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[151949]

On MSN yesterday Basically it said that when women are surrounded by clutter they tend to become depressed by it. Then , because they are depressed they don't clean it up, and it continues to accumulate and they get more and more depressed. Men, on the other hand, don't seem to have any emotional reaction to clutter at all, which helps account for why so often wives are neat & tidy and men are slobs.Of course there are always exceptions. I have a couple friends who complain about their neatnick husbands. I wouldn't know anything about that!  My DH is a total slob and semi hoarder, but his Mom wasn't too much of a housekeeper so I think he gets emotional comfort from his messy surroundings.  Anyway the article was interesting to me.

[mac116]

I agree with the article.  The clutter and stuff can get overwhelming.

[hoosieroriginal]

My mother's house was impeccable and I picked up on that as a child (my one sister went the other direction and was a slob).  My children are both slobs.  I don't get it - the older I get the less I want around me - I'm constantly purging - have no "clutter" around - everything I have is organized in some fashion. 

[Puppy Lips]

I think everyone has a different definition of "clutter."

[IMW]

I believe the state of your home mirrors your mind. Clutter and dirt stops the flow of good energy or Feng Shui. The more stuff, the harder it is to clean and see what you already have, many end up repurchasing.

My Mom was a neat freak, Dad was a pig G- d bless him,

I was very messy until 40 or so when I realized I was rebelling against Mom. Was always very clean, now both my dh and I are very neat, clean and minimalists. It's less to take care of.

Both of my kids are slobs and have married slobs.

[151949]

By what the article says it just becomes a vicious circle - the more there is the more depressed you get and the less you want to clean it up, then more builds up and the less you want to clean it up and on and on.....

[151949]

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@Puppy Lips wrote:

I think everyone has a different definition of "clutter."

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My DH & I definitely have different definitions of clutter. I think my husband feels cozy in a room that is messy because his Mom wasn't too much of a housekeeper and that messiness is what he is used to. Certainly, when I was working full time + on call for many years  my house was far from neat and tidy. God Bless her , after she retired my Mom would come over once a week or so and tidy up. I did the cleaning on my days off but she would just neaten things up for me and run a few loads of laundry.She would often also make dinner and have it keeping warm in the oven when we got home. My Dad would walk the dog and play with her which was a blessing when I got home and she was tired instead of jumping all over me to go out & play.

[Mominohio]

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@Puppy Lips wrote:

I think everyone has a different definition of "clutter."

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I agree with the findings in the OP's article. It does seem once one is overwhelmed with clutter(however that is defined by an individual) they do get discouraged and stop dealing with it , or don't deal with it completely (they skim off the top or clear out only 'some').

And the definition of clutter is very elusive and varies by person. I believe it isn't clutter if it doesn't bother you, you enjoy the things, you keep them cleaned, organized and contained so as to be able to access and use all aspects of your home and its furnishings.

Some people think if you have more than two things on one surface, it is cluttered, other can take 7 things, place them on the same surface, and make them look like a unit, and not cluttered at all.

[ilovefall]

Now your parents sound like awesome people.  My mother would never have done that for me!

[CANDLEQUEEN]

I am a neat freak, and so is my husband. We love and keep a nice neat orderly home, however with that being said our home is comfortable and lived in, its not so spotless and sterile that it is uninviting. You can be a good housekeeper and have a nice home that is inviting as well. I agree about the clutter however, because my Uncle just married a hoarder. She never used to be one, but she was fired from her job and she went into a depression, and starting not cleaning her house. Now she has boxes and magazines and books and papers all over, but not filth....However it is getting worse every day that she does not do something about it......So I can see how having clutter can cause depression which can turn into something worse, like Hoarding!