8 Unexpected Health Benefits from Getting Rid of Junk

This is not a blog post encouraging obsessive-compulsive tidying. It’s not made to make you feel guilty for procrastinating your “spring cleaning” until the last week of summer break. It is about why getting junk out of our space and out of our lives is unexpectedly healthy, no matter when you do it or how much junk has built up over time.

Table of Contents

What is junk?

Junk is going to come up a lot in the next few minutes, so let’s be crystal clear about what we’re referring to when talking about it. Junk is any unwanted, useless, broken, or discarded item that is living in your space rent-free. Chat GPT lists these items as classic junk:

Broken or outdated electronics
Tattered or worn-out furniture
Rusty bicycles or other sporting equipment
Chipped or mismatched dishes
Outdated or damaged clothing
Non-functional appliances
Expired or unused toiletries
Unwanted toys and games

That’s a good list, all things considered. Although the junk cluttering our spaces is different for each of us, the impact it has on our mental and physical well-being is the same. Junk can be lots of things, but getting rid of it is nothing but beneficial.

Mental Health Benefits of Getting Rid of Junk

1. Less Stressful

Stress is deadly. Medical News Today recently stated, “Research explains that even small stressors can harm our long-term health.” While avoiding stress completely is impossible, minimizing it is something everyone can work towards. One of the best ways is to remove unwanted junk from your house, apartment, or property. While some people appear to function better in cluttered spaces, the clutter of valuable items differs from piles of junk.

2. Better Relationships

Broken items don’t just get in the way physically. They also get in the way of healthy relationships. It may not be clear who it belongs to or whose responsibility it is to get rid of it. Living with the clutter can cause contention and bring up other grievances. Quality relationships are one of, if not the most, important factors to longevity.

3. Relaxing

For many, getting rid of junk can be a calming experience. Remember how great you felt the last time you cleaned out the junk drawer in the kitchen? Junk removal, especially working with a garbage pickup service, can be a relaxing break from other duties while still being productive.

Physical Health Benefits of Getting Rid of Junk

4. More Space for Living

Too hot, too cold, too wet, too public. Whatever the reason, sometimes it’s nice to stay home to exercise rather than go out. Even if you go to a gym or brave the elements, the most convenient place for an evening yoga flow or stretch routine is at home. Many people lack the space to exercise indoors. Getting rid of junk frees up space. Movement of almost any kind leads to a healthier body.

5. Fewer Trip Hazards

We all know that moment when the power goes out, and all of a sudden, you’re groping in the dark for your phone or that emergency headlight. Or what about tip-toeing around in the dark to get midnight? Both of these moments in life are less stressful when your home is free of junk. Hallways are for walking, not storing a minefield of broken electronics or old sports equipment. Renting a 10-yard dumpster for a day to eliminate it all may be the best way to go. However you handle it, your unstubbed baby toe will thank you.

6. Safe Environment for Children

If you have children at home, you know they are easily tripped up. Focused intently on their make-believe play, they often overlook the hazards around them. Kids might hurt themselves on flat ground, let alone a space packed with junk. Less junk in your house makes it more conducive to kids dashing around.

7. No Pests

Rats and other vermin love a long-ignored pile of junk. To them, it’s like a 5-star hotel: close access to food and warmth without going anywhere. That is until you contact a Sacramento waste management company and get that pile junked for good.

The colder winter months bring the highest risk of pest infestation since there is less food and warmth to be found outside. Make a goal to get your garage, basement, or spare room cleaned up before the holiday season to make sure the rats don’t get into any of the edible goodness that comes with Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas.

8. No Mold

Junk has an intimate friendship with mold. Especially junk in a garage that may be exposed to the elements from time to time. Mold can worsen asthma and allergies. The spores from mold also make a room more stuffy and can carry respiratory viruses. Often the problem with mold is that it grows out of sight. You can often smell the problem before you can see it. Getting rid of junk clears up many of the nooks and crannies that may be susceptible to mold to airflow and drying out.

In this day and age, space is precious. Don’t give junk a free pass to impose on your hospitality. One step towards a happier and healthier life in multiple dimensions is simply getting rid of junk.