…how? An article published at Kiplinger.com mentions three ways a clutter-free home improves your finances:

1. Sell extra clothing and household goods in a yard sale
2. Donate unused items and get a tax break
3. Go digital. Eliminate paper documents by making a digital copy. Switch to e-statements, which often times saves money or percentage points on credit cards or loans.

Need some decluttering tips? Check out this infographic to help you get started.