Are you suffering from house blindness? The truth is that if you are, you might not even realize it. Here, we’re exploring the concept of house blindness and sharing insights from professionals on how to move past it to ensure a more comfortable, organized life at home.
Meet the Experts
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Lisa Hettinger is the founder of Clean Slate.
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Lauren Saltman is the founder of Living Simplified.
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Nicole Kent is the owner and CEO of Hubbard’s Maid Service.
What Is House Blindness?
The term house blindness refers to becoming so accustomed to the clutter that has accumulated in one’s home, so that it is no longer apparent.
“My clients walk past piles of papers, baskets of unfolded laundry, and out-of-season seasonal decor shoved in a corner without even registering these problem areas,” says Lisa Hettinger, the founder of Clean Slate. “This is because our brains adapt to our surroundings and get desensitized to things that have become constant.”
To some degree, it can be good to not obsess over the clutter in your home, but at the same time, the ability to ignore it completely is ultimately detrimental.
“While helpful for daily functioning, this invisibility can leave your home feeling stressful or chaotic without you even realizing it,” says Lauren Saltman, the founder of Living Simplified.
Below, learn more about four common signs of house blindness, as well as what to do to remedy each of them.
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You Have Established a Poor Sense of Normal
People end up getting accustomed to whatever they consider to be their baseline in terms of cleanliness.
“For a neat freak, normal is perfectly clear, so they notice even the smallest scrap on a counter,” says Nicole Kent, the owner and CEO of Hubbard’s Maid Service. “For a hoarder, normal is stacks of things in the house so their brain filters it out as not useful information.”
How to Fix It
If you’re struggling with a messy house, the key here is to really make an effort to pay attention to your surroundings. Kent explains that when she is training new cleaners, she will teach them to look at the room from top to bottom, paying close attention to one section at a time.
You Have a Hard Time Unwinding in Spaces Meant for Relaxing
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Nobody is going to be able to unwind in their home office, but if you’re sitting in your family room and can’t relax, you’ll want to take action. As Saltman explains, having a difficult time unwinding in a space that is designed to serve such a purpose is a common sign of house blindness.
“Even if your home looks fine to you, accumulated clutter can subconsciously signal stress,” she says.
How to Fix It
Make an effort to tidy up the spaces on the regular—Saltman recommends even spending just five to 10 minutes a day getting a room into shape. Doing so, she says, can reset both your environment and your brain, making your home feel calmer and more inviting.
Certain Areas in Your Home Drain You
If you simply don’t feel great in certain areas of your home, this is another red flag. Saltman explains that oftentimes you might not know why you’re drained.
“This happens because your brain has tuned out the clutter,” she says.
How to Fix It
Since it’s all too easy to become accustomed to our living spaces, you will need to make an effort to look at them as an outsider. Saltman suggests taking photos or videos of your space. Reviewing them, she notes, will make you more aware of spaces that need help, which you might be overlooking.
Then, embark on a decluttering process, going zone by zone, she says, to create immediate relief and build momentum.
Guests Notice Clutter Before You Do
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While good guests don’t make it their job to point out flaws within your home, some, like parents or siblings, might not be able to help themselves. Why not use this outside perspective to your advantage?
“Friends or family often immediately spot messes that don’t register for you, highlighting trouble spots you’ve normalized,” Saltman says.
She recommends asking a trusted individual to go through your home and highlight areas that are in need of a good organizing session.
How to Fix It
Once you’ve established a better sense of the areas in your home that need to be organized, get to work making changes. Saltman is a proponent of tried and true organizational systems such as bins, labeled drawers, and drop zones.
Don’t be ashamed if you need to call in some extra help, either, she explains, noting that hiring a professional organizer can pay dividends because of their ability to immediately identify areas in need of help and share recommended systems to implement.
Read the original article on The Spruce